Done and done in!!

Friday, May 29 Cabo de Fisterre - the end of the world!

My Fisterre certificate will have to have an asterix beside it because I had to throw in the camino towel this morning. We left Oliveiroa at our usual 6:15am with me hobbling along using my hiking sticks almost as crutches. After 20 minutes we had gone less than a half a kilometre and realized there was no way I could get through 31kms so my gift to Dayton was to turn around and let him go on alone. He can walk at least 6kms an hour and I was struggling to get 2kms an hour at this point.

I went back to the cafe in Oliveiroa and had breakfast with the late starters then took a taxi to Fisterre. We did drive pass Dayton around 8am when he was doing a little road walking; we beeped, waved and kept on going. In Fisterre, a German lady I had met in Ponferrada many days ago, recommended her hotel so I booked into it, left my mochilla (backpack) and headed back down to the port. It was serendipity that, as I was limping into the town centre, there was John calling out a welcome. The camino does provide some things and friends is one of those things. He had taken the bus into town yesterday and had sent an email that he would meet us but we didn´t have internet so this was a complete surprise.

We limped around town together and waited for Dayton to arrive, which he did at 1:10pm!! With me, we would still be walking until sunset. I did manage to struggle my way the 3kms to the Cabo do Fisterre which is the official end of the world I guess. While we were taking pictues at the Cabo do Fisterre, I received a text message from Courtney encouraging me and telling me I could finish it all but, if not, to be proud of what how much I had already accomplished. It gave me a moment of disappointment to realize I didn´t get it all done but I did walk over 850kms and 500kms of those were with a wrecked ankle.

Then we hitched a ride for me back into town.

So now we are all done and done in and seriously beat up. As I said, the Camino is humbling especially if you have the audacity to think you´re in good shape. Now we will take the next week to enjoy some R & R in these lovely oceanside pueblos. John leaves tomorrow to make his way to Madrid and has changed his flight for an earlier departure. We will stay in Fisterre a few days then go to O Coruña for a few more and then decide where to go next. Should be fun.