Adelina
Adelina
- Time of past OR future Camino
- '18 Astor-Stgo '19 St Jean-Carrion '22 Porto-Stgo
I had walked two parts of the Frances on my own and thoroughly enjoyed it. My husband decided to accompany me this year! Though I have talked a great deal about the Camino, my husband actually wrote down his thoughts. I hope you enjoy!
In mid-May 2022, my caminho partner-Adelina, mi esposa (wife) and I left Porto, Portugal to begin our walk to Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. It was a fine day, not too warm or cold. We started in the Porto suburb of Matosinhos. I was reminded of our Northern California weather, as there was a fog coming in along the Atlantic coast. That felt good for embarking on a first day’s walk with a backpack.
The entire caminho pilgrimage phenomenon was an unknown to me until about 8-10 years ago when Adelina began to get interested in learning about it and doing it. I confess [a very Catholic term in this context!] to having long harbored deep anti organized-religion feelings in part due to my atheistic upbringing perception that this is mostly a religious activity, but the caminho experience has broadened my perspective. At least I can enter a church, and appreciate the architecture, art, stained glass windows, and acoustics.
One of my biggest worries before undertaking the long walk, was if I would be able to do at all. A variety of physical conditions had, in the last few years been limiting the distances I could walk. I had mild anxiety about how lodging might work out as well as how I would react to the other humans we would encounter.
I decided to cast caution to the wind, “echar un cana al aire” in Spanish - Pluck a gray hair and let the wind take it, and just do it. That is not to say that there weren’t days when I questioned my ability to keep on keeping on. By the end, those doubts vanished. The backpack and I kind of became one, and nothing beats carrying all you need on your person.
People ask what my main goal was in walking the caminho. I think it was overcoming my fears and insecurities about physical and logistical concerns. Overcoming one’s fears is in and of itself a spiritual pursuit.
The experience of being together with Adelina, my walking and life partner continuously day-in and day-out was another theme with practical and spiritual aspects. In our daily lives, we all get caught up in the many routine chores of functioning in society and maintaining a household. On the caminho, there are practical considerations as well of course, but they’re simplified, and you don’t get as bogged down in the mundane. Sharing every waking moment day after day is a unique experience and the caminho companions one meets and becomes friends with along the way enliven it even more.
Quite a few philosophers and spiritual figures throughout the ages have offered that walking in and of itself can be a meditation. Whether it is “forest bathing” among Redwoods, or a prisoner in the yard making circles in that sterile and cold enclosed space. Walking can distract us from our daily cares. It brings us back to the immediate moment. Even walking long stretches through towns and cities has a meditational quality.
The first night of our caminho, we had a room in a small fishing village, Vila Cha. After we settled in, we took a walk around the town. As we hadn’t walked that much on the first day, it was a pleasure to explore the place on foot. One would be unlikely to stop, much less visit such a town, if one were a traveler driving through that region. Later we walked a short distance down the road to what might have been the only restaurant in town.
They were out of the sardinhas we had our hearts set on, but we ordered a fresh fish cooked on a coal grill. The gentleman was grilling it on a home BBQ. Then the son of the owner walked by with a whole head of lettuce he’d just picked in their garden for our salad. Across the road, all the beached fishing launches lay ready to go out for the following day’s catch. Indeed, at about 7 or 8 am the next morn we heard sirens announcing to the town that the fisherfolk were back. It was a real down home active fishing community.
Each town had its own flavors and specialties. One day in Galicia, we’d been intending to go to one town, but along the way we got rather wet from constant rain, so we stopped in the nearest town - Redondella - thinking of just getting coffee and a light snack, but an international puppet festival was happening. It turned into a delightful, and unexpected experience. Part of the joy of being a pilgrim on a journey, whatever one plans one encounters these types of serendipitous, unexpected surprises. Were I a spiritual person of a more traditional religious path, I would embrace that the creator directs us to these to witness the depth, variety, and magnitude of all creation-natural and human.
I have discussed with others who have walked the caminho/camino/chemin/weg etc. what percentage of pilgrims walk for spiritual reasons. Answers have resulted somewhere between 10% and 15%. However, the official pilgrim office posts that well above 50% of pilgrims walk for spiritual reasons. There was a moment along our journey where it crossed my mind that there’s also a sector of people on the way, who are doing it because it’s the “cool” or “hip” thing to do as well as a hike that they can complete.
The spiritual nature of o caminho has to do with appreciating the web of creation, human and the rest. Many times, our pace was slowed, so that my companheira could use an app on her phone to identify a flower or tree. Deeping our wonder at the depth and variety of them all contributed to feeling how small I am. Merely a tiny grain of sand along the long shoreline, the creator’s endless waves washing upon us, slowly breaking us down into even smaller pieces.
Hearing all the languages others spoke was another door to the magnitude of the wider world. Being an amateur language-learner, I much enjoyed “practicing” my Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian et al. One afternoon while meandering around Santiago de Compostela, I struck up a conversation with a letter carrier. He turned out to be a font of knowledge about Gallego -the language of Galicia. It is quite close to Portuguese.
The diversity of the people we encountered and their personal stories were also fascinating. We learned a great deal about Spain during Franco’s dictatorship from folks who had lived through it which made that history far more palpable. We walked with an Andaluz named Santiago for a way, and the still open wounds of the Spanish Civil War were alive in his telling. He recommended that we watch the film“La Trinchera Infinita,” “The Endless Trench” in English.
Adelina had this, IMHO obsessive compulsion to touch every Mojón – Caminho marker, but it must have brought us luck, because we never got lost.
Then, how is one to approach the entire matter of what o caminho/el camino represents? It is obviously a matter of individual belief, persuasion, passion, lifestyle, goals, desires, and surely many more factors. Each pilgrim would most likely have their own answer.
I have a million and one reflections on what my caminho was. Part of me is drawn to speak and write about the experience, but another part is skeptical of encouraging anyone to do it. I am amazed I was able to physically complete the challenge, and I have to admit I found a lot of joy and beauty along the way.
Peace.
REFERENCE:
We walked the coastal caminho. Further up and into Galicia, we left the coast. The coast of Galicia is full of fjord like “rias” we went by. Our daily average was around 13 miles. In Portugal, perhaps 20-30 miles of it is along boardwalk. Other sections meander in and out of towns, forests, and farms. Eucalyptus is grown for paper pulp, and we passed thru tree plantations.
In both Portugal, and southwestern coastal Galicia we went over many hills. They are not high mountains, steep and long for some stretches, nonetheless.
We crossed an international border-Portugal/Spain on a small 10-person skiff on the Rio Minho/Mino. It was the most seamless border crossing I’ve ever had no customs, no inspection, no nothing.
MI CAMINHO MAY 2022
In mid-May 2022, my caminho partner-Adelina, mi esposa (wife) and I left Porto, Portugal to begin our walk to Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. It was a fine day, not too warm or cold. We started in the Porto suburb of Matosinhos. I was reminded of our Northern California weather, as there was a fog coming in along the Atlantic coast. That felt good for embarking on a first day’s walk with a backpack.
The entire caminho pilgrimage phenomenon was an unknown to me until about 8-10 years ago when Adelina began to get interested in learning about it and doing it. I confess [a very Catholic term in this context!] to having long harbored deep anti organized-religion feelings in part due to my atheistic upbringing perception that this is mostly a religious activity, but the caminho experience has broadened my perspective. At least I can enter a church, and appreciate the architecture, art, stained glass windows, and acoustics.
One of my biggest worries before undertaking the long walk, was if I would be able to do at all. A variety of physical conditions had, in the last few years been limiting the distances I could walk. I had mild anxiety about how lodging might work out as well as how I would react to the other humans we would encounter.
I decided to cast caution to the wind, “echar un cana al aire” in Spanish - Pluck a gray hair and let the wind take it, and just do it. That is not to say that there weren’t days when I questioned my ability to keep on keeping on. By the end, those doubts vanished. The backpack and I kind of became one, and nothing beats carrying all you need on your person.
People ask what my main goal was in walking the caminho. I think it was overcoming my fears and insecurities about physical and logistical concerns. Overcoming one’s fears is in and of itself a spiritual pursuit.
The experience of being together with Adelina, my walking and life partner continuously day-in and day-out was another theme with practical and spiritual aspects. In our daily lives, we all get caught up in the many routine chores of functioning in society and maintaining a household. On the caminho, there are practical considerations as well of course, but they’re simplified, and you don’t get as bogged down in the mundane. Sharing every waking moment day after day is a unique experience and the caminho companions one meets and becomes friends with along the way enliven it even more.
Quite a few philosophers and spiritual figures throughout the ages have offered that walking in and of itself can be a meditation. Whether it is “forest bathing” among Redwoods, or a prisoner in the yard making circles in that sterile and cold enclosed space. Walking can distract us from our daily cares. It brings us back to the immediate moment. Even walking long stretches through towns and cities has a meditational quality.
The first night of our caminho, we had a room in a small fishing village, Vila Cha. After we settled in, we took a walk around the town. As we hadn’t walked that much on the first day, it was a pleasure to explore the place on foot. One would be unlikely to stop, much less visit such a town, if one were a traveler driving through that region. Later we walked a short distance down the road to what might have been the only restaurant in town.
They were out of the sardinhas we had our hearts set on, but we ordered a fresh fish cooked on a coal grill. The gentleman was grilling it on a home BBQ. Then the son of the owner walked by with a whole head of lettuce he’d just picked in their garden for our salad. Across the road, all the beached fishing launches lay ready to go out for the following day’s catch. Indeed, at about 7 or 8 am the next morn we heard sirens announcing to the town that the fisherfolk were back. It was a real down home active fishing community.
Each town had its own flavors and specialties. One day in Galicia, we’d been intending to go to one town, but along the way we got rather wet from constant rain, so we stopped in the nearest town - Redondella - thinking of just getting coffee and a light snack, but an international puppet festival was happening. It turned into a delightful, and unexpected experience. Part of the joy of being a pilgrim on a journey, whatever one plans one encounters these types of serendipitous, unexpected surprises. Were I a spiritual person of a more traditional religious path, I would embrace that the creator directs us to these to witness the depth, variety, and magnitude of all creation-natural and human.
I have discussed with others who have walked the caminho/camino/chemin/weg etc. what percentage of pilgrims walk for spiritual reasons. Answers have resulted somewhere between 10% and 15%. However, the official pilgrim office posts that well above 50% of pilgrims walk for spiritual reasons. There was a moment along our journey where it crossed my mind that there’s also a sector of people on the way, who are doing it because it’s the “cool” or “hip” thing to do as well as a hike that they can complete.
The spiritual nature of o caminho has to do with appreciating the web of creation, human and the rest. Many times, our pace was slowed, so that my companheira could use an app on her phone to identify a flower or tree. Deeping our wonder at the depth and variety of them all contributed to feeling how small I am. Merely a tiny grain of sand along the long shoreline, the creator’s endless waves washing upon us, slowly breaking us down into even smaller pieces.
Hearing all the languages others spoke was another door to the magnitude of the wider world. Being an amateur language-learner, I much enjoyed “practicing” my Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian et al. One afternoon while meandering around Santiago de Compostela, I struck up a conversation with a letter carrier. He turned out to be a font of knowledge about Gallego -the language of Galicia. It is quite close to Portuguese.
The diversity of the people we encountered and their personal stories were also fascinating. We learned a great deal about Spain during Franco’s dictatorship from folks who had lived through it which made that history far more palpable. We walked with an Andaluz named Santiago for a way, and the still open wounds of the Spanish Civil War were alive in his telling. He recommended that we watch the film“La Trinchera Infinita,” “The Endless Trench” in English.
Adelina had this, IMHO obsessive compulsion to touch every Mojón – Caminho marker, but it must have brought us luck, because we never got lost.
Then, how is one to approach the entire matter of what o caminho/el camino represents? It is obviously a matter of individual belief, persuasion, passion, lifestyle, goals, desires, and surely many more factors. Each pilgrim would most likely have their own answer.
I have a million and one reflections on what my caminho was. Part of me is drawn to speak and write about the experience, but another part is skeptical of encouraging anyone to do it. I am amazed I was able to physically complete the challenge, and I have to admit I found a lot of joy and beauty along the way.
Peace.
REFERENCE:
We walked the coastal caminho. Further up and into Galicia, we left the coast. The coast of Galicia is full of fjord like “rias” we went by. Our daily average was around 13 miles. In Portugal, perhaps 20-30 miles of it is along boardwalk. Other sections meander in and out of towns, forests, and farms. Eucalyptus is grown for paper pulp, and we passed thru tree plantations.
In both Portugal, and southwestern coastal Galicia we went over many hills. They are not high mountains, steep and long for some stretches, nonetheless.
We crossed an international border-Portugal/Spain on a small 10-person skiff on the Rio Minho/Mino. It was the most seamless border crossing I’ve ever had no customs, no inspection, no nothing.
