The shell?

[Newlin]

On francés you could be the shell everywhere but down here you cant. Didnt see any in Lisbon and when i ask they didnt know.

Why is the shell not a pilgrim symbol when you walk from Lisbon?

 

[jsalt]

On francés you could be the shell everywhere but down here you cant. Didnt see any in Lisbon and when i ask they didnt know.

Why is the shell not a pilgrim symbol when you walk from Lisbon?

Hi Newlin, the main pilgrimage in Portugal is to Fatima, not to Santiago de Compostela. When you get to Porto you should be able to find a shell. I remember seeing some for sale in a gift shop near the Torre dos Clerigos. Jill

 

[GreatDane]

By the end of my day one I was tired of the clunk clunk clunk of the shell against my pack so it traveled cushioned inside. Next trip will be a shell patch.

 

[santaremhostel]

Albertino is correct.
In the old time, the original idea, is to have the shell in Santiago as a prove of your pilgrimage!
So, do not have a shell until you arrived Santiago.
Bom Caminho to you all!
Mario
P.S.
You can also, have one in any Supermarket in Portugal as food! we call it Vieira.
Surprised?

 

[santaremhostel]

So do I !!!

 

[JillGat]

I had this necklace made for me by a friend. It is a very tiny sterling silver shell and an "Apache tear" that I sent to her from New Mexico. When volcanoes erupted in New Mexico hundreds of thousands of years ago, the obsidian droplets hardened in mid-air and landed as round little stones on the ground. I love this simple little necklace. Jill
(She's got a shop on Etsy if anyone else is interested in something like this)

 

[MichaelSG]

Buy one in Santiago and when you come home you can show it .
That was the original idea behind it.

View attachment 21478
Albertino is correct.
In the old time, the original idea, is to have the shell in Santiago as a prove of your pilgrimage!

There is certainly some logic to the thinking that the scallop shell was only obtained in Santiago but I am not sure there are historical records that supports that, is there? I also wonder why in 1603, Sir Walter Raleigh writes:

GIVE me my scallop-shell of quiet,
My staff of faith to walk upon,
My scrip of joy, immortal diet,
My bottle of salvation,
My gown of glory, hope's true gage ;
And thus I'll take my pilgrimage.
(http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/pilgrim.htm)

Was he mistaken? The shell would have also been fairly well distributed throughout at least southern, western and northern Europe and probably (possibly?) circulated through the balance of the continent by pilgrims.

 

[mspath]

For comments/discussion of what the shell denotes for some contemporary pilgrims and why see this 2014 Forum thread and this earlier one.

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

OOOoooo! I'm going to disagree with my old [very old ] friend Albertinho! And agree with MichaelSG.
There is little proof that the shell was a sign of arrival. It was often [in medieval times] a sign of a pilgrim walking to SdC - just like it is today.
I have seen references to the shell being used by pilgrims as a measure as they walked to SdC - a measure for food or water - or, if they were lucky, beer or wine. In which case, the bigger the shell the better!
Now of course it's just possible that I am wrong [very possible, my wife would say] in which case I'll buy Albertinho a wine or beer when next we meet

 

[MichaelSG]

Boy! Watching you two in this all out, no holds barred, cyber argument isn't near as much fun as other folk in other threads. What are your opinions about "real pilgrims" going to bull fights just after taxi-ing into town from the mosque with 20kg backpacks?

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

For next year we have no camino plans but we will come to Portugal to give Fernanda a hand as hospitaleiros again.

I will be so sorry to miss you next year, Albertinho. My plan is to walk the Primitivo in May. Blessings, amigo, from England!

 

[KentuckyJay]

On francés you could be the shell everywhere but down here you cant. Didnt see any in Lisbon and when i ask they didnt know.

Why is the shell not a pilgrim symbol when you walk from Lisbon?

In May, 2014, I purchased a carved wooden one in a small cafe somewhere between Astorga and Santiago. It has been on my pack since then and will be there in May, 2016 when I hike from Porto to Santiago. It is all but indestructible and does not clatter. Bom Camino.

 

[DurhamParish]

By the end of my day one I was tired of the clunk clunk clunk of the shell against my pack so it traveled cushioned inside. Next trip will be a shell patch.

Last year I got a scallop shell as I left SJPdP. By Larrasoana, I was so tired to hearing it banging around while trying to put everything in my pack, I left it there in the albergue. Later that day, a man who had been in the same room with me saw me and gave it to me saying "you left this at the albergue". I thanked him and I kept it, tied, banging around on my backpack for the rest of the trip. I was afraid it would have been bad, bad mojo not to have kept it.

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

What a difference a day made. The day before yesterday we changed our next year's plan. Instead of hopping between AIRBNB locations in Portugal , we decided to travel again with our car and caravan to Spain and Portugal. Drive to Pamplona , leave car and trailer there and walk for a fortnight maybe as far as Burgos.Travel back to Pamplona and continue camping in Spain and Portugal and at the end do our hospitaleiro job at Fernanda's. How about that my friend ? Just studying on the Francès material I still have here at home. Nothing as changable as a human being Regards from this side of the world

Blimey! OK Albertinho, when I've completed the Primitivo, I will check all of Spain to find out where you are !!!!!
Buen tiempo a Fernanda's!

 

[SilverAvenger]

Here in Portugal, most people make their pilgrimages to Fatima. From Lisbon, you don't find markers for neither Fatima, nor Santiago, sadly. People over here are kinda awkward about their religion, specialy because it's considered a thing for widows and old ladies, so they don't give much importance to pilgrimages. If you catch a bus to Fatima, you might find markers, but that's a long shot.

Buen Camino!

Ps: I live near Lisbon!

 

[SilverAvenger]

How long was that? Because I've been there last week and saw nothing

 

[MichaelSG]

I certainly followed arrows out of Lisbon. It may not be the best marked section of any Camino but I followed them all the way to Santiago de Compostela.

 

[SilverAvenger]

Then maybe I was looking in the wrong places. Wouldn't surprise me, considering the only reason why I didn't lost stuff on the Camino was because I carried so little, that everything was essencial!

 

[jsalt]

Here in Portugal, most people make their pilgrimages to Fatima. From Lisbon, you don't find markers for neither Fatima, nor Santiago, sadly. People over here are kinda awkward about their religion, specialy because it's considered a thing for widows and old ladies, so they don't give much importance to pilgrimages. If you catch a bus to Fatima, you might find markers, but that's a long shot.

Buen Camino!

Ps: I live near Lisbon!

Hi, I have also followed the yellow arrows from Lisbon to Santiago quite easily, but I agree with you that Fatima is the main pilgrimage site in Portugal. If people asked me where I was going and I said “Santiago” they were visibly disappointed. In Condeixa-a-Nova the owner at the residencial I stayed at, gave me an extremely long lecture about Fatima being much more important than Santiago. The first time, in May 2012, during the main Fatima pilgrimage, when I was walking AWAY from Fatima, just about every pilgrim coming towards me yelled “Wrong Way, Wrong Way!”.

 

[santaremhostel]

Hi all. Yes, you must be careful when asking for help on the Santiago Way.
The yellow arrows should be your only orientation, as well as your Guide Book.
Try in your conversation to ask for the yellow arrows, "Setas Amarelas" in Portuguese.
Most Portuguese people that you will find on the way, do not know about the Santiago Caminho.
Meaning that probably they will lead you to the highway instead to the real caminho.
Example:
From Lisbon to Santarem both caminhos Santiago & Fatima are shared, same path.
BUT in Azambuja you will have to cross the railway to find the Caminho to Valada - Porto de Muge and Santarem.
If you ask for help in Azambuja, I believe they will advise you to take the highway N1 because that is the only path they know to Fatima.
The Worst!
I have had the feedback from pilgrims, that the Azambuja Tourism Office also suggest the N1 highway, because there are many trucks transporting tomatoes on the Caminho during Summertime.
Believe-me, the trucks carrying the tomatoes, respect all people walking that path. They slow down or stop! For sure there will be a lot of dust but the N1 highway is busy!
Trust me avoid N1 Highway on the way to Santarem.
Bom Caminho
Mario

 

[santaremhostel]

How long was that? Because I've been there last week and saw nothing

You can find all you need here:
http://www.vialusitana.org/