Camino del Norte: Finisterre
May 30, 2025
It was the day after I finished the Camino. Veiled buildings jutted out through the mist as I wandered through the streets of Santiago. Most of the restaurants and cafeterias were still closed, but I found a warm, lively place on the western side of the city for a café con leche.
At 10:00 AM, I joined Julius and Yardena at the bus station and headed to Finisterre for the day. The walk from Santiago Square to the bus station was only about twenty minutes, but I arrived early to make sure I had more than enough time to find the right bus.
Finisterre is known as the “end of the world.”
The fishing village
Exploring the City
The most decadent iced coffee
Flowers
All along the Camino, I passed flower stands and markets but never had anywhere to put such beautiful bouquets. I promised myself that I would buy flowers at the end of the journey, and so I did. I bought this carnation for one euro and carried it all the way to the lighthouse.
A pink carnation to symbolize gratitude in completing my journey
The tranquil waters of Finisterre
Walking up to the lighthouse
The lighthouse
Flying on the feeling the wind
Bota del Peregrino, which symbolizes the completion of the Camino de Santiago
“The end of the earth”
Looking north
Painting at Finisterre
“Do you paint for us?” asked one of the Frenchmen.
“No, I paint for myself,” I said.
This caused for great laughter among them, which I ignored.
My final painting of the Camino
Contemplating the complexities of life
My hope is founded upon a solid rock.
A Firm Foundation
When I saw the cross on the rock, I was immediately reminded of Psalm 62:5-8:
“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.
My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.”
He is my firm foundation, and my life has been built upon the hope and the truth that I have in Jesus Christ. My identity is in Him as His daughter and heir by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God for His everlasting and unwavering goodness!
Leaving the lighthouse
Back in town I met Julius, and we stopped for ice cream before I headed back to Santiago. It was a sweet goodbye to Finisterre, to the Camino.
A sweet stop for ice cream
The Dance
When I finally reached Santiago, Ascension Day festivities were still full swing, even at 10:30 PM. I intended to go right to bed, but something inside me felt like going out one more time. It was my last night in Santiago; when would I have this opportunity again?
I decided to watch the band in Santiago Square. After several songs, the leader stopped and announced that the next song would include a member of the audience for a dance. Being comfortably far back in the crowd, I was shocked when he made his way toward me and held out his hand.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Sophia,” I said.
“Do you speak Spanish?”
“Solo un poco.”
“Where are you from?”
“Tennessee, the United States.”
The leader led me to the middle of the circle and introduced me to the crowd.
“Everyone! This is Sofía from Los Estados Unidos!”
The crowd clapped and cheered, and their beaming eyes made me feel less shy. The leader took off his long, beribboned cape and pinned it around my shoulders. It was heavy and fell all the way to my ankles.
“When the song starts,” he said to me, “you can choose anyone from the band, not the crowd, to dance with, okay?”
I agreed, and the band broke into a beautiful waltz. I made a slow turn around the semi-circle, deciding who I would choose for the dance. Each musician smiled sweetly at me as I considered. I finally chose the guitarist whose kind eyes made me feel comfortable. He seemed like a dad.
“Me?” he asked, looking shocked.
I nodded, he set down his guitar, and then led me in a gentle waltz as the band played and sang. Couples in the crowd began to waltz, too. He let me do a spin, and then another one. The cape swirled out around me like a gown, and I decided to enjoy every moment. At the end of the dance, he bowed and I curtseyed, and the crowd went wild. Aside he told me,
“You’re a very good dancer!”
I thanked him. Never have I been more grateful for the ballroom dance lessons I took in high school.
The band played a few more songs, and I stuck around in a different part of the crowd.
“Are you Sofía?” several people asked me.
“Yes,” I said.
“You were a very good dancer!”
At 11:59, the band single filed away through the crowd, playing and singing with full gusto until the church bell rang its last note of midnight. Then they stopped abruptly and dispersed to put away their instruments. The music was over, and it was time to go home. It felt so much like Cinderella I could hardly believe it was real.
The band in Santiago Square
My heart was full of gratitude, joy, and sweet sadness that night as I fell asleep. In the morning I would be on a bus zooming back to Madrid, and then home. They say the real Camino begins where the physical one ends. I knew this journey of the Camino was not ending; it was just getting started.
