Walking to Finisterre

[Villagejonesy]

I walked from Oloron in France to Santiago, but then took the bus the last 95 kilometers to Fisterra, so I couldn't stay in the official albergue. I stayed in the albergue around the corner from the official one (go up the hill from the official one and take the first left, and it's 200 meters up, I think). It was 10 euros, and was a superior place.

I highly recommend going to Fisterra. I, and some of my friends along the way, found Santiago itself to be a bit of an anti-climax, for some reason. Fisterra, however, is in such a beautiful setting. Also, I think that simply being by the sea naturally encourages a contemplative, reflective state of mind. It was a good moment of resolution, summing up before heading back. It absolutely wouldn't have been the same if I hadn't gone.

Make sure, when you go, that you go to the big crescent beach. There's one waterfront by the official albergue; but if you stand at the albergue and look at that waterfront, then to your left (I guess that'd be east), there's another beach. It's a bit difficult picking your way there over the rocks and tidepools (though we did it), so you want to wind through the city streets a few blocks to get there. Once there, we found St. Jacques shells bigger than our hands, and even a sea urchin shell or two. A nice, relaxing way to wander and let our thoughts carry us.