I, Neil, awoke through the night with that image of the window in Tui cathedral in my mind.
In the deep of the night it gave birth to this haiku:
Bright morning light reveals
cobwebs still clinging.
Death is and is not here.
When the light grew it revealed a landscape shrouded in mist created by last night's rain.
This scene reminded us of the 100 acre wood in Christopher Robin's Enchanted Forest.
Once again we spent a significant chunk of the morning on woodland paths as we made our way up and then down to Redondela, and then out the other side.
And there's a lot more Camino paraphernalia and signage around now,
As we approached Arcade, we got our first smells and sights of salt water since leaving Vila do Conde.
Another tree with light through its leaves - we just can't resist, especially when it's a plane tree. Pat, this one's for you!
More pilgrims ... the new ones on the road look significantly cleaner and more stylish!
Grain store house typical in Galicia - note the height from the ground because of the constant wet weather.
The path wound right past people's backyards, and at one point Geoff and Annemarie came across a woman emerging from her little vineyard with her apron full of juicy red grapes. She proceeded to give them each a bunch to refresh them on their way.
The afternoon walk was stunning, mostly through narrow winding laneways and then along a river path to Pontevedra
We're now in Pontevedra, in another sizeable albergue just outside the old town and with our end of day chores done.
Reflecting on today's stage, one of the issues we struggle with in this last section of the Camino is that a lot of people walk the last 100kms just to get a Compostela (the certificate of completion). Not only does this make the way a lot busier; It also raises for us the question of the difference between being a tourist and a pilgrim. What is that difference? It feels like it has something to do with the spirit in which you engage the journey, and with the 'landscape' you encounter along the way both within and around you. This isn't about judging other people's experience. But we do notice that something is different in these last stages - something that is clearly raising questions for us!
We thank you for following our journey and our reflections on its meaning! We very much appreciate your comments and thoughts about all of this.
Buen camino,
Neil and Sarah
Great photographs, again, especially the early morning mist. I was happy to see another haiku, too.
ReplyDeleteSo many questions. Like, what are you eating at lunch? And was that wooden bridge as rickety as it looks?
Interesting thoughts about the difference between pilgrims and tourists. Yes, I would agree that it's the spirit in which one makes the walk, and not the distance. And not everyone can afford to walk more than the last 100 km. Yet, there's something about those hordes of clean and shiny pilgrims. . . . And that something makes one think uncharitable thoughts sometimes.
Are you having a late dinner with Geoff and Annemarie? Whatever you do tonight, enjoy.
Bom Caminho!
Ken
Oh!!!! I love that little rickety bridge!!! For some reason it really appeals to me. Those steps up the incline looked much easier to climb than the ones I was greeted with last week at Kings Canyon!!! They were a challenge. And that tree with the light through its leaves - that is magnificent.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your sharings in word and picture.
Like so much of what people seem to experience on pilgrimage, there are reflections and connections with everyday life. Your observations about the nature of the last 100kms seem to me to be like life - some of us let life unfold, some of us do life as an achievement, some of us carry a lot - others a little, some of us want to tick things off, some of us want to go more slowly and notice details on the way...the list could continue! The mix of humanity on the pathway of life wherever we are walking it... I look forward to your further insights about your experience there...
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