Santiago de Compostela

The Cape at the End of the World…

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!

Camino de Santiago – Day 13 – O Amenal to Santiago de Compostela – The End

We’ve been in Santiago de Compostela since about 11am. We squeezed in getting our Compostelas, eating a big breakfast, and checking in before making the 12:00pm Pilgrim mass in the cathedral.

And… we got to see the botafumeiro swing one more time!! It’s definitely a special way to end your Camino, if you’re lucky enough to see it swing. ❤️

I mostly just watched it swing. I didn’t want my phone to take away from the experience of watching it.

Prior to our arrival, we saw all of our favourite landmarks. Including Patrick, the dancing star, and the Santiago de Compostela sign.

The one thing I had yet to see, after two previous Camino Frances walks, was the statue of the two pilgrims on the hill looking off toward the cathedral. Today, I made it a point to see them!

That’s our 2025 Camino Frances Camino de Santiago walk. Tomorrow, we’ll take a bus to Muxia and Finisterre to see the end of the world. One day, I hope to walk from St. Jean Pied de Port to Muxia and Finisterre. It is my dream. But, for now, the bus will have to do. I am SO EXCITED!

Thanks for following along on our journey. I hope you got some helpful tips. And I hope you’re inspired to do your own Camino one day. Buen Camino!!

If you’ve found this post helpful and would like to support this page, you can do so by buying me a coffee! KevinCraig-BuyMeACoffee

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

Camino de Santiago – Day 2 – San Martin del Camino to Astorga

Today we left San Martin del Camino before sunrise. We only had to use our headlamp for a few minutes after we left town. After that, it quickly lightened up and we were on our way.

The day went by so fast! We left at 7:13am. By 10:13, we had 13.65km under our belts. That’s just over 4.5km an hour. I can live with that. Not a hare, but not a tortoise.

Before we get that far, though… it’s TIP TIME!

Do not leave Hospital de Órbigo without stopping for a cafe con leche and some sustenance!! There is nothing after that (as of this writing) for quite some time. We thought we would wait a few more minutes and find something up ahead. We did NOT. I believe we were more than 15km in before we reached something. It was not a typical Camino stop.

This Repsol gas station was an absolute oasis in the desert for us! If you don’t stop in Hospital de Órbigo, you will have this option. You have to cross a busy highway, but it will be well worth your Frogger adventure!

Inside, at the back corner, there is a tiny cafeteria. The cafe con leche was great, as were the sandwiches and donuts. The Camino provides!

Now… let’s go back to Hospital de Órbigo for a second. Because I need to mention the incredible bridge there.

This stone bridge was built in the 13th century. It’s about 200 meters long, with twenty arches.

Don Suero de Quiñones, IT IS SAID, fell in love with a maiden in the 15th century. She did not feel the same way(this begs the question… are all men creeps?). He donned an iron collar as a kind of display of his unrequited love. (Cue Bryan Ferry’s SLAVE TO LOVE here, if you must.)

Then, as I suppose he wasn’t getting the reaction from his fair maiden that he expected, he decided to have jousting competitions on the bridge. This was in the early to mid 1400s. He gave himself the goal of winning 300 lances. He didn’t get these lances. Not even with the help of friends. There was something about him being a nuisance holding up traffic on the bridge and what not. So they stopped the nonsense and sent him on his way to Santiago de Compostela. Ah, another pilgrimage story.

Michael crossing the bridge in Hospital de Orbigo.

This story was the creative spark Cervantes used to write his epic Don Quixote. Look for the knights choker in Santiago de Compostela. You may find it in the museum.

If you believe this story of- actually what is it? The first stalker story? Definitely not a love story–a love crazed knight, I have a doozy to tell you about a hanged boy who lived and two cooked chickens that got up and danced. Also a Camino de Santiago story. 😉

The famous thirsty pilgrim fountain just before Astorga.

Here’s the last insult before arriving in Astorga. A necessary one, but an insult all the same. This stair contraption takes pilgrims up over the train tracks. It is a long slog filled with elevations and declines. So. Much. Fun.

We arrived at our albergue, the gorgeous Albergue Só Por Hoje, at 1:07pm. Seven minutes after check in! Yes! I highly recommend this albergue. It is now one of my favourite! We had the Pilgrim Meal here and it was delicious! The room was beautiful and the owner, Patricia, walked the Camino. This was immediately apparent when I entered the Camino. Everything about the albergue was pure perfection. So much thought put into it… the attention to detail was flawless. And… she wrote a book about her own journey.

Tomorrow we head to Foncebadón! I love this little oasis. Tiny and ancient and beautiful. It’s a nice place to rest prior to our journey to Cruz de Ferro.

Today we visited the Gaudi Palace. Last time we went through Astorga we did not go inside. Big mistake. It’s stunning. Second chances are pure perfection.

This was a great birthday!