Scattered

So the bus ride to Finisterra was beautiful and I actually had a very good talk with a French man who kept talking about how whenever he´s around phone lines and technology he has "this fire" in his head, so he´s going to Finisterra after having walked the Camino in order to clear his head and then walk to Mecca to tell everyone there is only one God. Like a lot of people I´ve met, he seemed to be a panreligionist (if that´s even a word), but I laid out the Gospel as well as he could and he seemed very thoughtful afterward, so let´s pray it bears fruit in him because he seemed to be very close to the Kingdom of God.
Our Italian and Irish friends were waiting for us at the bus stop and we had a joyful reunion. I also got to see and spend the afternoon (and night, because we shared a room) with my Australian and Quebecan friends, which was good. We checked into the hotel and then went to the beach. The water was so cold I could not stay in for too long, but my Irish friend said it felt warm to her. A bit embarrassing, but I´m not a masochist for the sake of pride so I got out right away and stayed in the sun. My Alabamian friend and her newly-arrived boyfriend met us on the beach, which was fun, and afterward we had lunch and then scattered for the afternoon. Apparently my New York friend, who I met in Viana about 4 weeks ago, managed to change his ticket to leave later because he and the daughter of the Italian pair have formed what my Nebraskan friend calls a "Caminomance." So he´s going to Italy with them for a week before he flies home.
We ate dinner at a bar right next to the light house on the very western tip of the town and watched the sunset between eating and toasting to "La Mama." I had a plate full of little squid and shared some mussels with my Irish friend, and both of the dishes were very tasty. My Italian friends both encouraged me about the vision for Léon and told me they will certainly walk again to come see me once I´m settled. First, apparently, I have to come visit them in Italy, though, so they can cook me some real food. I need to learn the language when I get home! During the sunset we all spent time with our thoughts, so I sang a few hymns and shivered in the cold. On the walk back to town we walked for whatever reason two by two and I was with my Quebecan friend. We had a very good conversation about family and the importance of it when I referred to how close my family is. He told me his parents divorced when he was young and his sister never responds to his attempts to reach out. It was a very intimate time.
We were all reluctant to say goodbye that night, but eventually we all exchanged out information and then went to sleep. This morning I had breakfast with my roommates from last night (Australian and Quebecan) and then we took the bus back to Santiago, during which I experience carsickness for the first time due to the very bad driving and the winding road along the coast. Yikes. I survived the ride and said the rest of my goodbyes, and then found a really nice pension for (eek) €33 a night. I was just desperate to find a place, though, so I did´n´t try to shop around, but it´s a good place and I have my own room for the first time in weeks and it´s about a stone´s throw from the Cathedral so I´m right around everything.
After that I got a falafel and now I´m just going to take it easy in Santiago, explore the Cathedral, the parks, and the people-watching in the cathedral square. Hopefully I´ll meet my German friend somewhere soon because she leaves tomorrow, but that will most likely be my last tough goodbye. I know the locations of two cinemas, both of which are showing Kung Fu Panda, so if it´s not too expensive I might see that. But mostly I think I will jsut enjoy walking around without a backpack and reuniting (I already met up with my friend from New Jersey over the course of writing this post and we´re going to go take a tour of the Cathedral later) with acquaintances along the way.
I´m hungry as well to return home and be among my family, especially after saying goodbye to most of my "Camino family." Thank you all for praying for me, and God bless!