[Gocamino] Camino to Fisterra

[Sue Kenney]

Jeff and other pilgrims,

This has taken a while for me to respond to since I've been preoccupied with 
my Camino here at home but I have a story about my journey on this route I 
would like to share.

 In April 2004, on my second Camino I finished my journey on the Portuguese 
route by walking the triangle from Santiago to Fisterra to Muxia to 
Santiago. It was truly an experience. I took 3 days to get to Fisterra and 
stayed in the refugio and watched the sunset on the cape. Then I walked to 
Muxia in one day. A gorgeous journey along the coast. Once I arrived in 
Muxia, I stopped on the beach, took my shoes, socks and all the tape I had 
on my blisters and walked into the ocean thinking the sale water would heal 
my feet.They call this area the Costa del Morte (Coast of Death) because of 
the rugged coast line and fierce waves. I could hardly hold myself up 
because the waves tried to know me over. The salt stung as it entered the 
pin holes that I had made in my blisters to remove the fluid. I stood there 
for a few minutes and soon I felt a pain on the side of my heel. I looked at 
it to find the sand from the bottom of the sea had made it's way through the 
tiny pin holes and had filled up the open area under my blister/skin with 
sand. I looked on the bottom of my feet and was horrified to find the same 
thing had happened to the blisters on the balls of my feet. It was 
incredibly painful. I got out of the water and tried to open the skin to 
release the sand with a needle, but it was almost impossible.

With some help from other pilgrims, I walked in bare feet, since I couldn't 
get my boots back on, to the top of the hill, across the town to the 
gymnasium, where the pilgrims sleep. There was a basketball game in play so 
we had to wait until it was over to set up a sleeping area on the floor 
mats. I spent over an hour in the bathroom soaking my feet. I thought my 
journey was over and I would have to take a bus to Santiago to the hospital 
the next day to have the blisters lanced.

The next morning I woke up and although my feet didn't hurt, the sand lodged 
under the skin looked horribly painful. I didn't know what to do since the 
other pilgrims were heading back to Santiago by bus and I would be walking 
alone on a route where few people travelled. I went for a coffee with a 
Spanish pilgrim named Carlos who told me something that made my mind up for 
me. He told me that this route I had taken was called the Triangle. He said 
when you are walking the triangle, you are in the "Eye of God".  That was 
what I needed to hear to make up my mind and I walked back to Santiago 
without any problems with my feet. It was one of the most memorable walks 
but very tricky to find the way. Not many arrows and if I recall, they are 
in the other direction (from Santiago to Muxia). Somehow I found my way 
back.The sand eventually forced it's way out of the blisters over the next 
month.

Be sure to visit the church built on the cliff over the ocean in Muxia.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Buen Camino
Sue
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff Mayor" <jmayor at occ.cccd.edu>
To: <Gocamino at oakapple.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 5:02 PM
Subject: [Gocamino] Camino to Fisterra


> This summer I am beginning my Camino in Astorga and I plan to continue
> out to Fisterra. I figure that I can make Santiago in 10 to 12 days,
> which leaves me with about 10 more days to explore the coast.  Looking
> at John Brierley's map, I see that there is a Muxia extension that
> circles around back to the main route. Has anyone done this route? What
> about the detour to Bainas to the Dolmen or the Dolmen outside of
> Maronas, are these worth the trip? Another thing I was considering, if
> it is possible is to to catch a bus (train?)  North along the coast at
> Muxia and head back to Bilbao though Gijon.  Has anyone tried this?
> Jeff
>
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