Dr. Maggie Mauer

I am at the Santiago de Compostela train station, with some pop American music playing on the public address system, and just a smattering of travellers waiting quietly for their trains.
I’m on my way to La Coruna, where I will be met by don Felipe Illanes, who will then drive me to Pontedeume, where I hope to find the grave of my first serious boyfriend, my first love, Juan Perez Bouza. More on this later.

Felipe Illanes is the Cuban-Spaniard-once-New-Yorker uncle of the lovely Vanessa. Vanessa is a 28 year-old lover of action and adventure, daughter of a Cuban mom and a Spaniard dad, who live, of all places, in Miami, while their daughter roams the Camino de Santiago.
Vanessa was one of our guides and her cheerfulness and enthusiasm revived my tired spirit many a time, especially in the long uphills at the beginning, when I was despairing in the heat and she would appear, like a mirage, sweeping the trail, looking for strays, which meant the end of that particular stage was near. She would say something simple, like “You’re walking well, Maggie,” and I would believe I could do it and keep going on.
Virginio Gorse was our second guide. Virginio is Italian, late 20’s and a former hospitalero (someone who heps pilgrims in a government run hostel), so he has no sympathy for laggers and probably laughed behind our backs at our little group of spoiled old farts with reserved places to stay and hot showers and good meals.

Both Vanessa and Virginio work for Judy, an American from Colorado, who fell in love with a Spaniard during her first Camino in the early 90’s and decided to move to Spain. Judy created Spanish Steps, a company that arranges van assistance, lugagge, hotel, and meal arrangements for pilgrims.

So, I’m on the train now, a few miles from La Coruna, and the countryside glides before my eyes, but I can’t smell it or touch it, or hear its living sounds. My throat constricts. I begin to see how the Camino gets into you. Its energy seeps into your soul along with the mud and the rain, the heat and the dust, the cow dung and the croaking of frogs. Mi Camino. I miss it already.

may 12 Fisterre also known as Finisterre: the end of the Earth

maggie — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:25:50 +0000

I write this on Tuesday morning. Yesterday, my Camino friend, a German living in Saint Petersburg, Florida, 68 year-old Tania (Magda) Citvares, invited me to come along with her, her brother Frank, and sister in law Christina, for a drive to Finisterre.
At first, I thought I was too tired for an early start, but I decided to go and at the last minute brushed my teeth and threw on some clean pilgrim clothes (I am so tired of the same three things) and off we went. What a nice day!
Santiago, being Santiago, was misty, cold and rainy in the morning, and it seemed that the rest of Galicia would follow suit, as we drove in the mist from village to village. We managed to find the Atlantic Ocean and a desolate (we were the only customers) paella restaurant with great wine and great views of Laxe. The sun came out, no doubt helped by the warming Rioja wine, and we drove on to Finisterre.
Ahhh….. How can one describe sitting on a giant stone slab at the edge of a cliff at the end of the earth?
I took pictures, but I know the camera captured neither the grandiosity of the view, nor the depth of the feelings..

may 11 - Santiago!!! effort, cold, rain, and finding the lovable, loving me.

maggie — Sun, 11 May 2008 21:50:48 +0000

I am still processing this experience. I am grateful to all who took the time to write and to pray for me; to Gail Marshall and Linda Lewis, who supported me both spiritually and with their long distance BT treatments; and especially to my husband, Fred, for his unfailing support and his willingness to gather resources so I could continue in spite of injury, illness and exhaustion.
More to come. .

may 10 - 10.5 K to go! A very hard day, with cold rain most of the day, but a short walk tomorrow!

maggie — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:52:20 +0000

I have no idea if these posts are actually making it, and I’m too tired to do more about it than what I can do from my Blackberry. Tomorrow, in Santiago, I will check on a real computer. We’ll see!

Fw: May 7 and May 8 Leboreido and 57 K to go

maggie — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:50:45 +0000

Lean el comentario. Es una bella carta de mi hermano.

Please read the comment> it is a beautiful letter from my brother.

As for today, May 8< it was cold, hard, and I have no more energy to write.

may 6- Sarria to Gonzar and Hospital de la Luz (the name of a village, not to worry). only 78 or so kilometers to go!

maggie — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:35:34 +0000

What a day! 25 kilometers, eight long hours, beautiful farm country and rain for the first time!
Glad I carried my poncho. I thought it would be hot under it, but it was actually pleasant to walk under the cool rain after so many hours in the hot sun.
My hands and the back of my neck are turning a very dark brown, and I can already see sun spots on my face, in spite of heavy sunscreen. I sweat so much, it doesn’t last very long.. Not pretty! But I guess it is what pilgrims look like.

Today was hard, but it feels good now, after a hot bath and a self healing BodyTalk session and a leg and lower back rub (also self administered) with Voltaren gel, whiich I discovered here in Spain and has helped a lot!

Each day, the routine gets easier. Get up at 7, pack, decide what goes in the pockets and hanging from carabiners (metal loops) from my belt ( each day I try to carry less). Must have three liters of water, sunscreen, energy bars, some fruit, my US passport and my Pilgrim’s passport, some money, my Tilley hat, a bandana, toilet paper, and my walking sticks. Also carry a pedometer, a camera, and a compass watch. And, of course, the day’s route mapped out. It is a lot to carry, but I’m getting the hang of it.
Breakfast is usually cafe con leche, yogurt, fruit, and bread. Then, a quick bathroom trip, because it will be hours before the next toilet is found (had to go in the bushes once), and off I go.
Lunch around 1:30 or 2, and more walking untill 4 or 5. A place to stay, a hot bath, washing the day’s clothes and finding where to hang it so it is dry by morning, followed by tending to the feet and legs, something to eat, blogging about the day, and bedtime. Not a lot of time for anything but walking. That’s my day!

May 6 - Samos to Sarria

maggie — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:11:52 +0000

We walked directly from our hotel, Casa Diaz, a beautiful casa rural, after a breakfast of cafe con leche, peasant bread, three different types of home made jams, soft cheese, flourless amazing cakes, and fruit.

Did about 7 miles to Sarria. I reinjured my right leg on a missed step and had to rest this afternoon, but was able to get a massage and some tips on stretching. Plan to walk tomorrow’s 24 km. From now on, no van is used except in emergencies, because the last 100 km must be walked without assistance. Pray that my leg holds up!

Yesterday, on my way to O’ Cebreiro, I carried stones for Marina and Jill and placed them on a marker. This morning I carried a stone for Sandy, which I will place tomorrow.

I realized today, because it was the first time I could access internet on a PC, that my blogs are posting scrambled. Sorry about that. Please read the comments.
More tomorrow.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile