Our last day of walking -- to Muxia, another end of the world (Th 17 Oct)

We left Fisterre and headed towards Muxia (pronounced Mooshia).  It was a fine day, unusual for this time and place and we were enjoying the walk.  We had not yet decided on our plans for the next few days, till we fly home from Madrid next Wed 23 Oct.  Partway through the walk, we decided Muxia would be a good place to end our journey.  There's no further to go -- all we can do is head back to Santiago.  We decided to take the bus back to Santiago, then on to Madrid where we'll spend a few days before catching our plane.  It was a simple enough decision to make, but the impact on us was powerful.  This would be our last day of walking on our Camino journey, and we felt a bit sad.  Our last chance to hear the roosters crow and cows moo, our last day to enjoy birdsong, enjoy seeing dogs snoozing in the sun, horses and donkeys grazing in beautiful fields of green.  Our last time to stroll through the farming hamlets, with the earthy odour of cow barns, the interesting mix of decaying stone buildings and fences alongside freshly painted homes, watching the local folk go about their days, busy with harvest this time of year.

Pausing for a coffee in a local bar.  Pulling into an albergue, finding some dinner.  Last time for all this ... until our next Camino.  The Camino is now part of who we are and we are part of what and who the Camino is. It has worked its magic on us and we are so glad to have had the time and health and energy to be part of this wonderful experience.  

Buen, Buen Camino.

The old next to the new:

Horses (with their manes coloured by the hay):

and donkeys:

and little lambs (we never did see them eat ivy):

And the views, of farmlands and mountains...

And sea:

And then back into the pine and eucalyptus forests:

with a bed of rust-coloured ferns preparing the forest for winter:

And markers of concrete and simple handwritten signs -- a pilgrim's best friends:

And people.  Today, at the bottom of a valley with a steep road leading up each side, an elderly woman paused to chat with us, saying much more than we could understand, but with a smile so we understood her intention.  After we'd exchanged farewells, we turned to see if she'd be heading up the hill and she was.  People here have strong legs and lungs.

And a man stopped to chat, telling us he was going to get some Pulpo (octopus) and showed us his hunting/fishing tools and how he'd catch them.    He dangles the bait (in the small bag on a string in his left hand) near the Pulpo to entice it out of its normal hiding place in the rocks, and uses the long stick in his left hand to prod it some more and lands it with the stick with the metal hook in his right hand:

The other interesting aspect of today's walk is that we met many pilgrims walking from Muxia to Fisterre.  Both are roughly at the end of the world and people go to either one first, then walk to the other.  This stretch is the only place on the Camino with significant traffic in both directions.  For most of the Camino's history, pilgrims walked both ways, so we got to experience how it must have been -- people asking each other what's ahead, where's a good place to eat or stay, etc

Nice to get a glimpse into how things were.

A great walk to end our long walk.  Muxia is a very pretty town and we'll post some pics on that tomorrowish.