SANTIAGO

Hi everyone, We are still alive!  Sorry for the lack of communication but computers and the Spanish language have been a problem.
We reached Santiago on 14 October. It was a bitter sweet moment.  Sadness that the walk was over by great joy that we made the whole walk.  It was disappointing that the Cathedral is under repair and draped with shadecloth and scaffolding both inside and out.  It helped knowing that we still had our walk to Fisterre to look forward.  I cant believe that I did not feel relieved that the walking was over but thatI still wanted to walk further.
Since my last update we have had big weather changes.  Our walk on the Primitivo was mainly in rain or misty conditions.  This was unfortunate as we missed seeing the great views.  The day we had to walk the Hospitales route, reportedly the most difficult day on all Camino´s but also one of the most beautiful, started off sunny.  Within an hour of starting up the mountain the mist rolled in. There was the occassional 20 second break in the mist where we managed to glimpse some of the view.  We had been warned that there would be no civilization for the 27km route and must carry all we would need to eat and drink for the day as well as supper for the evening.  I loved the remoteness of the route.  There were route markers, roughly every 20m, which stood about 1m up out of the ground.  The frequency and height of the markers is due to the heavy mists and snow experienced on this route.  I must say I appreciated seeing the markers, only one at a time, throught the heavy mist.  At one point I turned around and could not see David anywhere.  It was a frightening moment being alone in a mist so thick that you could not see anything. We reached our destination for the day tired but exhilarated.  We had climbed over 1200m in height.  One highlight on this day was seeing two groups of wild horses.
The weather continued to be misty and wet.  On one day it rained so hard that it stung our faces walking but you have no choice but to carry on.  Once you start a day on this route you have two alternatives, either you continue to the next albergue, usually 25km or more, or you go back to where you started.  No accommodation of any kind in between.  It was a great experience and I am so glad we chose this route.  We got to experience authentic rural Spain.  We experienced Basque, Austarian, Cambian and Galacian cultures.  It was interesting to be able to feel these differences. 
On our way to Santiago we met a couple from US, Larry and Sharon.  They arrived in Santiago the day after us and we bumped into them when they arrived.  They decided to stay at the same Hostal (a hostal is Spain is actually a level of accommodation just below a hotel not dormitory type accommodtion).  As the weather forecast for next few days was more rain we all decided to go to O'Porto in Portugal for the weekend.  It was a good decision and we spent two wonderful days in Porto.  As we had done no research on the City it was a lovely surprise to see such a lovely place.  The Portuguese people are also so friendly and helpful.
Sunday eveing we were back in Santiago to prepare to leave the following morning for Fisterra.  The weather had cleared so we were looking forward to a sunny walk.  The distance is 90km and we decided to take 5 days to get there.  The terrain now, instead of mountainous, became hilly.  We enjoyed being able to amble along each day.  The highlight of the walk to Fisterre was our stay in a hostal right on a beach.  We had a room which looked over the beach and slept with the windows open listening to Atlantic waves breaking on the beach. 
Fisterra itself was a disappointment.  A dirty neglected fishing village with unfriendly people.  We did the traditional walk to the lighthouse at 'the end of the world' at sunset.  We did not burn our clothes but quite a few people were burning theirs.  We sat on the rocks waiting, and then a school of dolphin appeared and started playing about it the waves.  It was quite an emotional moment knowing our walk was now really over.
Luckily for us the weather was once again sunny and hot so we spent time on the 2km long Longesteria beach and we even swam in the sea.
Thats it for now, back in Santiago for two days and then we leave for Madrid.