The journey continues but with a lighter spirit.

Once the destination objective has been reached, I seem to have a better confidence within myself of what I managed to accomplish throughout these last challenging days. On the other hand though, the continuation of the journey to Muxia and Finisterre, looks like now more a sort of vacation than an extension of the Pilgrimage to other sites of  historical and religious relevance.

Nothing wrong in taking a bit of extra time leasurely and certainly the mood is more relaxed once the tension to reach Santiago and the adrenaline in the blood has reduced significantly. Along the road fewer pilgrims can be seen, and while the road signaling system is still very good, there are less hospitality structures on this stretch of road than on the way to Santiago on the Camino Frances. For some unknown reason, the milestones now report distances in kilometers but with three decimal figures!

From the room of our cell in the monastery, I could take a glimpse to the Santiago city roofs.

The road to Land’s End is through a land of legends with strong Celtic influence. Gradually, over the centuries, primitive stone construction with the traditional Celtic cross or spiral, have been turned as part of churches and chapels. Some of these churches are in remarkable natural spots.

In Muxia for instance there are rocks on the shore which are supposed to be the remains of a boat made of stone with whom the Holy Mary travelled from Palestine to support the evangelical work of Santiago. Legend has that only a man with no deadly sins will be able to move these rocks with a single finger. I will not even dare to try!

Talking about deadly sins, I have reflected that in the modern world, these 7DS is perhaps better to call them as the Seven Intoxications from Excessive Material Gratification (7IEMG). This will help to focus outside of the religious context and refers to very common addiction patterns typical of the current so-called western lifestyle. The pursue of a material reward, is not necessarily a bad practice, but when the pursue becomes an obsession, then I can see the risk of that intoxication to rule undisturbed.

The alliance with Luigi grows stronger. We can talk for hours about the men’s conditions or we can stay absolutely silent for as many hours totally sucked-in by our own thoughts. Today we started together at 8am crossing an almost deserted Santiago after the street parties that lasted until 4am, to celebrate the Our Lady del Pilar, or some new brand of liqueur or wine.