I woke up this morning ready to take on the last day of walking that will take me to Muxia, Spain. I went down to see what was available for breakfast and found the usual fare—toast and coffee along with slices of ham and cheese. Seamus and I had breakfast together and then he was off to find the most western point in Spain. To get there he has to leave the Camino trail and follow paths and side roads to reach the lighthouse called Faro Tourinan located at the point. He will add over ten more kilometers to today's hike, but he is a fast walker.
Not long after he left, I set off also. I love the little village of Lires and if I wanted a quiet little place to spend some vacation time in, this would be it. As I was leaving town, I heard a tractor coming my way. In front of the tractor was a donkey leading a small flock of sheep into town. Now this is my kind of rush hour traffic. The farmer was probably moving them from an outlying pasture. I saw that a lot with the milk cows on the Camino Frances. The trail led me through beautiful forests and along quiet country roads with views of the small farms. Not long into the day's walk, I met Levy from Israel. He said he had seen and heard me talking earlier in Lires at the cafe. He and his brother were finishing their Camino today in Muxia also. His first name was hard to pronounce so he told me to just call him Levy. We walked together and talked about many things. When you wear a shirt that says, "Walking To Listen, Tell Me A Story", people talk to you.
Levy is a veteran of the Six Days War as a young military man. For anyone who doesn't know about the Six Days War, here is a summary:
In 1967, after years of Egyptian-aided Palestinian attacks initiated from the Gaza Strip and Egypt amassing troops in the Sinai Peninsula, along with threatening gestures from other neighboring Arab nations. Israel launched a preemptive strike against Egypt. In those six days, Israel defeated three Arab armies, gained territory four times its original size, and became the main military power in the region. They went from a nation fighting for survival to a major player in the region. A lot has happened since then but that is the gist of the Six Day War.
Levy went on to become the commander of a group of paratroopers. After leaving the military he still remained in reserve status for another 28 years. In civilian life, he started an engineering firm that has completed projects all over the world, including a large parabolic mirror solar power generating facility in the Mohave Desert that has been operating for over 40 years. So, there we were, an old Israeli paratrooper commander and an old United States Marines Sergeant, a Jew and a Christian walking down an ancient pilgrimage trail sharing with each other and discussing the state of the world. He and his brother are very concerned about what has happened in Israel while they have been on the Camino. They are headed back there tomorrow if they can get flights. Many of the flights to Israel have been canceled due to the fighting going on there. They have been in contact with their family there and so far, everyone is safe. We walked together for a while then he went on ahead to be with his brother on the last day before they headed back to a war zone.
After Levy walked on ahead, I continued walking at my normal pace and taking pictures. Just for reference, my normal pace is pretty much what comedian Ron White describes as half the speed of smell. Oh well, it gets me there sooner or later. I walked into a pretty little village where a woman ran a tiny cafe/bar. What a coincidence, since it was the perfect time for a Cafe' Americano and some lemon cake. Of course, pretty much any time of the day is the perfect time for that. While I was sitting outside sipping my coffee, I watched a family shucking ears of corn and stacking them into the granary. Probably the same way it has been done for centuries. With their permission, I snapped a few pictures of them.
The trail continued to lead me through beautiful Eucalyptus forests. The government decided to plant Eucalyptus because it grows so fast. A local told me that the wood was not very good for anything other than paper and the trees are very flammable due to their high oil content. I have read that the wood is great for outdoor furniture and rivals Teak for its resistance to rot and the elements. I know I do appreciate the shade they provide on hot days and the great smell they emit.
The trail had been steadily climbing throughout the day with periods of flat walking between ascents. I eventually reached the final ridge and started descending. On the final descent towards Muxia, I met three ladies headed in the opposite direction toward Lires. They had a little girl who was traveling with them too. One of the women had a child carrier backpack and they also were pushing an all-terrain stroller. The lady holding the little girl was her mother and said that she had walked the Camino previously. Along the way, she met her boyfriend. She called it Camino Amor or Camino Love. I told her apparently her Camino Amor resulted in the Camino Magic that she was carrying. She agreed and looked very happy. We chatted and they wanted to know how to find this blog. After giving them the details, I snapped a quick photo of the three of them. We wished each other Buen Camino and parted ways in opposite directions.
The trail kept descending and soon I was looking at the Atlantic Ocean. This part of the coast is called Costa da Morte or Coast of Death. This rugged coastline and rough waters have been responsible for more than 600 shipwrecks since the 14th century, including the oil tanker Prestige, which sank here in 2002 and caused Spain's biggest ecological disaster. At the rocky point just outside of the town of Muxia, a monument named "A Ferida" or "The Wound" stands as a reminder of that disaster and the damage it caused. It is just a huge block of stone with a crack through the middle of it from top to bottom. A beautiful church is also located on the point. It is named "Santuario da Virxe da Barca". As the story goes, the Virgin Mary appeared to St. James when he was preaching in the area. It is said that when she appeared she was riding in a stone boat to offer strength and encouragement to him in his effort to spread Christianity through what is now known as Spain. The legend says that the stones located in front of the church are remnants of the stone boat and have healing powers.
I checked into my hotel and after a brief rest, I headed out to the point to watch the sunset. You can also see the entrance to the harbor which is guarded by a large lighthouse on each side of the entrance. While watching the sunset, I met the three ladies from Calgary again and we said our goodbyes and wished each other safe travels back home. I ended the day with a plate of grilled fresh prawns, bread, and a nice glass of the local red wine. This brings this leg of my journey to an end. Tomorrow I head back to Santiago to meet my daughter and her husband at the airport. Then we are catching a ride to Sarria to start the walk from there back to Santiago. It will be their first Camino and my fourth not counting my walks to Muxia.
All the photos that I took today are available on my YouTube channel. Here is a link to today's photos:
My next post will be from our walk from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela so stay tuned!
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