Day 13 - 16: Santiago de Compostela to Tralee

Santiago de Compostela to Tralee

Distance: N/A
Total: 151 miles

Notable memories

Santiago

Well the next 36 hours are all about traveling. Hurricane Leslie is about to hit Portugal later today with full force. Hopefully it does not affect my flight out of Madrid.

So I have a day to kill in Santiago. 

My bus leaves here tonight at 9:30 and goes overnight to Madrid Airport. I do have some things I can do here.

I'm going to check out the pilgrim Center. They have a spiritual retreat at 2:30. So I'll make that. And I guess I'll take that walk around the cathedral.

Walking around, I saw this interesting view of the Cathedral thru a little side alley.

Different view of the Cathedral

Line of pilgrims waiting to get Compostela. Glad I did it yesterday.

Bus ride to Madrid Barajas airport

Well I didn't think I could spend the afternoon just walking around the cathedral but I did. There was a "Santiago is for pianos" event so they were three different places where pianos were put out for people to play. it was a fascinating cultural event, to see so many people gathered around amateur performers playing high quality music.

Other than that I continued to walk around and take in the entire atmosphere of Santiago. What an amazing city.

I also had time to do some thinking, since I wasn't in the hike and get to the next town mode. It was a good down day. Time for reflection and introspection. Don't think I really had anything I had to reprove over, but it's always good to review one's life and actions and goals and purposes.

I'm now sitting in a semi empty bus station. I'm amazed at how little activity there is here on a Saturday evening. Even the restaurant is closed. But I stopped in the market and got some snacks for the bus trip which is about 10 hours long. But at least the trip takes me directly to the Madrid Airport. A real convenience.

Madrid

At the airport. Checked in. Through security. At the terminal. Having breakfast.

London Heathrow

Through the immigration checkpoint. I was surprised that it was done here in the UK but that's good. I don't have to do it later after I get to Ireland.

Wasn't much to see and landing. It's raining here and there's lots of cloud cover.

The impression I have of Heathrow is that it is a seething, coagulating, waving and flowing, current with eddys everywhere from a never-ending wave of people, going and coming in all directions. For someone who has come from the quiet of the camino, this can be quite a daunting experience.

Dublin

I just realised what is different about this Camino. My other Caminos have been structured. I knew where I was going to sleep. I knew how far I was going to walk.

Now I never know what is going to happen beyond 1 or 2 days. This is a whole new way of doing the Camino.

I have to learn to embrace the disorder.

This thought came to me as I was getting off the airplane in Dublin. What a time for such a realisation.

So I'm checked into my airbnb reservation and I'm all set for tomorrow. Got a cab coming to pick me up in the morning. Will get me to St James church for my credentials. And then somehow I'll get over to the bus station for which I have already purchased a ticket. So Tralee here I come. And it looks like Tuesday I will begin the Kerry Camino.

Got my pilgrims passport from St James church.
Hiked on over to Burgh Quay to catch my bus to Tralee.

The next three stories are in that wonderful Irish accent.

Story 1. At the bus stop, I ask a guy if there is a company rep around. He says to me, "Not a double chance in hell. There never one around. You know there's a problem when they all disappear." Then he went on for a few minutes regaling me. Lol

Story 2. I heard the Irish like to swear. Last night, at a pizza place, the clerk figured out that I was from America. So he wanted to talk. He was about 18 years old and use more cusswords in a short conversation then I've used in the last month.

Story 3. Irish sense of humour. When I was getting on the bus to Tralee, I told the driver this is my first time on a Dublin Coach bus. "Was I supposed to sit somewhere in particular?" He said anywhere I want to, and then he laughed and pointed to the driver's seat, and said, "except there".

 I also found Dublin beautiful but also at the same time unremarkable.

Tralee

Having Indian food in an Irish town.

Hard to find something interesting in Tralee to take a picture of.

It's kind of a tourist town.

I did meet Phillip in the lobby of the hostel. Quite the story teller. He actually went over 20 minutes on one story, but it was irishly entertaining.