Camino de Santiago (part 2)

The clam shell motif is found all along the way and serves to mark the trial. Many houses have beautiful shells  of various designs, painted or sculpted. 

Here we see the shell motif a tile of Saint James, and the yellow arrow which indicates the way. 

In rural Spain even very small villages have massive churches built  in the 12th century or before. Most of these churches are squat and dark typical of the Romanesque style. The curved archway and square shape is representative. 

Though dark on the inside many churches have very richly ornamented altars. Usually locked during the day, it is rare when one is open to see inside. We joke that the name of these churches is "The Church of the Eternally Locked Door"

Massive doors can be seen throughout rural Spain.  A smaller door is usually cut into the larger one making it easier to open. Perhaps the massive size was to accommodate livestock which might have been kept in an inside courtyard.  The massive stone used would also have some limitations. 

The two items I valued the most were my hat and my sticks. When the sun shines in Spain, watch out! And the path is not always easy to walk on, especially when muddy as it often was for us. My sticks saved me many a time and helped propel me up hills and mountains. Behind me you can see the wind turbines so common in Spain. 

Mud was very common in the beginning. These trails are mostly not maintained except by the regular wear of thousands who use them. They can get pretty messy. Can you see the wind turbines?

There are various memorials to pilgrims along the way. These metal sculptures represent pilgrims throughout the ages from medieval times to modern times.  

This memorial is located at the top of a hill which is covered with wind turbines. It is a very windy place. Spain has embraced wind power and they can be seen along many ridges. Although they do change the look of the landscape, I did not find them all that intrusive as they are located in isolated areas. Certainly better than mountain top removal to get at coal. 

Although not common, benches along the way provide for a welcome respite especially when shaded. 

Toes in bandages, a very common site indeed. 

It was important to let the feet air out periodically so that swelling would diminish. I developed a mysterious rash as well. 

During the first week of travel our bodies took quite awhile to adjust to the rigors of daily long distance hiking. Pain and trouble was most common in the feet, which developed blisters and hot spots and which began to change shape as well. I had a very pronounced bone sticking out of the side of both feet, and I also developed a strange rash on the lower part of my legs which stayed with me the entire time. It was important to stop every few hours and take the pressure of by sitting down and removing shoes and socks. Depending on the weather this was not always possible. We listened to the advise of others we met, including a doctor volunteering his time at a hostel, and so learned to care for the feet. In spite of a few blisters, we did remarkably well overall. We felt blessed! It was painful to see how others were not so lucky. Some pilgrims had really serious issues, and some were forced to give up because of extreme pain from shin splints. And then their were others that should have given up but who doggedly plodded on, perhaps doing permanent damage. Our regimen included putting a coat of Vaseline on each foot before retiring to bed, and really stretching them out in the morning before standing on them. Since I was usually on the top bunk, getting stepping on the metal ladder rungs was really painful, but jumping off the bed would have done damage. It took at least five minutes to feel comfortable walking on them first thing in the morning.  Our New Zealand friends shared their "hikers wool" which is really soft merino wool used to cushion sore spots or hot spots. It was a God send. Additionally, we used Ibufen, a gel containing ibuprofen that reduces inflammation.   In the early days the topic of foot care was a common conversational theme. 

I would often reflect on what the journey must have been like for medieval pilgrims. They were faced with real danger from brigands and as a result, many lost their lives. This was a serious religious and spiritual journey for them, and if they succeeded in arriving at the tomb of Saint James in Santiago Cathedral their efforts would be rewarded in heaven. The Templar Knights helped secure the way as well as creating a system in which the pilgrims could entrust their valuables and wealth (gold and jewels for some), which was the first banking system known. As a result they became very powerful, so much so that the Pope and King Ferdinand the I colluded in eliminating them. In part the King was threatened by their power and the pope was threatened by their esoteric philosophy which deviated somewhat from Catholic dogma. Even the Templar churches did not have the traditional nave and transept (cross) form.  

I often felt the presence of these long gone pilgrims. Their collective passage over nearly a thousand years created a force along the way that for me at times was quite palpable. I felt somehow propelled by this subtle force, at times pulled and at times pushed. It is similar to how I felt in Algeria visiting ancient Roman villages in the desert where I could stand alone among the ruins and listen to their whispering voices. The energy never fully leaving the ancient stones. Because we were often alone on the Camino this force could be more easily felt. Sometimes I would see heart shaped stones in the path and collect them hoping to bring some of this energy with me along the journey and back to home.