Our Walk Along the Camino Portuguese Central

Today involved our long return to the supposedly 'normal' or 'civilized' world.   This is always one of our hardest and least favourite days of any Camino.   Perhaps this simply means we need to work harder to keep the spirit of the Camino alive in our daily lives.   Despite our best intentions, in a world that moves so quickly, is so goal oriented and narrowly focused, and in which people seem increasingly focused on their own needs and oblivious to each other, we still find this difficult.   We awoke at 4 am, and headed downstairs to the 24 hour buffet in the lounge to select some breakfast.   We found fruit, yogurt, toast, jam, orange juice, and coffee.   Although we weren't really too hungry yet, we ate breakfast in anticipation of the longish day ahead.   By 5 am we had checked out and were getting into the taxi the hotel had called to take us to the airport. One aspect of the Camino that people value is that it provides a different perspective

Camino Muxia and Fisterra We awoke at 6 am to find a bright sunny day outside, the sun's warmth already beginning to make itself felt. We walked a short distance down the street, and stepped into the same bar we had lunch in yesterday. Sitting on the outdoor patio amidst a group of other pilgrims, we enjoyed our coffee, orange juice, and toastada. As we sat there a very drunk local man approached the patio, intent on striking up a belligerent and slurred conversation in Spanish, but he was firmly shooed away by the proprietor. By 8:30 am we had finished our breakfast and made our way down to the marina. Colourful row boats floated in the shallow turquoise harbour, and lines of white sailboats were bobbing gently in their moorings. A group of small fish was visible in the crystal clear water. Across the bay the hills of Galicia rose and receded into the distance, and behind us the colourful buildings marched in rows up the hill. We stood at the base of a statue dedicated

Camino Muxia and Fisterra We left our albergue a little later than usual. We had been warned that there was only one spot today where we could stop for refreshments, about half way through our walk, so we didn't wish to leave Muxia without breakfast. We had noticed that none of the local bars opened before 8 am, but as we made our way through the sleepy town, under a soft pink sky, we spotted one bar beside the Monbus stop that was already open at 7:30 am. It was full of other pilgrims, and we enjoyed our coffee, toast, and jam in good company. Refreshed and ready to go, we took a few minutes to orient ourselves correctly, and make sure we were following the arrows to Finisterre, and not those leading back to Santiago. Today's walk will take us along the Costa da Morte, or the 'Coast of Death' to Fisterra, or 'The End of the World'. There have been many shipwrecks off the coast in this section, which led sailors to name this region the 'coast of