Love at Spain's Iron Cross

59 - Finals in Fisterra

59

Finals in Fisterra

Sunday, July 11

Makena and Jordan got up early and were on the trail before dawn. The path south took them by a beach, then turned inland through a village and up a nearly 1000-foot climb, then alongside fields. There were a handful of small towns along the way. Today's walk felt reasonable, about 18 miles. About halfway through they reached the town of Lires, which had a couple of restaurant options, where they gratefully rested.

"Oh, I am so ready for cafe con leche and Spanish tortillas!" said Makena.

"Me too," said Jordan. "I bet our blood has nothing but coffee, eggs, and potatoes floating in it."

"I was looking at the map and I'm a little confused. Is our destination Fisterra or Finisterre?"

"The town is called Fisterra. Its location is near Cape Finisterre. Both names come from the Latin for 'end of the earth'. We'll explore it a little after we're settled in our room. Do you know its history?"

She shook her head, no.

"There was a fishing village there, settled by Celtic people before the Romans came. Some believed it had a connection to Atlantis and that the sun was Fisterra's daily gift to the people."

"Not Saint James? So then, what's the relationship with him?"

"The Romans took control of the area by 19 C.E. The Celts had built a temple honoring the star king, the Ara Solis, which they attended, and later the Romans did so too. James sailed to Spain after Jesus died, spreading the teachings of the new religion. Some say Santiago destroyed the pagan temple. Others say so many refused to convert to Christianity that a great flood destroyed the Ara Solis and devastated the entire village."

"But then the saint returned to Jerusalem?"

"Yes," said Jordan. "After Santiago was crucified around 44 C.E., his disciples brought his remains back here and asked the Roman governor for permission to bury the bones. But instead of allowing that, the Romans jailed his followers because they thought James would become a martyr in competition with the reverence for Roman gods. The disciples escaped and headed inland with his remains to what is now Santiago de Compostela. So the trail between here and Santiago is ancient. We are walking it as many did who wished to reach the End of the Earth."

Makena looked shy. "The End of the Earth, yes, but it feels like the beginning for you and me."

"Yes, and I hope we'll last a long time, though maybe not over 2000 years like Fisterra!" said Jordan.

"A little less," she laughed. "But we'll replace quantity with quality."

He smiled in agreement. They finished, took care of their other needs, and headed back on the trail.

*****

Luis joined Greta in the business office that morning before each headed for their workouts. She showed him the draft of her email to Jordan. Luis brought a handwritten version of the paragraph he wanted to send to Makena. They typed it in, smiled, gave each other a warm kiss, then headed for their yoga and weight training sessions, respectively.

*****

For Makena and Jordan, the local government office was already open, so they stopped off for another completion certificate before they went to their lodgings. This one, from the Council of Fisterra, proclaimed that they had reached the "End of the Camino Jacobean", Jacob being another name for James.