ensuitepilgrim's Blog

First ferry out to Robben Island, infamous for the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela and many other black prisoners .Like Venice, Cape Town is best approached or left, by sea. We were informed by our guides of the long history of the Island, over the centuries, of incarceration, for example, Lepers, whose graveyard is still preserved.It was an army base during the war, and some fearsome guns still remain in place.

However, its place in history will always be defined by Mandela’ s ” Walk to Freedom”, and we were shown the high security prison, Mandela’s cell and the little garden he allegedly planted.Our guide had been imprisoned there himself for seven years, in the eighties; accused of recruiting for the ANC. The pitiful status and treatment of black, political prisoners was outlined by him. There were many murals along the walls of the quay, outlining the inhuman treatment of a whole range of prisoners.It was a brilliantly organised visit.Interestingly, there is still a small village on the island and the water is no longer brought over by boat, from the mainland, as there is a desalination plant in operation.

By contrast,some of  the afternoon was spent in the much heralded Victoria and Albert Docks – a mega collection of shops and restaurants, all more expensive than any where else in Cape Town.Escape was made along the quays, to Mouille Point, a pleasant walk, in bright sunshine and balmy breezes…An extremely varied day, ended in ” Little Ethiopia”, a tiny ethnic restaurant, that we came upon by chance…Authentic and different, greatly appreciated !

The prospect of Heathrow is usually as daunting as a journey up the M 6, but it was a very easy through route to the BA flight, I have to say. The overnight flight meant landing @ 7.20 am in Cape Town, in warm sunshine.

Efficient transfer to Pepper Club Hotel, welcomed with a glass of cold, white, wine; earliest ” drink” I’ve ever had! Great room, with view of Table Mountain, from balcony, which is as stunning a vista as you could wish for. A bite to eat and a beer, across the road, specialising in 96 different, bottled beers, plus a multitude of draught pilsners, etc.

Then a walk down the appropriately named Long Street, to the railway station to buy tickets for the next day’s train journey to NEWLANDS Cricket Ground.  

    
 After a bountiful, buffet breakfast, walked downtown to the station.All vestiges of yesterday’s festival had been removed and being Sunday, it was very tranquil.Arrived at NEWLANDS and within minutes we were in our seats , enjoying the atmosphere and views from this wonderful sporting arena. Hannah spied David”Bumble” Lloyd, our favourite Sky cricket pundit, being wired up for an interview; she cajoled him into a photo and was very pleased with herself! So were we…

I won’t go into too much detail about what unfolded into one of the most exciting day’s Test Cricket, ever, just some photos. 

    
   Really fortunate in our choice of day. The evening was rounded off with dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant, where we were served a range of dishes, no knives/forks, scooped  up with pieces of spongelike , flat bread; accompanied ( for me ) with Savvanah Cider. So far, we have encountered a great atmosphere, friendly people willing to engage and that undefinable feeling of being in a totally different and fascinating country and in particular the ” Mother City”…aptly named.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,500 times in 2015. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

WHAT THE CAMINOS PROVIDED FOR THE ENSUITE PILGRIM

On my Blog, I confess to being an “ensuite pilgrim”; that is because I don’t like albergues and I can afford not to stay in them. I am now 69 years old and walked my first camino, ten years ago, from Sarria to Santiago, with a large group, aiming to raise funds for a young peoples’ residential centre , run by the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
After retiring, nine years ago, from my post as Headteacher of a Catholic primary school, in a challenging part of the city of Birmingham, my thoughts returned to the Camino. I walked the Del Norte from Luarca, the alleged “coastal route” from Lisbon to Porto [it doesn’t exist !].A. Machado captures it exactly “Walker, your treads are / the path and nothing more; / walker, there is no path, / the path is made when walking…”.
I have also walked the interior and coastal routes, from Porto to Santiago. Most recently, I have walked part of the Via de la Plata, from Seville to Caceres and the Camino Ingles. With the exception of the Portuguese coastal from Porto, which I walked alone, all the other walks were in groups of various sizes.
Why? I have a love and fascination for Spain; its peoples and its history. Years ago, I came across James A Michener’s book, “ I beria”, in which he stated rather grandly that he had ..”long believed that anyone interested in either the mystic or the romantic aspects of life, must sooner or later define his attitude concerning Spain”…Amen.
Writing about such a variety of caminos is not scientific; it is either an emotional or spontaneous selection, from memory, aided and sometimes confused by my Blogs !
In trying to describe what the Caminos meant to me, or gave to me, I should have to make a division between those I took before two successive traumas – a stroke and then cancer struck me. What remained the same were the necessities , listed perfectly by Ralph W Emerson:-
“Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humour, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much”.

After suffering and recovering from the stroke, in autumn 2012, I walked the Coast from Lisbon to Porto, as described, with a group I knew well. That was June, 2013. I was frustrated by the route and by some of my companions; so it remains bitter-sweet in the memory. Therefore, to regain my self- belief and self- reliance, I determined to go “solo”, along the coastal path from Porto to Santiago. There was probably another compelling reason too, only I haven’t been able to define it, yet. Anyway, if it was simple enough for my brain to understand it, I’d be too simple to comprehend it. Rather like this interesting formula, “The Camino is 90% physical. The other half is mental”.
The “Coastal” was a wonderful walk, although solo, the pilgrims I met that September were initially strangers, but also friends just waiting to happen. When not listening to my Camino playlist, this Camino gave me a clearer understanding of myself, though the world remained a deeper mystery. It was an intensity of experience, which I think can only be gained by walking. That is not to understate its challenge and difficulty at times. Also, remaining cordial in the face of provocation. Light travels faster than sound, that’s why some of the pilgrims appeared bright until they started talking . Though I am gregarious by disposition and still retain contact with some of those I met.
I got off track a couple of times, you would think that’s not possible when all you have to do is keep the sea on your left, but I managed to do it, just South of Vigo, where a friendly local took me 10 KM out of his way, back to the coast. The kindness of strangers…
“que camino es el camino, por favour? ”
No wonder an earlier enquiry left this gentleman baffled!
Esposende remains etched in my mind, for it was there that I suddenly became aware of blood in my urine. I stayed in my hotel room , resting for 16 hours; it stopped and I walked on, not knowing it was a sign of deeper trauma to come. What did this Camino teach me?
It was best to try to live each new day, as if it was the first, or last day of my life.
Moving quickly forward to Christmas Eve 2013 when I was informed that I had invasive bladder cancer [ after more scares].From three options, I chose to have complete removal of the bladder. After chemotherapy in the spring of 2014, I underwent a nine hour operation, where my bladder was removed along with my prostate and appendix. All done by “keyhole” surgery – like painting your hall, stairs and landing through the letterbox . Viva the NHS !
Still, whilst recovering, I made renewed plans for another Camino – the Via de la Plata. After all, as Hubert Humphrey memorably said: “Oh my friend, it’s not what they take away from you that counts – it’s what you do with what’s left”. Cancer is a journey, but you walk it on your own.
I booked flights to Seville in the autumn; April 2015 , the Via de la Plata, with my friend and Pelegrino, Mac. I began training again, recording each walk, weight carried and average km per hour. We made a great Camino; target achieved. Una Terra Unica E Inolvidable

“For me there is only travelling on paths that have heart..and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length – and there I travel, looking, looking breathlessly” – Carlo Castenada. Not too breathlessly I hope! Our second stage of that Camino is planned for late April 2016; flights booked, accommodation sorted.
Finally and most recently, the Camino Ingles, walked in September, with Mac, Dermot and brother-in-law, Roger. For the latter two, a chance to walk long enough to obtain a “Compostela”, which we all did. We learnt not to confuse a “short” walk with” easy”…It was a joyous pilgrimage, of varying vistas and unexpected surprises. I could walk anywhere with these guys, their humour, patience, gregariousness, stamina, great appetites – real boons to me.Thanks for the words of advice…and the others!

We all had different purposes for our walk: reasons of Faith, reasons of curiosity. For me, partly, it was the pleasure I got from having organised the Camino and its successful completion. And seeing Sanctu Iacobu afresh.
“The footprints of those who walked together never vanish”. ULTREIA….
PS All the above Caminos can be explored in greater detail, in:-
“ensuitepilgrimblog.wordpress.com”.
And the time taken to smell and photograph the flora and fauna!

The above article was written for ” The Camino Provides” website.

I hope everyone has a joyful Christmas and walk well in the New Year.

“Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed” (Rm 13:11).. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed” (Rm 13:11).

http://youtu.be/__E2MCi35ZA ” Soon The Light ” by Yes.

Apocalyptic Readings for the First Sunday of Advent…..This Midwinter season , hijacked by early Christians,realising that the Christmas myth would sit well, here! Even so, I am still affected by this promise of the “Coming”. In particular and instinctively, the knowledge that the darkening days will soon be reversed.

Gospel
LK 21:25-28, 34-36
Jesus said to his disciples:
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Nations in dismay….Bombing them by Christmas…A government looking for a mandate to ” assault everyone” in the Syrian City of Raqqa,because it would not only be Isis that would be destroyed.

Corbyn, the lone Voice  in the Wilderness….

As Blessed John Henry Newman reminded us in a homily for the Advent Season: “Advent is a time of waiting, it is a time of joy because the coming of Christ is not only a gift of grace and salvation but it is also a time of commitment because it motivates us to live the present as a time of responsibility and vigilance. This ‘vigilance’ means the necessity, the urgency of an industrious, living ‘wait’. To make all this happen, then we need to wake up…”

Will we ” wake up” and shout down the pointless, sabre-rattling of the Politicians?

Perhaps I could send the above record for Cameron & Co to put on their Christmas Playlist?

Sorry to be so fervent!

Hope lives on, nevertheless….Must go and light the first candle.

Been some time since I posted and it is so easy to get out of practice, especially as another birthday has slipped under the radar.I have been busy with arrangements for the second stage of our Via de la Plata Camino.Accommodation is now booked for three of us as, sadly, Roger,my brother in law , is not able to make this one. The good news was getting flights to Madrid, from where we will take the train to Caceres, from Birmingham, with NorwegianAir. We shall return to Madrid from Zamora. Our dates are 17th April – 1st May.

Health wise,am doing fine since all clear from my Urostomy consultant,just receiving some physio for the calf strain I picked up in late summer, basically doing lots of stretching exercises.

Events have included weekends in Henley On Thames and Berkhamsted,a night at the Birmingham Literary Festival and a night out in Lichfield, to see a Buddy Holly tribute band, which was a present from good friends, Sue and Sean.

I celebrated the aforementioned birthday, with the family , enjoying the fireworks and sparklers, overseen by Dan & Tom.Then an excellent dinner,together.

The Autumn means lots to do in both the garden and the allotment…harvesting beans, celeriac potatoes, Cavolo Nero to mention a few, plus raspberries.We particularly enjoyed the marrows and squash. Also, drying bean seeds for next year.

The next, very enjoyable task is preparing for the end of year holiday in South Africa.Have managed to book tickets for a day at the Test Match, Newlands,Cape Town, South Africa versus England – a long held ambition of mine.Two excursions to Robben Island and the cable car trip up Table Mountain – all done on line and tickets printed.The holiday was booked with Trailfinders,self drive along the Garden Route from Cape Town, including the occasional wine tasting!

Looking forward to it, having purchased a Map and guide book on Amazon, too. The hire car will have a SatNav, but always have a paper back-up. So no danger of getting lost then….

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.