Fisterre. AKA Finesterre 50 mile taxi ride.

I could not get enough of the Santiago Cathedral, so this morning, Kathryn and I headed back to the 7:30 Mass. It was not as formal as the noon Mass yesterday. We did get some more photos with pretty much no one in site outside. We were able to go behind the altar where I could leave Mass cards for my parents. The we did the iconic “hug the Saint James statue” that sits on the altar. We were actually behind this statue, in a tunnel. They do not allow photos and someone stands there to make sure you do not dare take your camera out. It was very moving to hug Santiago.

Then we taxied off the our next stop.

Fin (end) terre (land).

Per our guidebook, Finisterre (pop. 4,697), Fisterra in Gallego, is at the southern tip of a north-south-aligned finger of land that juts into the Atlantic. During the Middle Ages, when the ocean was considered to be a great mystery, many considered it the “end of the Earth.” Many pilgrims arriving here had never before seen the ocean. Today, it’s a seaside resort as well as an important fishing town.

Many pilgrims continue their walk to this town for the finality of ending at the Atlantic Ocean. We walked to the historic lighthouse today and even though we were not supposed to walk, my watch logged almost 6 miles. What can I say “she can walk.”

Guidebook again… The climb to the lighthouse offers one of the prettiest sunsets on the Camino, and the ancient stones there still carry magical properties for many. Finisterre probably was a ritual place dating back to prehistory, and every inch of the landscape feels saturated with symbolic meaning. This is the end of the path.

We are staying on the east side of the peninsula and we walked down the gorgeous beach and put our feet in the water.

We will head to dinner later then wait for the sunset , which is past 9 pm. I will post those pics later.

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