Life goes on..........
We have been hibernating with our feet up the last couple of days, reflecting and catching up with admin and the realities of our lives back home in Portugal. It has been an incredible privilege for Footsteps4thefuture to be part of this raising of funds for GreenPopSA via our Trekking4Trees campaign. Part of The Camino or Way as it’s known in English, is the respect shown to others . Our quest to leave a legacy of gentle care and love for the environment and the wellbeing of the future generations by planting more trees via self sustaining eco ventures, is finally off on its way through this vital first step. Due to the incredible generosity, mindfulness and care of our wonderful donors we have reached our stated target well within our allowed timeframe. We are still 34 days from planned closure of the fundraising portal, and wouldn’t it be amazing if we can see how much more we can raise for this essential cause? We have decided to leave the fundraising portal open until the original end date, to allow for donations right to the very end. Footsteps4thefuture has taken its first footstep with this campaign, and we are already hard at work formulating our next step via another identified worthwhile charity in desperate need of a big “green kiss”💚🍀🌳🌲. At the heart of it will be greenery and self sustainability for sure!! WATCH THIS SPACE !! As mentioned before in one of the blogs, we encourage partnerships and any assistance whether via contacts or information that will progress our knowledge base and cause. Please feel free to share your ideas and contacts 🙏💚 We believe that Footsteps4thefuture has a meaningful role to play in South Africa and beyond, and we are 100% committed for the future. #plantingtreeswithease #OnetreeonepersononevisionBetheone #Idreamofwalkingthroughmillionsofnewlyplantedtrees #Icanfeelthecoolnessofthisforestintheheat
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Day 28
PADRON TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA 26 Km’s for the final leg today meant we wanted to savour it, and absorb each and every step of our journey to the end. Leaving the hotel well before sunrise, and bracing against the early morning nip, we moved through Padron, across the river to the town of Iria Flavia steeped in religious history. In the darkness, Linda was attracted by interesting sounds and activity emanating from a low key cafe on our route that drew her in. On entering we met the most delightful and interesting proprietor full of life and gusto serving a bunch of Portuguese cyclists and having photos taken with them. The walls and roof of the cafe full of memorabilia left by pilgrims from all ends of the globe. Soon we were ripping off the SA flag from Linda’s backpack to present to him too! Up it went on the wall, pinned by him with great fanfare and pride, and before we knew it we too were behind the bar being kissed profusely and photos taken all around. A quick expresso, (of course😜) and we left feeling so energized and upbeat from our interaction with this wonderful effervescent character, and this at the very start of our last day. Inadvertently counting down the mileage markers, even though we didn’t intend too, we embraced every step we took until we arrived in Santiago de Compostela in the early afternoon. Feeling overwhelmed is an understatement as we arrived in the Plaza del Obradoiro, with the Cathedral looming over us and dominating the square. After taking photos and just sitting, reflecting and taking it all in, we made our way to the Oficina de Acollida ao Peregrino, The Pilgrims reception office where we were greeted by an hour and a half queue to get our Compostela! We have officially completed our Camino with a distance of 675km. What a privilege it has been to undertake this journey, and we would once again like to hugely thank each and every one of the donors who took the time and care to contribute to our Trekking4Trees cause. Our donation portal is still open until the end of October and all contributions are welcome. We are humbled by your love, care and generosity, and this is not the end, but the beginning of Footsteps4thefuture’s contribution to the environment. Yay for a sleepin tomorrow! |