Canadian Company of Pilgrims

While the snow accumulates outside, I thought it was a good time to revisit the end of our trip to Spain this past September. The trip was not yet over when we walked into Santiago de Compostela at the end of the Camino Frances. Our walk–our Camino–was over, but not our exploring.

There was still the END OF THE WORLD to see. My 4th time in Santiago de Compostela and I had yet to make the trek to either Finisterre or Muxía. Though we did not have the time needed to walk there, it was time to rectify things. We had to get to the end of the world before crossing back across the Atlantic to the New World.

The Cape of Finisterre in Galicia was once considered the literal end of the world. This is what the Romans called it, believing there was nothing beyond it. Nothing but water. The name Finisterre itself comes from the Latin FINIS TERRAE, meaning “end of the earth”.

There is an add-on Camino that takes in either Finisterre or Muxía…and some even do both. Being short on time, Michael and I instead booked a bus tour of the two places. I’ve been looking forward to seeing these two iconic Camino locations since I first learned about the Camino de Santiago. Just the idea of walking across Spain and coming upon the ocean at a time when you thought it the end of the world! It’s incredible. The two places must have been such reverent destinations back then. I can’t even imagine!

Making stops along the way to Finisterre, Spain. This was a waterfall we stopped at prior to reaching our destinations.

The first of the two iconic destinations to visit was Finisterre.

The milemarkers on the Camino usually count down the KMs left to Santiago de Compostela. This one at Finisterre counts the fact that there is nowhere else to go. You’ve reached the end of the world.

Maybe one day we’ll walk it. For now, just being there was a huge thrill!

Nothing but water…

Trying to imagine what the ancients saw when they looked out into this vista is literally impossible. Today, we see only the suggestion of home at the other side of the water…

Such a vast space…it’s awe inspiring to look out upon.

The iconic bronze boot statue on the rocks at the end of the world. It was once a custom to burn one’s clothing upon arriving at the end. And perhaps their footwear as well…

We were thrilled to be in Finisterre.

After a stop for lunch, we headed to Muxía. Of the two places, Muxía is quite possibly the more iconic. It was made famous outside Camino circles when TOM (played by Martin Sheen) spread the ashes of his son DANIEL (played by Emilio Estevez) into the water at Muxía at the end of the movie THE WAY. This is one of my absolute favourite movies. I’ve seen it countless times. Being there was an absolute dream come true!

Same same, but different. It looks like the same photo as above, but it’s a totally different location. Here we are where Martin Sheen stood saying goodbye to his son in the movie ***THE WAY***.

Yet another 0km milemarker to reach…

There’s something beautiful about the monolithic sculpture found in Muxía alongside the 0km milemarker. A Ferida (English: The Wound) stands more than 36 feet high and weighs 400 tons. Created by Alberto Bañuelos Fournier, it is the largest sculpture in all of Spain. It was inaugurated on September 12, 2003…and serves as a tribute to the volunteers who helped the people of Galicia after the Prestige oil spill of November 2002.

The Wound is such a simple but elegant monument.

Beside the iconic Wound monument is Virxe da Barca Sanctuary. This church is from the 17th Century…

Of course, the spot where these things can be found were already iconic prior to Christianity coming in and rewriting history. Isn’t that ALWAYS the way. Where the church is now was a pre-Christian Celtic shrine and sacred spot.

I HAD to climb down below all the rocks on the shoreline and put my hands in the water. It was necessary!

I dipped my hands in the water, after a slightly dangerous journey to the shoreline…

If you find yourself in Santiago de Compostela at the end of your Camino and you don’t have enough time to walk to Finisterre and/or Muxía…do yourself a favour. Find a bus tour that will take you there. It took us one day to see both places and so much more. It was so worth it! We loved seeing these two iconic Camino de Santiago landmarks. Just imagine getting to these sacred places at a time when they were considered the literal end of the world! It’s unfathomable. They both had the air of sacred about them. So many thousands (millions) had come before us. What they felt when they looked out at the water! It must have been a profound mix of fear and exhilaration. Don’t miss the opportunity just because you don’t have the time to walk it. Take that bus!

We were back in Santiago de Compostela in no time!

We are all set to go forth into the world again, once September comes.

This time, we will be doing the Senda Litoral Route of the Caminho Português (Portuguese Camino, The Portuguese Way, Camino Portugués). And, for the first time, there will be 3 of us walking! Can’t wait for this one… to walk along the coastline of Portugal up and into Spain and make our way to the city of Santiago de Compostela!

Credencials or Pilgrim Passports. These ones were issued for the Holy Year (which is 2021 with a special extension to 2022).

Our walk will be broken down as below, as far as we have it planned so far.

Porto – Vila Do Conde – 33.9km

Vila Do Conde – Esposende – 26.4km

Esposende – Viana do Castelo – 27.3km

Viana do Castelo – Caminha – 27.1km

Caminha – Baiona – 31.2km

Baiona – Vigo – 26.8km

Vigo – Ponte Samaio – 24.5km

Ponte Sampaio – Caldas de Reis – 33.3km

Caldas de Reis – A Picarana – 28.4km

A Picarana – Santiago de Compostela – 16km

Santiago de Compostela back to Porto by bus.

We will be walking this Camino in mid-September of 2022. The best place to live-follow our adventures will probably be on my INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT. I usually do daily updates there and then condense into a travel blog post after our return.

We will be travelling with John Brierley once again. I think a LOT of pilgrims travel with Brierley’s guides. It almost feels de rigueur at this point.

I know some of the days may seem a bit long in this itinerary. I’m hoping it’s doable as is. This Camino is definitely less mountainous than the Camino Frances, but there is also a little less infrastructure in places. We shall see.

Now, we wait for September to come as we dream of walking along the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean and eventually walking inland and reaching the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela once again. This time… it will be for the 3rd time for one of us, for the 2nd time for one of us, and for the 1st time for one of us. #CantWait!

While you’re here, I wrote a novel set on the Camino Frances route. You can check it out at Amazon here: THE CAMINO CLUB

THIS CAMINO IS NOW IN THE RECORD BOOKS! Senda Litoral Route – Caminho Português – September 2022- 280km in 10 days! PORTO, PORTUGAL to SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, SPAIN.

Here’s a rundown of our 10 days on the Senda Litoral:

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