Civil and WWarII

[Gene Silva]

Karen Willmus wrote:

If someone were to be escorted by Basques over the mountains, would it have
been reasonable to imagine some of them traveled along the route to get to
Portugal?

At various times during the Spanish conflict, the border with Portugal was
secured. Salazar's views of the threat posed by communism in the Iberian
peninsula were similar to Franco's. He had good reason to believe that if
the "Republicans" prevailed in Spain, Portugal would be next on Stalin's
list. As a consequence, Salazar established the Legiao Portuguesa in 1936 to
defend the nation from Bolsheviks and an effort was made to block their
entry to the country. Yet a number of Spanish citizens found refuge in
Portugal, covertly moving along traditional access points, including "the
way", particularly in the north and east borderlands.


But  for those of you who have talked to the people along the route, have
there ever been any references to wartime?


Here is a snippet from my diary on Saturday, September 23, 2000, as I
approached the eucalyptus forest on the outskirts of Santiago:

"For a short distance the trail takes me away from the main artery and I can
see two pilgrims about 100 meters ahead who are just about to resume their
walk. They had been talking to someone at the edge of the field to my left
and are now heading up the incline leading back to the main road. As I
approach the spot where they had been standing I recognize the person there
is an elderly man leaning on a hoe. His chin rests on hands folded over the
end of the tool and he gives me a gentle, friendly smile. "You are a
peregrino?" I stop to acknowledge the obvious and we start our conversation,
first in Spanish and then Gallego.


He begins by wishing me well and giving every assurance my goal of
completing the pilgrimage is at hand, just beyond the airport. "Y Lavacolla,
esta perto?", I ask. Yes, of course, he says, just over the hill. Then he
abruptly changes the subject to announce that he had fought in the Spanish
Civil War. I'm not sure how to respond. "It was a violent and vicious thing;
many, many died", he says still smiling but taking no pleasure in it. I am
intrigued but my legs are aching from inactivity and the sky has turned a
slate gray, which is a clear warning of imminent foul weather ahead. My
instinct is to push on. He tells me he is eighty something years old but he
looks younger than that. I tell him I served in Vietnam and he nods, his
weathered face still framed in a weak smile. "Nasty business, yo creo" Nasty
indeed, I say, but his war experience is more interesting to me so I lean on
my staff and we talk on.......... It's time to leave and I thank him for his
companionship. Buen camino he says and I walk away conscious of the fact I
never asked on whose side of the conflict he fought. There was no need.
After all, Franco was a Galician whose view of Spain and the world was
deeply influenced by his humble roots in this province."