It was the cry of Ultreia! (still further) by medieval pilgrims that led to the development of the Camino Finisterre. After visiting the remains of Saint James at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, many pilgrims decided to continue to the end of the world at Finisterre.
The Costa da Morte (Death Coast) was the furthest Roman stronghold, where people believed souls ascended to heaven. Cape Fisterra is a symbolic and mythical place where the conquering Romans sat agog watching the sun disappear over the edge of the ocean. Cape Fisterra still has that effect on people today.
The trail heading out of Santiago to Finisterre wasn’t nearly as busy with pilgrims as the trails leading into Santiago. Most people will end their pilgrimage in Santiago after visiting the remains of Saint James at the cathedral.
I’ve begun this journey to Finisterre with my dear friends, Birte, Kaitlin, and Greg, with whom I ended up walking the 837-kilometer Camino Del Norte from Irun to Santiago in Spain. Like some of those medieval pilgrims, we weren’t ready to stop walking, and I’m so glad that all of our schedules make it possible to walk all the way across Spain together.
We got off to quite a late start this morning, more than two hours later than usual. It was 9:00 am before we put the pack covers over our packs in anticipation of rain and headed west out of the city, after having eaten a hearty breakfast with our Lithuanian friend, Vytas. I’ve said goodbye three times to him now, thinking I might never see him again. But we continue to bump into each other, so I expect I’ll see him again one day.
The walking felt different today. After completing the Camino del Norte, it felt like we were on a bit of a victory lap. It’s less than 90 kilometers to Finisterre and we’ve got three days to get there, so I found myself wanting to stop at every open cafe for a coffee and pastry, to lallygag in villages to take pictures, and to commune with nature. It didn’t quite work out that way, but the lazy feeling was pleasant.
