Mom, Calla Lilies and Pilgrimmage

 

My mother, Anna Lee Posante, passed away at almost 94 years of age on March 15 of this year.  She loved gardening and especially got excited with blooming Calla Lilies.  I’m the same way.  Calla Lilies are my favorite flowers especially the ones with large green leaves with white spots and gigantic white blooms.  I had first learned to love this plant in northern Italy while visiting my adopted family, the Lagos.  As I remembered it, they grew wild in fields and ditches, but I had forgotten this until we started on our walk.  In fact, over the years I had wondered if I just dreamed they grew wild.

On our first day of the walk I started seeing wild giant callas everywhere.  We were still walking along the Atlantic Ocean and the flowers were growing everywhere!  You could see that they had not been planted where we were seeing them.  I think that over the years they had seeded and the seeds had blown all over and then there were thousands!

I mentioned mom and how much she loved these flowers to my friends.  They said it must be mom all along the walk.  Maybe it was.  I wanted to believe it.  

As we proceeded through Portugal we saw thousands of them in the wild.  In fields, in marshes, along the streams that ran along our paths, next to fences, and in the yards of churches.  The blooms were as big as my hand with all fingers extended.

I found myself grouching to the others that I would kill to have these in my garden.  I’ve been looking for the really big white ones since we started the garden, but not much luck.  I have lots of various colors and small white ones, but none of these giants.

As we entered Spain we saw fewer of the callas in wild areas, but began seeing them planted in various yards and at the church.  I wished out loud that I could take home some of the calla bulbs, sneak them past Customs, you known.  Eventually, I started pulling seed pods from the callas that were past their blooms.  

For Mom’s Celebration of Life I had ordered Calla bulbs to give to those who came to honor her.  When they arrived I saw the biggest bulbs I had ever seen….bigger than the palm of my hand.  Honestly, I saved some of them for myself and my sister, but set out the rest for family and friends at the luncheon.  Now, I am wondering if people planted those bulbs and if they would send me pictures of them when they bloom.

I cam home with the seeds I had gathered (did not get stopped by Customs) but unfortunately, even if I can get them to grow, it takes 2-3 years to bloom.  I’m so impatient.  So imagine my surprise when I arrived back home, walked into our garden and saw this:

It is not as large, and only one bloom, but my spouse had planted this last year unbeknownst to me.  

Mom, I’m so excited and I am still waiting on the bulbs that I planted this year.  Might it be possible that I’ll have a garden full of Calla Lilies?  I am hoping that at least a few people planted the bulbs we gave them and that perhaps they will send some photos!

Post Camino Thoughts

 

Porto

We have been back in the USA for a few days now.  Plenty of time to reflect on the journey and buy t-shirts to commemorate!  Would I do it again?  Probably not, but I would consider other walking vacations that allowed time to really visit the cities and villages we were walking through.  The problem with the Camino was that the distances between hotels each day meant we were walking for 6 to 7 hours a day. That meant that we got to our next location so late and so tired that we did not have time to actually see anything.  For a spiritual person hoping for enlightenment that would have been enough, I think or I guess.  But it wasn't enough for me even though we did see the places in between in ways we could not have done otherwise.  I know I saw the mud up close and personal.  Anyway, these are my "take-aways."

👉Although we were walking through fields, next to rivers and the ocean,  and through forests we never saw one squirrel, one deer, one dolphin, or one anything.  That seems strange.

👉People who live on the Camino trail, at least in Portugal and Spain, seem very content with literally thousands of strangers walking past their homes.  Many greet you with Bom Camino in Portugal or Buen Camino in Spain and seem happy to point you in the correct direction if you get confused.

👉No one sells Camino flags (not even Amazon).  I mean a large flag like the one I dreamed of displaying out my window when I returned to quietly brag to all the neighbors about my adventure.  This is a lost opportunity, in my opinion.

👉Portuguese may look a bit like Spanish but it sounds like an Eastern Bloc language.  I'm sure I could never learn to speak it.

👉The US could learn a few things from these Europeans.  For one, laundromats in both countries include detergent and rinse products in the price.  Both are already loaded into the machines so the user does nothing.  For those who are travelling this is great!  I think for anyone who had to lug big bottles of each to do their laundry it would also be great.

👉Taxes are included in the prices!  Yes, if you buy a glass of wine for 2.5 Euros that IS ALL YOU PAY!  No tax and no tip either unless you want to tip.  So a 2.5 Euro wine is just 2.5 Euros!

👉I'm pretty sure that when I was working I would not have liked the siesta time nor the eating time in these countries.  Why would I want to go to work, then come home, then go BACK to work?  How would I feel eating dinner after 8:00 pm or even later?  Not for me.

👉There seemed to be no excuses for not recycling.  We saw village women pulling handcarts filled with cardboard to the village recycling dumpster.

👉American Airlines (really all airlines) could learn a few things from Iberia.  I'd already indicated that Iberia switched us to an alternate flight when it was clear we would not make connections in Madrid.  They did this WITHOUT OUR ASKING and WITHOUT US EVEN KNOWING!  Two nice Iberia employees stood with our new boarding passes in Madrid.  What a shock.

👉Iberia gives out ICE CREAM bars, good ones, too, about two hours after dinner.  

👉Ice!  In former years one would need to beg for ice in Europe.  NOW, in Spain and Portugal they bring huge ice cubes like the specialty ones we have in the States and they have bagged ice, just as gigantic, in the markets.  LOVED the ice!

👉Sparkling water.  In Italy, France and Germany one can order large bottles of sparkling water.  For some reason the Portuguese and Spaniards must not fancy the sparkling version very much.  Ordering a bottle of agua con gas would yield only a small bottle sort of like the old Coke bottles.  I found that strange.

👉Bus stations in these countries are more like airports in ours.  They are not sleazy looking Greyhound terminals.  Very modern, very clean and very utilized.

👉Suzanne said I should update this blog to include the fact that we did not see a television, listen to a book or watch a downloaded video for 15 days.  She also did not want to look at the news on her phone, but I could not go that far.  No idea what impact all of this had on us, but that’s what it was.

So adios to the Bom Camino.  Perhaps Hadrian's Wall is in our futures.

Padron to Santiago de Compostela

 

This wise old goat greeted us along the way to Santiago de Compostela.  By this time we were so close we could taste it and enjoyed his strange look at us.  This is the first day in the last 10 that it did not rain on us while walking!  We walked through high and low elevations, which really takes it out of you.  You can’t breathe going up and you can’t walk fast going down for fear of sliding down.

When we arrived in the city I was very disappointed because it was a big not impressive place at all.  I had been expecting Dorothy’s arrival in Oz.  However, once we got to the old town, I guess, where the cathedral sits my worries were gone.  These narrow streets and alleyways reminded me of the Left Bank in Paris and the Sacre Coeur all rolled in together.

While I had no spiritual awakening along the way I must admit that walking into that very large plaza with hundreds of other pilgrims coming in a the same time was a joy.  We saw folks with whom we had been walking for the past two weeks whom we had passed and who had passed us.

The Cathedral is very impressive also.  Very large and very ornate.

The sister of one of the Cheryls treated us to a celebratory lunch of pizza, salad, beer and wine.  We were so hungry and thirsty and it tasted super.

It is almost 10 pm here and still light outside.  Hard to sleep, but I’m signing off to try.

Buen Camino

Calda de Reis to Padron

I am so tired I'm not sure what I can say that will entertain you. Suzanne is not with us because of her feet. Therefore I am with the two "younger" folk. It was our intention to walk 12 miles today to Padron. However, we knew from the start that our hotel was not in Padron, but about a mile outside of town. So that would be 13 miles. Correct? My fitness app said I walked almost 16 miles and I believe it. We arrive at a very beautiful paradores, which is a hotel that has been converted from a Spanish hacienda. I will say that it is beautiful. The damned weather apps said that we would be walking in sunshine and clouds but very little rain. Wrong. We walked about two hour and then the liquid rain began. So once again I walked with a poncho over my head. I am SICK of rain.

We planned on a 12 mile walk but my app says we walked 16 miles.  From 9:00 until almost 4:00.  My legs are so tired and I have one new blister on my second toe.  

Unfortunately, Suzanne has had a couple really bad blisters and ended up in the ER in Santiago de Compostela.  They treated her foot and the charge was $0.  So much for socialized medicine.

Tomorrow is our last walk from here to Santiago de Compostela.  We have signed up for our certificate.  Some in our group want to go to Mass in Santiago.  I’m on the fence about that only because I don’t think I will be able to stay up for a 7:30 pm Mass.

What is driving me crazy is that the weather reports keep showing sun and we keep getting rain.  The mud is something to contend with.  The scenery is wonderful although we have seen NO wildlife at all.  NO squirrels, no deer, no fox.  Nothing.

The crowds of walkers are getting bigger and bigger.  Yesterday over 2300 people enter Santiago. It feels like we have seen that many as we walk.  Everyone is very nice and encouraging.  We keep seeing the same people along the trail.  So far I’ve not noticed any “religious” or “spiritual” people, but then how would I know?

One more day and then Suzanne and I can spend time in Porto.  I am going we have sunshine.  I miss Ramiro and my babies, Molly and Pancho.  Can’t wait to get home and to rest my poor feet.

Been Camino

This guy is my image of what we do when one of us needs to pee in the bushes.  The rest of us just stand there looking nonchalant.

Arcadia RIBA to Pontevedra to Calda de Reis, Spain

 Dear Readers, it is with great sadness that I report yet another day in paradise IF YOU WERE A FISH!  I am writing this blog on Saturday because yesterday we walked for what seemed like hours in mud.  In a final attempt at conquering the mud I became overly confident and slid into a very small mud hole but with enough mud in it to cover just about everything I was wearing and holding.  My friends came to the rescue but it is very difficult to stand up normally and trying to stand in mud is even worse.  I did not want to get onto my knees and then stand up (because I didn’t want to get dirtier!) but finally I was successful.  Now, on Saturday morning we were awoken with sound of sunshine pouring down from the heavens!  NO, we are listening to the sounds of a rain storm and viewing a large excavation site that has become a LARGE MUD HOLE.

Undaunted we had our breakfast at the hotel and started walking along with many other pilgrims.  Honestly, I don’t think any of these folks are “pilgrims”, but are just crazy people like us who want to make a statement (about what, I don’t know).

Friday was not a bad day, if you don’t count walking in the rain and falling into mud holes.  WE had some good times and some bad times.  It is now Saturday night as I write this blog and honestly I don’t even remember Friday except for the mud holes.   We have walked 16.4 miles from Pontevedra to Calda de Reis.  My legs hurts and I am tired, but today we did see blue sky intermittently and I had my best distance ever.

We also saw lots of vineyards, really neat Camino dogs who come to the walls for petting and lots of pilgrims.  Suzanne could not make the entire walk because of terrible blisters on the bottom of her feet, but I decided to soldier on with the two younger folks in our group.  And believe it or not I was the point person along the way.

                                                                                                      The interesting part was that although it rained off and on, whenever we stopped for coffee or a bathroom break, we would wait out the storm and the sun would shine.  The bad part was that we had to put on and take off layers of clothing all day.  The other bad thing is that consistently the route is longer than what is published.  We were ready for 14 miles but we walked 16.4.  

Pontevedra at 9:00 in the morning.

 The other bad thing is that once you stop at a hotel ALL of your clothes are WET.  Luckily this one has a washer and dryer.

 I’d like to be more entertaining tonight but I am tired and I need to treat the one new blister I think I am starting to form.  We are in a nice little 1 star hotel for pilgrims and had a great little “pilgrim” supper including one glass of wine for 12.50 Euros.  I cannot imagine what Europeans think when they visit the US and get $14.00 glasses of wine.

As of today, I’ve spent 10 days in Europe without 1 minute of TV, Netflix or audio books.  I’m still looking at the news and wondering which little village I can emigrate to after the elections.

Bom Camino                       

Vigo to Arcade

So, the two Cheryls after observing us older folks for a week now decided that we might be able to walk the Camino trail without their help.  Although we really appreciated them doing all of the navigating and other work like calling cabs or finding eating establishments that were open, we were pretty sure we could have been doing this the past week also.  While we were eating breakfast they took off without us but not before ensuring we had and could use the app Camino Ninja.  

We consulted our various weather apps and determined it would not rain until 3:00 and as it was 8:45 in the a.m., we determined NOT to wear our ponchos then walked out the hotel door to……..Rain.  A quick stop in the doorway of a nearby store allowed us to gather said ponchos and awkwardly put them on.  I know it sounds easy, but they won’t go over your head with a hat and sunglasses on and you have to put them somewhere while donning the poncho.  Anyway, we made it ok and started walking.

The first part of the walk was not very attractive as it was in the city for several miles but then things started looking much better until, wait for it,…..uphill alleys.  I mean uphill.  Over the next mile or so we walked up 500 feet in elevation.  It doesn’t sound like much to you because you are sitting on your butt reading this blog.  We were the ones who had to stop periodically to take a breath.  Honestly, it was nice to see that many other walkers were also stopping and saying, What the hell?

Finally, we were out of the city and in a forest 500 feet above beautiful vistas of the river.  These miles were great although pretty muddy in spots.  There were many walkers on this route from Germany, Spain, Italy, Canada and USA.  Some were faster but most were about our speed or even slower.  What continues to surprise us is the number of old grey haired ladies walking this alone.

And what made the day really great was that it stopped raining early on the walk and we shed the ponchos and just loved seeing the blue sky amidst the grey clouds.  Just wish it were also warmer.  50 to 55 degrees is not freezing but it makes a sham of the short sleeved shirts I brought with me.  Thank god for the puffy vest I bought while here.

Dinner is at 8.  Early for Spaniards but late for those of us who walked ten miles today.  But this is what we endure for our saga.

I will try to load photos to show you the route today.

Bom Camino

 

Baiona to Vigo, Spain - What we have learned

 It is about that time of the trip and this blog to list what we have learned so that you may learn with us and avoid the same pitfalls.

1.  Do NOT trust Accuweather, Weather.com, the Underground Weather….. well you get the drift.  For weeks we have been monitoring the weather in Spain and Portugal.  NO rain or very little.  Maybe one day.  It has now rained for three days and it is cold, too.  Bahhhhhh.  It appears that we may have one day of sunshine for the next five walks.

2.  Do NOT believe you can walk a 20 minute mile without knowing the surface and elevation.  I really naively thought that we would start off in the morning and by one would be having lunch in our new city.  We are walking hours on rough surfaces and now in Spain up elevations.  We are Lucy to get to the next station by 3:00 or even 4.

3.  Do not believe the mileage reported by the trail or by Google maps.  Add 3-4 miles in your reckoning.

4.  Do not bring “nice” clothes for afternoon (you won’t be home in time to unpack them) or for the evening because you will be too tired to move.

5.  Do bring a corkscrew.

6.  Understand that you WILL have blisters on your feet even if you have never had one before.

7.  Don’t expect that everyone in the shops and cafes speaks English.  Get good at gestures or learn to use Google translate quickly enough to be of use.

8.  Don’t buy a Made in China rain coat from a local store because your poncho is so unwieldy.  What few fingernails you have will be torn off trying to unsnap it or you will tear off the snaps and surrounding material.  Bring a good rain coat with you even if you get duped by weather stations.

9.  Bring a corkscrew.

10.  Suck it up and take a cab if you need a rest and get out of the rain.

One of you asked about  our hotels.  They have been nice to very nice, but this is what the room looks like when two people unload their contents trying to find blister bandages or a corkscrew.

VILA PRAIA de Ancona to A Guarda, Spain to Baiona, Spain - 22 or 23 miles total

 

It has been a dark and raining couple of days but still along the coast as we have walked the last two days over 20 miles.  I’m glad we did not hit this weather or this topography at the beginning because I fear I would have chucked the whole adventure.  The early days were sunny, hot and we walked on level terrain, mostly boardwalks.  These two days have been rain rain rain and in the 50 degrees. As you will see, we have had to put on more layers of clothing and rain ponchos that keep blowing all over the place.

  

I was very proud of my silicone shoe covers until I removed them the first night it had rained.  Inside my socks were soaked and so were the shoes.  The covers themselves had no holes in them and did not leak but rain must have seeped in from the top and just stayed in there.  Luckily our hotel had the old fashioned registers and I put them on top to dry out.

These following photos will give you a bit of an idea about the landscape in which we were walking.  But won’t convey how miserable the rain and cold could be.

We left Vila Praia de Ancona about 8:30 in the morning and walked 7 hours to our next hotel.  It was a fool’s idea that we would walk this trail at the same rate we could walk a mile at home.  While training in the States on flat ground the four of us could walk from 17 minute miles (Flash) to 22 minutes miles (Trip).  Here we are lucky if we walk two miles per hour!  Even the boardwalks are dangerous because the boards in some places are uneven or sometimes missing.  This is how Trip got her trail name.

Today we left A Guarda around the same time and encountered some unbelievable terrain.  Paths that were nothing but rocks and boulders and mud.  

We also walked with this menacing sky and WINDS.  

We were passed by many walkers but would often pass them later.  Some of them are really kitted out with rain jackets that have large openings that cover their large backpacks.  Wish I had a picture to show but I don’t.  We walked through forests and overhanging trees that sometimes reminded me of scary forests in childrens’ stories.

This weird looking tree is actually a cork tree and the bark can be removed to make the stoppers for our favorite beverages.

So one of the lessons we have learned since we arrive in Espana is that the Spanish do not eat until at least 8:00, so neither can we.  We were so hungry last night and tried to find something to eat.  Probably walked another mile around town finding the elusive cafe that was open at 7, but no luck. So learn from us and eat a big lunch on the road and plan on snacking in Spain unless you have the energy to stay up past 9.

We had a nice lunch today in Oia, Spain and have sort of settled down for the night here in the Hotel Mosquito, which is a much nicer place than the name would suggest.  The bathroom in this place is bigger than the hotel room two days ago.  And I am not exaggerating.  We will go out and scrounge something tonight and I’m betting it won’t be healthy.

Update on our feet.  We ran out of COMPEED, which are the silicone bandages for blisters.  Luckily a farmacia in Oia had multiple packets.  I think Suzanne bought the place out. Neither of us understand how we can get so many blisters when during training we got NONE.  I’ve got two COMPEED on my right foot and at least four on my left.  The pain is negligible at this point.  Not so sure about Suzanne’s.  Lots of complaining.  I’d show you some pictures but that might be just too much.

Bom Camino