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Pilgrim statues on the Camino
Besides the yellow arrows and scallop shells connecting the days on the Camino, another familiar feature dotting the Way are pilgrim statues. These statues pop up all along the Camino. You may find one as you enter a village or take a pause in a plaza. They may greet you high atop a summit or next to a water fountain as you fill your bottle. I stopped to admire these works when I happened upon them. Some were whimsical, crafted from metal or reclaimed objects (such as those above from Santo Domingo de la Calzada and Sahagún). The bronze cast sculptures (such as those below) were particularly expressive. It was easy…
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Joyful Caramel
It’s Caramel here. You know I love to run fast and jump high. My legs are not long, but they are springy. I bet I would be good at Hurdle Jumps. I get good air. I can leap up 3 stairs at once. Easy. I can stop super fast too. I skid to a halt, point my nose in a new direction, and bam, I am off again. That’s how I am so good at chasing squirrels out of my yard. You might say it’s my super-power. Put a cape on me and I could fly. Get this? Now when I get ready to run or jump, my family yells…
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Disconnecting at the cottage
It’s a warm evening at the cottage. We finish dinner and start to discuss our post-dinner game choices. There are three generations this evening as my Mom is visiting. A boardgame? Cards? My niece proposes another option: “Anyone want to go for a swim?” She is a mermaid at heart. “I’m in,” I reply. The two of us quickly change into our bathing suits and head for the lake while the others settle on Euchre. Floating in the water I ask my niece what she likes about the cottage. “Freedom,” she says. “I get to do what I want. No school, parents telling me to do things.” I get it.…
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A drinking fountain with personality
On a recent hot humid day, overheated from walking a few blocks in my neighborhood, an image popped into my head. Not of a water sprinkler to jump through, which would have been most welcome, but of a water fountain. A fountain I encountered in Paris. Or rather a fountain that encountered me. It got my attention before I even noticed it. This is the delightful side of Paris. Of beautiful things. Elegant things. Window displays that make your mouth water. And drinking fountains disguised in pretty designs. Functional and good looking. I was in Paris on a stifling hot day last September before heading to Saint Jean Pied de…
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Unpacking Camino lessons
I was hiking the Bruce Trail and was quickly reminded of my days on the Camino de Santiago. Scallop shells and yellow arrows were simply replaced by painted white trail blazes on the trees. If you go more than 20 meters without seeing one, you’re off track. I welcomed the familiar Camino feeling as I walked the familiar landscape of the Niagara Escarpment. Follow the markers, breath in nature, one step after another. My Camino experiences merge in many ways with life at home. I may have unloaded my backpack but the gifts offered up on this ancient pilgrimage need not end on the trail. Whether it’s walking in nature,…
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Granada anytime
“Have you been to Granada before?” I was asked this question several times. It’s true I had visited Granada in 1992, but it was so long ago I always hesitated with my response, as if there was a statute of limitations on my memories. I have some recollection of my host but not of the city itself. It felt easier and more realistic to provide the same response as my husband who was travelling with me: “No, first time.” On arrival, the train station certainly didn’t feel familiar. Nor did any of the plazas or streets. I could see the Alhambra from many stunning viewpoints, but had I truly seen…
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Camino de Santiago: Arrived at Santiago de Compostela
There is a lovely fluidity to days on the Camino. This was the case right up to my last walking day. O’Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela – 20.1 km I met new people (Irish and Italian), hopscotched along to the same café breaks as my Japanese friend (as if there was a homing device in our bracelets) and the gathering of pilgrim friends in Plaza del Obradoiro was absolutely delightful as we discovered connections between us that we did not realize. But of course, we were all connected. I had a smile on my face all day. Thrilled, happy, and grateful to have arrived at Santiago de Compostela.
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Camino de Santiago: Final days in Galicia
Take a step on the way and you are immersed in a stream of pilgrims heading westward. You meet the people you’re meant to meet. I met some more ‘philosophical’ pilgrims in these stages compelling me to ponder the meaning of a lost journal, a chance encounter, or asking questions like “what is your favourite Camino saying?” The first one that comes to mind is “The true way begins when the Camino ends.” A close second is “the Camino provides.” In these final days I felt lucky the Camino provided me with new pilgrim friends and a delightfully cosy albergue nestled in the woods. Palas de Rei to Melide –…
