I'm Home from the Portugues Route

[Sue Kenney]

Everyone,

I made it. I walked over 500 kms in 18 days. Valenca, Portugal to
Santiago for Easter Sunday. Santiago to Fisterra. Fisterra to Muxia and
then back to Valenca. What an incredible journey. This is a long note,
so if you are not interested in some of the experiences I had you might
want to just delete it. There weren't many convenient internet sites to
send emails so I apologise for not writing.

I left on 040404 the day before a full moon. Flew from Toronto  and
while on a stopover in Frankfurt on my way there, I was professionally
pickpocketed and lost about 300 Euros. I thought about the story of the
Queen who built the bridge in Puenta la Reina so the pilgrims wouldn't
be robbed. Here I was a modern day pilgrim, being robbed. Then I arrived
in Vigo, Spain to find they had lost my backpack. For 2 days I walked in
the same clothes I wore on the plane. A young male pilgrim lent me a
sweatshirt to wear to bed and I found some blankets to use because I
didn't have a sleeping bag. Lots of challenges. Had the wrong socks and
no vaseline so I got really nasty blisters. Then I left my eyeglasses
for distance, somewhere in a forest when I stopped for a break. A true
pilgrm stripped of all the assumed basice needs. Eventually got my
backback and had a least some conveniences.

Had 14 days of sun with 5 minutes of rain one day. Then 2 days of
constant rain.(I was told by the English professor Adam who lives in
Mos, that the rain one of those days equaled 1.7% of all the rain that
fell in Galicia last year!) Even my Gortex jacket leaked.  The albergues
are excellent offering hot water, heating, kitchen facilities and new
bunk beds. But I wonder why they are always situated on the top of a
hill...at the end of the day the last thing I wanted to do was climb
another hill.

Galicia is like a heaven on earth. Climbed many mountains, walked
through many gorgeous forests of Eucalyptus trees, chestnut trees and
green foliage. For the first time I have seen the Spanish flora. The
grape vines were just blooming. Butterflies were out and so were the
flies and bees. Saw a couple of mosquitos too. Part of the route is
along the highway, which can be very discouraging but well worth it when
you get to the forests.

The week before Easter there were many celebrations in the smaller
cities and villages. I was fortunate to see some of them. No pilgrims
mass on Easter Sunday in Santiago, but I left all the intentions in a
stone on a pillar near the Portico de la Gloria entrace.  I was the only
pilgrim not from Spain or Portugal walking the route. Also, the only
"sola" pilgrim. The people couldn't understand why I was walking alone.
They were all there with their families and friends to celebrate Easter
and ended up caring for me. It was lovely.

Before I left I was given an Eagle Feather by a woman on the Six Nations
Reserve near where I live. She has the responsibility of deciding who
should receive one of the highest honors of their culture, an Eagle
Feather. She had a dream about me that she was to give it to me to give
to someone on my journey. Every person I met was a prospect for the
Eagle Feather. The stories are wonderful.

I loved Fisterra, but really loved Muxia even more. (Thank you David for
encouraging me to go here.) The church is built on the rocks overlooking
the Costa del Morte where the oil disaster happened over a year ago. I
slept in a gymnasium that night with 3 other pilgrims, on the floor on
mats since there is no Albergue. That day I had taken my boots, socks
and bandages off my feet to go into the sea. As I stood there the waves
crashed around my feet and the sea salt felt great on my blisters. Then
my blisters started to hurt. I thought it was the salt, but when I
looked closer, the crashing waves had forced the sand into the blisters
filling them up. I wondered how I would get the sand out and suspected I
would end up at the hospital. I soaked my feet and opened the other side
of the blister to try to flush out the sand. Got most of it out and
could walk. The next day, I carried on even though the sand was still
lodged between the skin. I literally walked with stones in my feet..
Stone by Stone, ironically the name of my storytelling CD about the
Camino Frances. 2 weeks later the stones are still under the skin, but
there is no infection. Eventually, they will be freed I am sure.

Now, let me tell you about walking the reverse route. Every day I got
lost more than once. I added at least 5k a day to my mileage because of
this. The first day walking back from Muxia, I walked up a mountain for
about 2kms reaching the top. At the time I was meditaing while walking,
and saw a yellow arrow. Forgetting that I was walking the return route
of the Camino, I followed the yellow arrow all the way to the bottom of
the mountain. I met a farmer and he informed me I was going the wrong
way. When I realized I had walked all the way around the mountian, I
started to cry. I sat down and waited for a car to come, but nothing
happened. After 1/2 hour I put on my backpack and started to walk again.

Often I reached a fork in the road and couldn't determine which
direction to go in. There are "Blue" arrows painted along the way, that
lead to Fatima. Often I followed these arrows and they saved me many
times. The local villagers are very helpful, and although I don't speak
Spanish, I managed to learn some key words. Most days on the return
route I would start walking in the morning at 8sh and not get to the
next refugio until 6 or 7PM. Getting lost not only involves more
mileage, but it requires a lot more time to figure out where to go. At
each intersection one mush stop and really assess the situation.

In Santiago for the second time, I had the pilgrim's meal at the
Paradore on Sunday night, Monday morning and stayed for Monday lunch
too. There were only 3 pilgrims there each time. The food was great and
it was a thrill to be there again.

I tried to keep a log of the return journey with some details of the
path to pass onto others who consider this route. I would strongly
recommend doing the Portuguese route both ways. Coming home I findd it
ismuch easier to integrate into my life here, so far. Although it is
early, I have a different feeling of completion, that I didn't
expereince doing the French route.

The first day I walked from Muxia, I was really frustrated because I
couldn't find my way. I kept questioning why I decided to do this to
myself. I really wanted to quit, take a bus to Santiago and walk from
there. I had a lousy map too. But I didn't quit. I met a Spanish pilgrim
who told me when you are walking from Santiago/ Fisterre/ Muxia, it is a
triangle. While walking the triangle, he told me, you are in the "eye of
God". That was it for me. I wasn't quitting while in the eye of God. I
made a barter with him, that if I continued then he would help me to
tell my story. He agreed. I knew I would be taken care of...you are
never alone on the Camino. A number of the locals invited me into their
homes for cafe and food. I went to church with one family. They were
proud to show me to the local villagers.

After the second day of walking I found myself smiling all the time,
knowing I was going home.

I arrived in Valenca Portugal early in the afternoon and decided to take
the bus to Mount Santa Tecla. What an experience that was. Wow.

So many stories. I will try to get the details of the walk on my web
site over the next couple of weeks. I have some pictures on CD but not
sure how to send them to the archives.

If anyone is interested in the Portuguese Camino, don't hesitate to
email me for details.

By the way, after meeting many pilgrims along the way, I didn't get the
right feeling from any of them that they were to have the Eagle Feather.
It represents leadership as the Eagle soars the highest of all the birds
and recognises respect, love and gratitude. I ended up giving the Eagle
Feather to a German pilgrim  I had met and fell in love with on my first
Camino. We reconnected in Frankfurt on my return home. Long story.

Thanks for all you wishes and prayers. I hugged the Apostle for all of
you.

Peace and love as you journey,

Sue

sue.kenneyasympatico.ca
http://www.suekenney.ca