Granada: December 11th

The entrance to the Alhambra. The mixture of Christianity and Islam was so fascinating to see.

Mark really loved Granada. We visited a tetería and had some great tea, walked around the beautiful city, and enjoyed the Alhambra and Generalife. Next time we´re in Spain, we´ll have to spend more time in Granada.

Ronda: December 10th

Ronda was a town that Becky had visited back in 2001 when she was visiting Berry College friends who were studying in Seville. 10 years later, here we are. Hard to believe it has been 10 years. Ronda is about a 2 hour bus ride south of Seville towards Málaga.

This bridge is called The New Bridge and was constructed in the mid 18th century. Kind of looks like something out of Lords of the Rings, doesn´t it?

More from Seville......

This is the school Becky attended back in 2000. It´s doubled in size but still has a lot of the same teachers like all the Josés, Grillo, Sánchez, and Delgado. Remember them Kerisa, Rachel, Bryce, Will, and Angeli?

Still wearing our Camino clothes yes but we´re in the Courtyard at the Cathedral of Seville, where Christopher Columbus is buried.

Hyesook and Becky eating churros con chocolate en la Plaza de Encarnación in Seville. Hyesook also finished the Camino on December 2nd and we convinced her to visit Seville too. We spent a few evenings having some tapas with her and now she´s on her way to see Cádiz and Barcelona.

Estamos en Sevilla!

We´re in Seville for two holidays. The first is December 6th, the Day of the Constitution when Spain changed from a dictatorship to a democracy. December 8th is the Celebration of the Immaculate Conception so there will be lots of religious celebrations throughout the city. This photo is taken in the Maria Luisa park and it probably has something to do with the Day of the Constitution since today is the 6th.


Mark in the Museo de Bellas Artes.


Feliz Navidad... outside of the Cathedral.... someone told us it´s the third largest in the world after the Vatican and the one in London.

Mark in the Plaza de España.

Becky and the Torre del Oro. She used to live right down the street from this back in 2000.

Mark relaxing by the Guadalquivir River.

Trip to Muxia and Final Farewell to Camino Amigos!

Alfred, Mark, Maryka, Brend, Colonel, Pierre, Kathrin, and Becky... our last minutes with Camino friends in the square in front of the Cathedral.


Kathrin, Alfred, Bilal, Becky, and Brend.

Hello Pulpo! All these restaurants had their raw meat on display in glass windows.

Becky and Mark in Muxia. Some pilgrims walk to Finisterre and then to Muxia or vice versa but we took the bus instead and spent the time there with Eamonn. This is the scene at the end of the movie The Way.

Eamonn and Mark in Muxia.

Day 33: Arca do Pino to Santiago de Campostela (December 2)

We made it!  We walked in the dark and the rain for a few hours to make sure we made it in time for the 12:00 mass.  Lorna kept us company and the three of us used our headlamps and headed into the woods and highways that led us the last 20 kilometers.  When we arrived at the cathedral, Eamonn went downstairs and when we saw him again, he was dressed in a purple robe as he helped the Spanish priest celebrate mass.  We didn't take photos as some moments are just worth experiencing.  The priests put the incense in a giant golden container and they swung it back and forth in the cathedral.  It's called the botafumeiro and it only happens on special occasions.  It's hard to describe but picture a huge incense burner being swung around a giant cathedral over the heads of the congregation. 
The priest welcomed the pilgrims, some of them by their name and/or country of origin and read the Gospel about Christ restoring sight to the blind.  We saw some friends that had gone on ahead of us like Atillio and Kathrin.  We hope to run into Brend and Harold and some of the others that will be arriving in the next few days.  Some have gone on to walk to Finisterre and/or Muxia which are towns on the coast but Mark and I will take a few days of rest before flying to Seville on December 5th. 
We are blessed to stay with some friends of friends who live here in Santiago and plan to eventually open an albergue and pilgrim welcome center of their own.  It's a great way to debrief and be with an American family.  They have a Christmas tree!

Eamonn, Becky and Lorna in front of the Cathedral.

Hooray!  We made it.

Attilio, Kathrin, Eamonn, Becky, Mark, and Lorna

Day 32: One more day to go!!!!! Arzúa to Arca do Pino (December 1)

Becky and Eamonn under some grapevines.

We´re not sure what kind of trees these are but they´re everywhere! Anybody know?