A Postscript

I asked each of the guys to put forward their thoughts on the walk, their experiences, what it meant to them, etc and finally I have all the responses - detailed below verbatim.

This is the last entry in the Blog and I will archive it off to more permanent media, as a complete story.
Thank you all for your faithful following and your comments/feedback.

If anyone would like a copy of the Blog in total, a photo from it or anything else from it, please let me know via arthur.g.dunn@gmail.com or agdunn@westnet.com.au.

I now step-down from the TL position and hopefully can hand the baton over to someone else who wants to organise and walk the Camino Frances in Spain....I have many tips I can share.

It really has been a great pleasure to serve! (ex - TL)
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From Captain FOS
The Camino was a wonderful experience in terms of seeing Spain from a different perspective and enjoying their unique culture. I found the endurance of the walk a little daunting at first, however once into the routine combined with our physical preparation I soon found my rhythm. I must say the use of poles certainly made a difference in both ascending and descending. The camaraderie of our pilgrim force was outstanding and the leadership from TL was second to none (sorry Mal). Not only was it thoughtfully planned it was also great fun and will provide lasting memories, and has time is marching on the desire to engage in another walk is already being rekindled.
From a spiritual perspective there was no great revelation, perhaps that comes after a greater period of discernment and reflection. What did occur was having the time to think about people, places and occurrences that have shaped my life. If ask for a simple answer to the question, this is what I would say at this point in time. Highlights were many, although walking into St James' Square arm in arm and seeing our loved ones waiting for us and singing "This Little Light of Mine" would have to be near the top.
Great time with great memories.
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From Ram:
The Camino eventually became more to me than just walking from A to B. While I was a little apprehensive about what it may or may not do for me, personally, the actual process of walking each day with only limited expectations, became the real reward. To simply have the time and space in my life to walk the Camino with 3 friends was truly amazing. Time spent reflecting on my life to date, understanding and appreciation of the impact others have had on my life was something I had not anticipated. The simple daily process of walking the Camino, living in the now, without having to think too much about tomorrow, by simply placing one foot in front of the other and accepting "what is" with my surrounds and with who I met along the way, that was all I needed to think about. I also felt I became more aware and attuned to my surroundings. I'm unsure what impact it will have on me or if it will significantly change me in the future, I'm hopeful that whatever eventuates, will be positive and life full filling.

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From Compass:
The Camino for me was time, space and quietness.  It was walking in a relaxed manner. Dropping back behind the group 20 metres at times help me achieve that.
The bond we formed amongst the group and the friendships we made along the way was all part of the journey for me and as Peter said the affects won't start until we get home.
Thanks again for all your time and effort in organising the walk.

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From TL:
This was a different walk for me, compared to the last two with my wife.
Not only in the planning and execution of it - which was a little more demanding than the past, but also the walk itself.
There was a camaraderie between us and we each had our own patterns of walking, talking, each with different things to share.
I feel that the shared experience and the days we spent together formed a bond between us that that goes beyond simple friendship.
Walking into St James Square in Santiago and having someone to meet and serenade us, was a completely different experience and very touching.
It really was the "icing on the cake" - great friends, a great walk, great food and wine and seeing an absolutely beautiful country - all ending in such a display of affection from our loved ones.

I would recommend anyone who can afford the time and cost, to walk the last 290Km of the Camino Frances (from Astorga to Santiago - about 290Km), with someone they love, trust or respect.
And....someone to meet them at the end.

Breaking Up

Today the first of us leaves Santiago - Compass and his wife head-off to France for WW1 battlefield tours. The rest of us leave tomorrow, Ram and his wife for a cruise in the Baltic, the Captain and his family for Germany and then a cruise from Barcelona to Istanbul. My wife and I are off to Morocco and Ireland.
I have asked each of the guys to send me an email of their initial thoughts of the Camino and I will post in the blog over the next week or so.
I will also update the blog with a few more shots from different cameras and by the time we all got home in 3 weeks or so, it will be nicely tied-up and complete, with the full story.
Many have told us during the last few weeks and personally I have experienced it from the past Caminos,  that the Camino does not start till you get home.....it will be interesting for certain.
Here is a photo of the Pilgrim's Mass yesterday, quite a moving ceremony, even with my basic Spanglish!
This is a photo of them firing-up "Old-Smokey", the thurifer got bigger and bigger over the years, as the number of smelly pilgrims increased....the driving-force behind the evolutionary size.
I have a movie of its journey in full swing and will see if I can get it into the blog...it is quite a sight from our prime standing location.

We Have Arrived

Well, as you probably guessed, we arrived in Santiago de Compostela today, around 10:30am, May 10th.
We walked into the square in front of the Cathedral arm in arm.
Our wives and Narelle were there to meet us and serenaded our triumphant entrance.
After a few happy-snaps, we were off to get our Compostelas.
I walked into the courtyard and spied there was no queue into the office, so I went to the door and was ushered in by the next available person. There were a mass off people off to the right, removing backpacks and poles and generally mulling around. I handed over my pilgrim passport and after completing the necesseties, was rewarded by my Compostela, handed over a few Euros and walked over to get a cardboard tube. After handing over €2 for a fancy tube, exited the office, with Compass in tow, who followed me into the office earlier.
On exiting the building, there were Ram and Cap in a long queue to get their Compostelas, in the masses I had seen earlier....oooops, we had entered the exit and jumped the queue, before about 50 people who were giving us really dirty looks on the way out. I can't tell you how bad I felt and it became obvious that we had upset people, when they passed us on the way out whilst we were waiting for Ram and the Cap.
When they eventually came out, we slinked-off for a coffee, with Compass and myself very embarrassed. Oh well, it was not a deliberate thing and we all had a good laugh over a coffee about it.

Not forgetting Misschelle and Kluster made it as well

Some More Woody Shots

At one stage this morning, the traffic was like the Hay Street Mall in Perth, including a blind man being guided by a young woman. We take our sight for granted, but even being able to see, the woods are a real sound-fest, with the birds chirping, water running almost everywhere, rustle of the wind in the trees and don't forget the other Pilgrims.
Speaking of birds, our cuckoo left us overnight - today was the first time we have not heard it since leaving Astorga. We must be too close to Santiago.

And then the traffic cleared....almost!

When You Go Into The a Woods a Today....again!

One thing about the Camino, is that you lurch from one fantastic view to the next. If you are not careful, you start to take the views for granted. For those SCIFI fans, it is like walking through a Holo Deck on the Enterprise, very surreal.
Being so close to Santiago and still walking through paths like this, is amazing.

Note the orange moss in the water

Padron Peppers

From the first time I introduced the team to Padron Peppers, we have had them as part of our pilgrimage. Unfortunately, quite a few places that advertise them, don't have them.
They are like a sneaky surprise, most of them are very mild like green capsicums, however a couple every plate have the potential to blow your head off. Cooked or should I say fried in olive oil, they are good for regular "activity" and tasty to boot! Here is a pic of Ram, doing the traditional gobble.
Remember the aliens in the TV show "V", eating the mice?

A Letter From Germany

About 10km out of Arzua, we came across a marker with a note from the German family, previously on the Blog,. It was written on one of the children's singlets.
Thank you for the note and we look forward to seeing you in Santiago.