Author: Jyri Manninen | Kajura

The final day is here! On this 7th day, I would be arriving at my destination in Santiago de Compostela. It would be a relatively short stage of just 27km, but this time I would be walking in relentless rain the entire time. However, it didn’t bother me in the slightest! In fact, it actually added to the depth of the thoughts and emotions that seemed to rise to the surface, and which would gift me with the lessons I would need to move on with my life, after having it very painfully turned on its head a year earlier.

As I made my way down the final laneways, forest paths and, finally, the streets of Santiago de Compostela to reach the famous cathedral, the end point of essentially all the caminos (except for the Camino Finisterre), I tried my best to simply flow with my feelings in solitude, although I had a few opportunities to exchange understanding glances with other pilgrims, who were also completing their journeys, as well as a few words and smiles with at a local café with a few Galicians during my (extremely enjoyable!), final camino cerveja and snack break.

For my final words to seal off this pilgrimage, this personal journey of self-discovery and healing, I would quote the words from my favourite band as a teenager, but the meaning of which only now I can fully understand and appreciate.

Upon us all, a little rain must fall.

‘The Rain Song’ – Led Zeppelin

The meaning of our lives are often defined by the meanings of our problems. When you understand that none of us can avoid the various trials and tribulations of life, then learning to love the ‘rain’ will make all the difference in learning to understand and accept all that which we are required to face in exchange for the supremely precious gift of conscious existence and awareness.

Be blessed.

Jyri

More about the camino:

The Camino Portuguese de Santiago, or Portuguese Way, is a Christian pilgrimage trail of about 245km that starts at the cathedral in Porto, Portugal and ends at its architectural namesake in Santiago de Compostela in Spain, but it isn’t just for the dogmatically inclined. It’s also traversed by people of all backgrounds and for all kinds of different reasons, though commonly in connection with personal growth However, regardless of the multitude of possible personal life or spiritual perspectives, it’s also simply an absolutely magnificent and interesting, scenic week-long walk!

On this penultimate day (6 of 7) of my Camino Portuguese journey (which I did around Easter time back in 2017), I would cover the last long stage of this camino, a full length marathon. Thankfully, as far as my badly blistered feet were concerned, the worst was over, and I was actually able to walk fairly comfortably at a good pace all day.

After crossing the Ponte de Burgo in Pontevedra, it wasn’t long before I was walking in solitude, which is the way I like it, though I did pass a few other pilgrims, who had started out earlier, during the first 10 kilometres. Fortunately, nothing also came of the forecast rainy day, and I was soon enjoying the gentle warmth of the morning sunshine on my way to the day’s destination of Padrón, my last stop before reaching Santiago de Compostela.

The highlights of this 6th day, apart from enjoying the Galician countryside, which was every bit as spectacular as that of northern Portugal, were the Parroquia de Santo Tomás Becket in Caldas de Reis, and a ‘rocket fueled’ lunch break at Café Esperon, which had me literally flying over the final 8km. Also, the final 500m stretch under the tree arches of the riverside buolevard in Padrón, as the light of the day melted away around me, was absolutely magical. It gave me the chance for some deeper reflection about the (and I can honestly say brutal) physical penance that I had ended up paying to reach this point.

After buying some local seafood in the town centre, I enjoyed a simple, but rather delicious meal of spicy tomato soup with fresh mussels and bread, all washed down with a few glasses of vino tinto. After that, I was definitely ready for bed. It ended up being probably the best sleep that I’d had during the entire camino, as there was now nothing that could stop me from reaching my destination of Santiago the following day. Sweet dreams indeed!

Jyri

More about the camino:

The Camino Portuguese de Santiago, or Portuguese Way, is a Christian pilgrimage trail of about 245km that starts at the cathedral in Porto, Portugal and ends at its architectural namesake in Santiago de Compostela in Spain, but it isn’t just for the dogmatically inclined. It’s also traversed by people of all backgrounds and for all kinds of different reasons, though commonly in connection with personal growth However, regardless of the multitude of possible personal life or spiritual perspectives, it’s also simply an absolutely magnificent and interesting, scenic week-long walk!

This is day 5 (of 7) of my Camino Portuguese journey (which I did around Easter time back in 2017). This day would essentially be the same length as the previous day’s stage, but this time the state of my feet was even worse. When I woke up they were rather swollen with a relentless ongoing low grade throbbing pain.

The first 5km or so was very slow going as I tried to find a way to walk with the least amount of pain possible. Then, as if by some magic, the severe pain just disappeared. It felt like some kind of profound mental breakthrough, and despite the soles of my feet still pretty much looking like mince meat, I was able to walk almost at my usual pace for the rest of the day experiencing only the slightest of discomfort.

The highlights of this 5th day were the two solid climbs, the surprise of coming across the camino shell monument, and crossing the medieval stone Roman bridge, the Pontesampaio, at the fishing village of Arcade. In addition, the final stretch along the nature trails by the Río Tomeza, on approach to Pontevedra, was the perfect, peaceful end to a day that had started as an outright ordeal of pain management. In retrospect, I think my experiences on this stage collectively ended up being the defining moment of this particular camino journey. I had learned to accept the suffering, and to actually do so with true gratitude. It was simply the karmic price, which I had to pay to receive a glimpse of God’s grace. It was at that very moment, after the initial 5km of almost overwhelming pain, that it miraculously just disappeared, as if in an instant. What an amazing existence we are blessed to experience, one that we can become consciously more aware of, should we just dare to push through the barriers that we’ve created for ourselves.

Jyri

More about the camino:

The Camino Portuguese de Santiago, or Portuguese Way, is a Christian pilgrimage trail of about 245km that starts at the cathedral in Porto, Portugal and ends at its architectural namesake in Santiago de Compostela in Spain, but it isn’t just for the dogmatically inclined. It’s also traversed by people of all backgrounds and for all kinds of different reasons, though commonly in connection with personal growth However, regardless of the multitude of possible personal life or spiritual perspectives, it’s also simply an absolutely magnificent and interesting, scenic week-long walk!