Touring - Finisterre

"Today is Sunday and a rest day. We have been to 2 museums and are going on a city tour.

Yesterday we went by bus to Finisterre about 2 and a half hours. Then we hiked 2.5 km to the lighthouse. This is named Finisterre because the ancient Romans used to think it was the end of the earth. Love Mom

City of Santiago de Compostela, Province of A Coruña, Galicia 08 05 18 16:31

Your Mother has given you all the essential news but she does not know how to do a proper check in so I have done that. Yesterday I deposited a stone from the alvar at Tobermory into the Atlantic Ocean at Finisterre but we did not burn any piece of clothing to symbolize the end of the Camino.

Tomorrow will be an early start as we have an 8:55 flight to Barcelona. It will take about two hours to fly over the territory it took me six weeks to walk across. Barcelona will be a quite different part of Spain. It is in Cataluña and speaks a different language again. We have past through the area that speaks Castilian (what we call Spanish), here the language is Gallego and in Barcelona it will be Catalan.

It is cool and rainy here. We hope Barcelona which is on the Mediterranean will be warmer and sunnier.

Dad"

From Sue Schubert

"Rainy, cool
But cozy in the Cathedral and the museums

It was Sunday morning and nearly time for mass to start. But first let’s give thanks to St. James for our safe arrival into Santiago de Compostela. We climbed up to where he is perched and each thanked him in our own way (hug, pat, etc.). Then, Jean and I attended the beautiful mass and were extremely moved by the music and words in this incredible space.

Then, culture called. El Museo de los Peregrinos (Museum of Pilgrims) tells the story of the cult of St. James and the associated pilgrimage via paintings, statuary, maps and journals from as early as the 12th century, highlighting the important role both have played in the culture of Europe, as well as, the growth of Santiago and its cathedral. The most amazing item is a journal written in Japanese by a Japanese man in the mid-1980´s, a reflection complete with wonderful watercolor pictures depicting the highlights of his trip. The journal measures at least 2" thick by about 14" wide and 20" long. The pilgrimage also stimulated fine crafts such as jet workings (a special stone from the region), silversmiths and print-makers, to meet the local and foreign demand. So much to learn, so little time!

We walked into El Museo do Pobo Galego (the Museum of the Galician people), built in a 13th century monastery and were quickly drawn into the history of the Galicians. If you like history as much as we do, you too would have been mesmerized by the historic descriptions of the sea, the countryside, professions, music, dress, habitat and architecture, arts and crafts, society, memories and traditions of the Galician people. There are great economic, social and ideological changes in Galicia and this museum preserves this story. Curiously, wedding dresses were black! And, widows were required to wear black for at least six years. Their lives revolved, as most of ours do, around the family, the parish and the village; their rituals revolved around the calendar and seasons. Not very different from most people around the world, is it?

To celebrate our last night in Santiago, we ate authentic Italian food! Honestly. Yum!"