The End…

My journey is over. Sad and happy at the same time. Completed about 420km walk through Asturia and Galicia, from Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela and then to Muxia, Finisterre and Cee.

A few highlights from this trip:

• The backpack was overloaded with staff I never used, next time I should plan less clothes, lighter shoes, smaller backpack. I’ll revise my “preparation” post and note what was useful and what was useless.

• Spanish! I wish I could speak Spanish… I would enjoy this trip much more! People don’t speak English here, especially in small villages where I walked most of the time. And it was stupid and disrespectful to expect they do… I came to their country and should be more prepared. That was the biggest struggle for me … communication.

• Most of pilgrims on Camino Primitivo were from Spain. So if I could speak Spanish I would make more friends here. People are open and very friendly here.

• Staying in Albergues was actually a very nice experience. Albergues were clean and updated (most of them) with fewer people because of Covid (they allow only 50% occupancy). This is how you make connections with other pilgrims and make friends. Staying in hotels was more convenient (comfortable) but lonely.

• Lifestyle. There is completely different lifestyle as we used to. Most of the cities / towns / villages are living kinda “double days”. They open stores and restaurants around 9am and then close them around 1-2pm for “siesta”. Then they reopen at 5-6 and work till 9-10pm. Restaurants are remain open till midnight or 1am on weekdays and could be open the whole night on weekends. So if you didn’t eat your lunch before noon, you may be hungry waiting till they open for dinner. Many times they open only for drinks after lunch and start serving food only around 8-8:30pm. At midnight everyone is out, despite the day of the week and if this is a small town or a big city. Kids, elders, teenagers, adults… streets are full of people every night.

• People drink and smoke cigarettes a lot here… I mean A LOT lot… everyone including men, women, teenagers are walking with a cigarette and can be seen in cafe drinking wine and beer in the early morning.

• Food! I can’t describe it by any words how delicious food is here. Anything and everything I tried was so delicious good. A lot of seafood all kind, baked goods, jamon, paella, coffee, melon!!!… mmmmm… there is such a thing as “pilgrim menu” typically include two dishes, starter and main dish, drink ( could be wine) and dessert. If you ask at a restaurant for “menu” they will think you are asking for the pilgrims menu. But if you need the menu, it’s called here “la carta”. Also there are a lot of places just serve “tapas” like small plates, appetizers. And when you order a drink, like wine, beer, or coffee, they will bring you a small snack, like a cookie for coffee, or olives or small pieces of a pie with beer or wine. So nice 😊👍🏻
  

Here are a few things or places I liked the most:

• the most beautiful stage I walked was after Fonsagrada when I walked above the clouds

• Best Albergue at Camino Primitivo was in Salas “Casa Sueno”

• Best hotel / pension at Camino Primitivo was in Arzua “Casa Assumta”.

• Best pilgrim meal was in Pola de Alande hotel restaurant “Nueva Allandesa”.

• Best vino was a homemade from the Casa Herminia Albergue owner in Tineo

Best paella was at a small family owned restaurant in Muxia “A Casa do Peixe”

• Best seafood was prepared by Marina from Vigo at her home

And of course all the best pilgrims I met alone the Way 😄👣💕

P/s. There is a belief in the East that birds do not know how to be sad, as they are awarded eternal freedom. When they are disappointed in something, they will fly to the sky for a long time. The higher the better. They fly with confidence that tears will dry under the gusts of wind, and rapid flight will bring them closer to new happiness. People can learn a lot from birds. People need to learn to take off even if their wings are broken. You just have to want to get off the ground, float towards yourself.

Elchin Safarli