ensuitepilgrim's Blog

It’s a cliche, I know , but you have take time “to smell the flowers” and photograph them, together with all forms of natural beauty; most of these photos, certainly the most eye-catching, were taken by Roger.

They deserve a showcase.

“Can you keep a secret?….Galicia.” That is, I hope, a faithful translation of a banner on the side of the Turismo, in Mino. It always rains in Galicia…On our next Camino we might use the Correo, occasionally to transport our rucksacks, especially over sections like this, towards Bruma.

 Well that’s the “prejudice” and the “idea” out of the Way! Someone said that there are no tourists on the Camino; only  Pilgrims who have not found their way, yet. Yes, we sneered at Turigrinos with their Daypacks, but a couple of us were tempted to use the Correos onward baggage service. The Camino always provides. An example:- towards the end of a taxing day,we came upon a bus stop, not far from our destination,Betanzos, sitting there and hoping ( secretly ), that a bus might come,suddenly a taxi stopped and a young man leapt out, thrusting his card into my hand, whilst declaiming that the Camino was tough.My calf was aching and Dermot’s knee was giving him some trouble, so I asked could he drop us off, now? Yes, he could and did. Meanwhile, the two stalwarts, Roger & Mac walked on. “Archangel Diego”, was the title bestowed on our taxi driver by Derm.

Where else but on a Camino could you enjoy such a range of people and experiences? In one week, we met such interesting people.A retired teacher, who we ran into occasionally, exchanging anecdotes and tips, left us with the parting shot , ” Thanks for the advice…and all the other words”. An exchange with a QC from the Virgin Islands, Michael, led to Mac discovering that his mum had once worked , in service, for Michael’s grandparent, in Birmingham – the clue being an Irish connection – surname McGovern. That left even Mac gobsmacked and you can’t say that too often.

We met Pilgrims from USA, Argentina, Spain and Dorset.We were cheered by their acquaintance.

 This is Mac & Roger being signed in by “Chuss” , at Fogar o Chisco Albergue Turistique, in Sigueiros.This lady was Nick  named “Margaret Rutherford, ” but a cheerier, boisterous hospitalero, you could not meet; whether it was her attempts to tuck us up, returning from a night out , after our hapless attempt to tiptoe into the hostal,only to find no one else had come back! Showering us with extra duvets, to much hilarity. Or tushing us for using”wifi”, or ” wefee” as pronounced in Spain, at the breakfast table! Roger recalled the night that followed, as trying to sleep in the Serengeti , in the company of a herd of gnus….

There was a lot of banter, especially with restaurant and hotel staff.In Sigueiros, the waitress mimed in a truly uninhibited manner, “Pechos”, as Roger enquired about the cut of his chicken!  We were a little alarmed at the sight of her husband, at the kitchen door, sharpening a large knife!

Receptionist, Begonia, at the Hotel Garelos, whose determination to practice her English went into overdrive; later called Hotel Garrulous, she was not at all offended when, next morning, Dermot addressed her as “Petunia”, in all innocence, it has to be said. Derm was also persuaded ( not hard) to try a digestif, Pacharan; next morning he exclaimed he would never try that”Peach Liqueur” again, not even when we explained that, in fact,  it was distilled from Sloes!

 It might have been the effect of the Pacharan that led Dermot into asking if a late tapas was “toffee apples”…….What do you think?

 In Galicia, ” Gallego” is the dialect, it sounds like a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese; interestingly enough, far more Galicians speak it, than either Basques or Catalans speak their indigenous tongues. It was the Portuguese connection that frequently found Dermot ( our go-to translator),using a default greeting, ” Minha nora é brasileiro” , ( my daughter-in-law is Brasilian ) .Plus finding that no matter how he described his needs as a vegetarian,”Eu sou um vegetariano. Sem carne ou peixe por favor”,no avail.

Apparently tuna does not count as fish in this neck of the woods.

Music featured heavily on my I-Pad,one night,  in the tiny dining room of Hostal Bar Luis. Songs chosen initially for links to walking, travel,suddenly changed to a selection from Warren Xevon, featuring a memorable , but unrepeatable song about a visit to a doctor.We were joined in the dining room,by two young, Spanish, female pelegrinos – Mac asked if they had any requests, apart from ” turn that off”. I was appalled when they requested Phil Collins! In hindsight it may have been a ruse to get it switched off, anyway.Speaking of Mac, as we should, he was always on the lookout, when on the Camino; no danger of missing a flèche.

 The Camino provides and in unlikely places.I should not have expected to find a state of the art, foot massage machine, in an Albergue. For 2€ , blissful relief – both Derm and I took advantage – for copyright reasons,I cannot share  a photo of Dermot in repose,  but I can share mine.

 There were many more  “Moments”, a Blog is only a snapshot. I have to say that this was the most enjoyable Camino, for me, to date and I have enjoyed all the others to different degrees. Several factors: the route, the weather, the Galician people and our fellow pelegrinos, but most of all, my companions Mac, Roger and Dermot, whose company was unfailingly  cheerful and considerate.Thanks Compadres.

 We hope that we left everywhere we went and everyone we met, with good memories and feeling happier as a consequence; we certainly were.

 Finally and on a personal  note, I just received a letter from my Urology consultant, Mr Ibrahim, informing me that examination of my CT  scan in July, showed no recurrent obstruction to my kidneys,nor indeed any evidence of cancer recurrence….Post Camino provides.

( Sorry some of the photos are out of sync ! )

Just today, I received the Autumn Bulletin from the Confraternity of Saint James. I was intrigued by a review of a late fifteenth century book, ” Doctor Hieronymous Munzer’s Itinerary ( 1494 and 1495 ). He was a doctor from Nuremberg,whose itinerary took him across Europe. His account was originally written inLatin, common at the time, and a scholar,James Firth, has saved it from obscurity – ” well- produced edition of over 500 pages complete with introduction,maps,notes, a glossary, and wide ranging indexes”  – in English. It’s interest to Pilgrims of the 21st Century, we are told, are his descriptions of his time in Santiago de Compostela and Galicia, in general.

Munzer approves of the countryside and the city’s gardens full of fruit,but denigrates the residents as “…swinish…and idle,that they live off what they can make from Pilgrims”. He describes the Cathedral in Santiago, in great detail, enjoying feast days, ( here’s one for our religious correspondent, Dermot) such as Saint Fructuosus! He is less than impressed by the  congregation.” There is always an incredible , popular clamour in the church. Devotion there is not excessive.It would be fitting for the holy apostle to be venerated more reverently”. Travelling on westwards, he notes disapprovingly,” the people live mostly on pork and are truly unclean and piggish in all they do”.

Well, there are comparisons and contrasts with today.Yes it is fruitful and you can take time to smell the flowers. Yes, they still eat a lot of pork, but you can get Padron Peppers now.These days, there is disquiet expressed about the Turigrinos at Mass, only wishing to see the Botafumeiro swing. From our experience , we never expressed anything  less than full gratitude for the hospitality which came our way, without exception. Acknowledgements to Pat Quaife, for the review.

On the subject of food and drink, the highlight for me, was a bowl of Caldo, enjoyed one lunchtime In a little bar “Cruceiro”, where the English owner, convinced me by her enthusiastic description of her recipe. Outstanding hotel, was Hotel Kensington, in Naron,where the value for money was only matched by the welcome and hospitality of the owner, who had worked in London, for sixteen years, hence the name. And…they keep other animals these days; I could have taken this beautiful goat home, despite the fact he had licked all the sweat off my Pacer Poles!

We are dependent on both the yellow fleches and way marker posts ,typical  of the Camino. Also, The CSJ Guide to the Camino Ingles ,writtenbyJohnnieWalker. However, some points of interes are not included, maybe for reasons of space,or considered too  trivial. However, on a trail through the countryside close by Ordes  we encountered some remarkable sculptures and statues,plus , incongruously enough, a Dinosaur. There were more orthodox artefacts,commonly seen on this route, cruiseros and horreos, i.e, crucifixes and traditional Galician barns constructed above the ground to safeguard winter corn from rats et al.

There were other, locally  made signposts along the way, fashioned from a variety of materials.

When walking long distances, light hearted asides and distractions are always welcome, as are chance encounters with other pilgrims and local people.

Jacobean pilgrimages attracted people and societies from all over Europe in the Middle Ages: also from “Distant Europe”: the so-called Scandinavian countries – Norway, Sweden, Denmark,Finland and Iceland – and above all, the English, Scottish, Irish and Flemish. All of them helped to establish what we are now walking along, the English Way.They came to Galicia by sea from their respective ports and arrived in Ferrol or A Coruna.

We were significantly reminded of this when , on our walk towards Hospital de Bruma (the hardest stage), desperately in need of a break and refreshment, we came upon the Meson – Museo, Xente no Camino. 

 Walking in hope, more than expectation, this amazing place was a Godsend on a stretch of the route totally lacking facilities, according to published guides. I had learnt of it from a Blog I had read, but as it was not “official” information ,did not want to mention it to my companions. We were given a warm welcome by the owner’s wife, who explained that the idea was that of her husband an archivist and Medieaval historian; she proudly showed us his book, from which all the frescoes decorating the place, were taken. 

   It is easy to take advantage of an obvious need for a stopping place for Pilgrims and locals alike, but to accomplish it in such a sympathetic and unique way, is beyond meritorious; a blessing and a revelation. 
 Chatting to some of the locals there; one of whom had worked in London as a chauffeur for 19 years, before selling up and returning to his beloved Galicia. 

 We were tempted to prolong our stay at this wonderful oasis, but we had some kilometres to kill before our destination, that evening; we all agreed that it would remain in the memory for a long time.

The local Druids, these areas occupied since Neolithic times, believed that the force which commands the world,revolves around four elements; any place which,by magic,brings them together will be a synonym of the wetness
of true freedom, a place where its inhabitants will be happier than anywhere else. Earth, Wind and Fire and Water: the four elements…..We walked past the famous ASANTO shipyards meaning” Shipyards and Workshops of the Northwest”,eventually arriving at Cabanas and its beautiful beach; Roger calls our first refreshments a ” Sharpener” which we enjoyed in a beachside bar, chatting to a locally adopted Tyke, would you believe, whose grandparents had settled there 30 years ago; he felt quite at home, though personally, I find it hard to take seriously anyone who wears a baseball hat back to front. 

 cWe then entered Pontedueme,via the 600 metre long, ancient bridge.Had a very bibulous evening and a fine  dinner in our digs, Hostal Bar Luis. 

 
Walked on towards Betanzos via Mino and up some challenging inclines.A couple of coffee stops provided both relief and sustenance; Hannah’s biscuits had gone down well and Roger had finished a week’s supply already! By chance, in Mino we found ourselves opposite the Turismo, where we were given  good advice and encouragement by Alba. 

 These two days were the most challenging walks I have ever achieved,compensations were the scenery and the never failing cheerfulness of my three compadres,Mac, Derm and Roger, because the tendinitis was now affecting my heel – Solvitur ambulando” – “It is solved by walking” Apparently said by Saint Augustine

He obviously never walked the Camino Ingles! Not that I should have missed it for all the world.All Caminos are unique,this one characterised by the Rias, the forest trails littered with Chestnuts and Acorns, plus the occasional opportunity to do some foraging – that’s a posh term for ” scrumping” -grapes, apples and even figs, overhanging walls. My three fellow Pelegrinos… 

We had a relatively  luxurious stay in Hotel Garelos,where Begonia, the receptionist,was both  garrulous and  charming;  quiet time of year,I think. 

At last we left the Rias behind sadly, and headed ,seemingly never endingly,upwards, taking in  a long stretch of grand vistas,desperately hoping to find a place for refreshment- that proved to be my best kept secret…