Was it worth it?, we ask our selves after 900 k. Stu had problems with his shin and toes. I had problems with both knees and bedbugs bites. The answer is a resounding yes, yes, yes. You cannot rush when you are walking. You are surrounded by the intimacy and beauty of the land. Photographs cannot capture the all encompassing beauty, the smells and sounds of rivers and birds and silence and the feeling of the breeze or the sun. Then there are the people of Northern Spain that go out of the way to help. The old lady who took time to look up and direct us to her favorite restaurant. The men and women who ran out of bars or stopped their cars to direct us. To the farmers who told us about their cows or crops, and store owners to the hotel workers that took time to look after us with such kindness. While I shopped 1 day a store keeper brought Stu a plate of olives to eat while he waited. Lastly the other pilgrims from all over the world. Some could speak English and some could not but a bond was surely made. We all looked after each other supporting in any way we could. We endured the pain and celebrated the connection we had all made with the spirit and history of this land.
As we leave Galicia a fellow pilgrim offered this Celtic prayer and we offer it back to all we have met and those we know .
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine full upon your face
May the rain fall soft upon your field
Until we meet again
May God hold you
In the hollow of his hand
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