Finisterre

Up early to catch the local bus to Finisterre-too early for the hotel breakfast we were promised. The Spanish eat later.
The sun was shining but it was a cool wind as we walked up to the bus station on the outskirts of the old town. The trip took about two and a half hours on a modern double decker bus,much better than shank's poney. We crossed over the hills and through the forested areas before arriving at the coast. This stretch reminded me of home-unpopulated,rocky hills,pine clad hills  and rugged bays scattered with small coastal settlements.

There were some aqua culture sites in some of the bays and the fishing villages each housed a small fleet of fishing boats tied up to the jetty. Quite picturesque on a warm sunny day trip. There were some more upmarket resort towns too with sandy beaches and providing tempting options for a holiday break.

We arrived at Finisterre rather hoping for a breakfast but we were a bit late so coffee and a packed lunch were purchased and we made our way up to the lighthouse, a three km walk  but contrary to what we were told it was a doddle along a well formed road but we did find the 00 Camino  way marker. I hope Marcus finds it as it was a real disappointment for him not to find it in Santiago.

We explored the headland and appreciated the symbolic cross at the foot of the walkway, the bronze statue of the pilgrim's boot atop a rock and the blackened rocks with the remains of ashes from recent fires.

Some pilgrims were still burning their clothing on a heap amongst the rocks (another tradition). We ate our lunch on the headland over looking the Atlantic Ocean, a perfect day with little wind and about twenty five degrees so it was a magic place to visit and reflect on our own camino.

The Romans named the point as Finis terre or the' end of the world' as known by the Romans. There are other such places  in Europe as I found out later. The lighthouse is on the' Coast of Death' a notorious coastline responsible for many shipwrecks. In the middle of the bay there is an island called The Crab which was responsible for a large loss of life over time.
All too soon it was time to return to the village and catch the bus back to Santiago. Another adventure at an end.