Last Post

This is the last post to our blog, as we have arrived home.

We would like to dedicate this blog diary, and our Camino walk, to all our readers.

We know that you have been following our progress through the days with interest and love.

Thank you

Hugh and Carrie

Strange Spanish megafauna

This enormous sculpture, covered in living flowers, is called 'Puppy' ! and is outside the Guggenheim




This giant snail is near Deba, and looks like someone was inspired by the Guggenheim

Walk from Zumaia to Deba

Today we went for a 14 km walk along the hills and cliffs on the coast. There are many other walks in Spain beside the Camino de Santiago! It was pleasant to have only a light pack and cloudy weather. Our walk was through fields of cows and goats too.

At Bilboa and the Guggenheim museum

Bilboa is the largest place we have seen in Spain. It has a million people, nearly all living in high rise flats. It must be where all the people from the country villages have gone! The air is always smoggy, a change from the country air we have been used to.

The high light of Bilboa is the Guggenheim museum, an amazing building filled with amazing modern art. Apart from the floor, it is all curved and wavey, inside and out. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside..., but you can get a taste from the outside pictures (or internet sources such as Google or Wikipedia!)

after the Camino

We went to the midday Pilgrim´s mass in the cathedral. It was very moving. A nun with the voice of an angel sang, the priest was warm and moving, altho we only caught fragments of the address, where he spoke about pilgrims coming from far away places. The cathedral was full - said to be 800 capacity. This must be for every day in the high season. We were moved too to meet many of our fellow pilgrims whom we had met along the way. Not a lot to say in words, because of our different languages and backgrounds, but still an unspoken bond between us.

The next day we had recovery day and walked around the shops and the pilgrim museum.

And the next day we caught the bus to Bilboa for a few days before we return to Australia. It has been a little hard to change our days and ways of thinking, but we hope the experience will stay with us.

arrival at Santiago - we did it!

We walked in at 6 pm after a long day and had a rest in the square before the cathedral. Then we went and got our certificates of completion. You can get one if you walked at least the last 100 km, or cycled 200km and did it all for spiritual purpose. We were asked ´Did you walk the whole way?´ YES

´Did you catch a taxi or bus?´NO

We were very thrilled to get our certificates. They are made out in Latin to Hugonem and Carolam, the Latin interpretaions of Hugh and Carrie

The photo of the cathedral is the next morning, in the mist

hydrangeas on the way to Santiago

On our last day of walking we covered our longest distance -40 km. And as well as passing through eucalypt forest (for Australian pilgrims, maybe), we passed more lovely flowers including these hydrangeas