The Pilgrim's Song; with love and gratitude

Dear fellow pilgrims,

You have followed me on this journey and have sent me messages of encouragement, support and love all the way. I have been held up by you and, on some of the long and lonely days, I would take out my phone and reread your messages more than once. I don't know how to thank you.

I have been kind of watching myself all day to see if I would have some kind of emotional response to completing this pilgrimage. But, there was nothing out of the ordinary and I just put it down to my pragmatism and continued to enjoy sightseeing.

I happened to be in the Cathedral late this afternoon (for the 4th time in 24 hours.) It is so enormous and spectacular that you could spend weeks here and just barely scratch the surface of all its treasures. Anyway, as I was looking around,  I passed a door that said "English Prayer Service ". Just the word "English " (after a month of struggling to understand Spanish and Portuguese) was enough to draw me in.

The service was just ending and the woman leading it put on a CD and then a song poured out into this holy place that has been the end point for millions and millions of pilgrims from every corner of the planet. And, when the song began, I then found all the emotions that I thought weren't in me.

So, as a small thank you for everything you have all done for me, I will pass The Pilgrim's Song by Enya on to you.

With much love and gratitude, 

Judith

Pilgrim, how you journey
On the road you chose
To find out why the winds die
And where the stories go.
All days come from one day
That much you must know,
You cannot change what's over
But only where you go

One way leads to diamonds,
One way leads to gold,
Another leads you only
To everything you're told.
In your heart you wonder
Which of these is true,
The road that leads to nowhere,
The road that leads to you.

Will you find the answer
In all you say and do?
Will you find the answer
In you?

Each heart is a pilgrim,
Each one wants to know
The reason why the winds die
And where the stories go.
Pilgrim, in your journey
You may travel far,
For pilgrim it's a long way
To find out who you are

Pilgrim it's a long way
To find out who you are

Pilgrim it's a long way
To find out who you are

Judy and the Jets

I just finished the first of the last 5 days I have left on this road to Santiago. Tuesday afternoon I will arrive and this long anticipated journey will be done. All those kilometres behind me and only 79 left to go.

There is something called a "credencial" or certificate that pilgrims can receive for walking a Camino. You can carry this little booklet and, as you walk from town to town, you collect stamps just about anywhere... cafes, bars, hotels, hostels. And then, when you arrive in Santiago, you can present your booklet and you are given your "credencial". Your Camino can start anywhere but, in order to get the "credencial", you have to prove that you have walked at least the last 100 kms. into Santiago. 

So, that makes this last 100 a very busy route, especially for Spaniards. At one point today, I felt like I was at the MTS Centre for a Jets game as we all clustered around a cafe buying drinks. I am SO not used to being around people now. 

As I was walking along today, I saw a group of adults with about a dozen children. One little girl, about eight years old, came up to me and asked me for my autograph!! This was the very first time in my entire life that anyone has ever asked me for my autograph. The father, who spoke some English, explained that there were six families from Seville with 11 children, ranging from 5 to 12 who were all walking into Santiago for that last hundred kms.  I could not believe that children that young were going to do this. When I expressed my incredulity he simply said, "The Camino is the Way."

And my Way will be finished in:

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.  And.... Done. 

Judith

Everyone Has A Story

Hello all,

First of all, I want to wish a very special girl a happy DOUBLE champagne birthday!  Zara is 7 years old on the 7th day of the 7th month. How special is that? Happy birthday, sweetheart. 

Second, I am very sad to say that tonight will be my last night in Portugal. Tomorrow afternoon I cross the border into Spain.  When I walked the Camimo there in 2003, I would have to say that the Spaniards displayed less "sympatico" than I have found here in Portugal. Hopefully, things will have improved since then. 

I walked all day yesterday with a couple from Ireland, Brenda and Nick. He marched on ahead and Brenda and I lagged behind. At one point, I apologized for slowing her down but she said," Are you kidding? You are saving my knees." 

She told me that their 27 year old son had died suddenly a couple years ago and explained how each of them was coping with their grief. Nick started training for Iron Man competitions and Brenda started a theology degree. She proudly told me that she was the first person in her family to ever go to university.  Each of them is coping in a personal way and yet they hold onto each other for the comfort that no one else can understand or give them.  I cannot imagine what they have gone through and then to be able to, so kindly, give me their story. Everyone has a story and, on the Camimo, most of those stories are powerful ones.

  

Today's highlights consisted of the following:

1. Walking almost entirely on back roads and through forests in 25 C temperatures. 

2. Meeting 2 lovely sisters from New Zealand and a beautiful young (20-ish) boy from Florida. He started in Lourdes in France and is walking to Fatima. He just radiated some kind of really rare spiritual inner beauty. 

3. Climbing 455 meters straight up a hill. I had read the map incorrectly and thought that this climb was before the hill and that I hadn't done the hill yet. When I reached (what I didn't realize was) the top, there was a group chatting and they told me that I had already climbed it! They got quite a laugh out of my mistake. My relief was enormous. (Those walking sticks sure came in handy today, SB!) The funny thing about hills is, no matter how hard it is to climb them, you never know what kind of miracle might await you at the top.

4. Meeting a Portuguese man and his daughter at the top of the hill. She asked me what I thought of her country and, when I told her,  the father just started to cry. He tried to talk to me but couldn't. We just hugged each other and went on our way. These powerful emotional "mini moments" happen often on this journey. 

I'm very sad to leave this country. It is filled with very kind and big hearted people. Muito sympatico. 

I am going to leave you with a bit of Portugal that pleased me so much when I heard this.  This group of young men played for hours on the streets in Coimbra one day to the great pleasure of the crowd and, especially, me. 

Adeus Portugal. Tu es muita bela! Obrigados, Obrigadas!

Life is like a box of chocolates.

You never know what you're gonna get.

The PortuGal is beginning to empathize with Forrest Gump.

The road I was on yesterday.

The road I am on today.

I arrived in Porto late yesterday afternoon after a 30 km walk. It's not as bad as it sounds because the weather was so nice and cool. However, Porto is a huge city with 500,000 in the city itself and another 1.5 million in the surrounding catchment area. I had to walk for a couple hours in the city just to find my hotel. 

Today was a rest day but I found myself to just be restless. Too many people, too much noise. I spent part of the day looking at the "must see" sights but what what I'm really looking forward to is being back on the road tomorrow. 

It got me thinking about the end of this journey. I'm so used to lacing up my boots, buckling up my backpack and hitting the road every morning that I'm wondering what I'll do with myself when this is all over. 

Oh well, 

".. life is like a box of chocolates." (F. G.)
 

J.B.

A Day of Delight

Artist Ivo Taveras.

Today was the day I came all this way for. It was filled with the best this Camino has to offer. Everything was perfect. I had checked out the route leaving town the night before so I knew exactly where to go.  I left at 6:30 and so avoided the heat of the day. I didn't get lost ( I think that the guy responsible for the yellow arrows must have read my complaint a couple days back and went overboard making sure I was satisfied today ... an absolute sea of yellow.).  And, most of all, the universal hospitality and kindness of every single person I have met continued today. I read that, in 1120, the queen , Donna Teresa, commanded that all Portuguese citizens must provide hospitality and refuge to pilgrims. It seems that, 900 years later, they still take that seriously.  

And, to top it all off, this little town I'm staying in has the most delightful piece of street art I have ever seen. I just burst out laughing at how utterly pretty this is. 

This entire street is hung with probably 2000 umbrellas. There are steel cables that run the length of the street and people have cables running width wise across the street from their windows. The result is utterly delightful! To all you artists out in the world, I am so grateful that you make life so much more for those of us with fewer of those gifts.   

My beautiful friend, Sheila Madden, told me once," If the only prayer you ever say is,"thank you", that's enough,". 

"Thank you."

Judith

"Thank-you"

The PortuGal Approaches the Half Way

The Portugese love those Pilgrims walking to Fatima.
Note the fresh bread for a hungry pilgrim.

Hello to all,

On Sunday, I will have passed the half way mark!  I can hardly believe that half of this Camino will be behind me. I should explain that there are actually 2 Caminos here in Portugal. The one to Santiago (marked by yellow arrows and going north) and a second one going south to Fatima (marked by blue arrows). The blue Camino is, by far, the one held with the utmost respect here. Many of the locals will ask me "Fatima ou Santiago" and, when I reply,"Santiago" they kind of give me that,"Really???" look but wish me a safe journey nonetheless. 

In 1917 in Fatima Portugal, 3 young shepherd children (2 girls and a boy) reported that the Virgin Mary had appeared to them while they were tending their sheep and given them 3 visions of what the future held. The first was a vision of hell and a call for repentance. The second was a prediction of WW2. The third was the most prophetic but has not yet been fully revealed. Some believe that it prophesied the fall of the Church itself due to scandals within its hierarchy. (" A bishop dressed in white who falls to the ground as if dead").

Two of the children died in the 'flu epidemic after WW1 but the oldest of the children, Lucia, became a nun and only died 10 years ago. The Vatican has said that, with her death, they will reveal the full message that she steadfastly proclaimed as truth throughout her 98 years.

The weather has, blessedly, cooled off a bit. Today was beautiful. Cool and cloudy until and then it warmed up to 33 but I only had that for a couple hours before arriving at my hotel. The yellow arrows were in scarce supply today and I got spectacularly lost. I was wondering who was responsible for not marking this stretch of the road and giving him/her a piece of my mind as I walked along.  After a couple hours of just walking straight north (on this nasty highway) I finally stumbled on a little yellow arrow and everything was perfect.

I have left behind the fear I kept experiencing about being alone on the road. I now am starting to kinda enjoy that nutsy old gal I was telling you about.   

Much love,

nutsy old gal xoxo

Way marker on the road. Yellow going to Santiago and blue going to Fatima.

Just look for the yellow arrow.

Just look for the yellow arrows.

First of all, I'm going to try to do this entire post without pushing Send prematurely. That will be unlikely but let's see if I can do it. 

Being on my own for about 23.5 hours a day has proven to be an interesting study into my muddled brain. I swing from euphoria to fear to sadness, to just wanting to be back in my bedroom watching Coronation Street and every place in between. I'm so used to being busy, to being distracted, to being with others that I'm not sure what to do with this strange old woman I seem to be stuck with walking, for some unknown reason, across Portugal. 

Anyway, a couple of observations along the way.

1.  As I walked, whining, along a road by a field of tomatoes 2 days ago in the unbelievable heat, I was planning my shower, change of clothes and dinner.  I looked across the field and saw a group of women bent double in + 40 heat picking those very tomatoes that I'd had on my salad the night before. I wondered if they would get to have a shower and dinner tonight. Kinda puts things into perspective.

The unemployment rate is very high here and any job is precious. As well, Portugal is very open to immigrants and they will do anything for a few euros.

2.  The route that the pilgrimage follows is marked with yellow arrows painted on stones, trees, walls and posts. Some kind soul has marked the way so that people walking along have those yellow arrows to point the way. Sometimes, they are quite far apart and it gets a little scary hoping that you haven't made a wrong turn somewhere back down the road. Then, just when you really start to worry, a beautiful yellow arrow will appear on a rock by the road, and you know that you're not lost. How nice it would be if our lives could be that simple. Just look for the yellow arrow and you'll know you're not lost.

Hey! I did it. Now push Send. 

Amar a todos.   

Judith 

And the Heat Goes On

...and the heat goes on...and on...and on...

My Portuguese vocabulary has increased by 2 words: muito calor (very hot). Ya might say!! Those are the words on the lips of every person I meet.  Right now it's 42* and it's actually frightening to be out in some vineyard somewhere and away from civilization and a bit if shade.  I walked 15 km today (the full day was 29) and I know that's my absolute limit. But, as my new buddy Leo said, " Each of us in on our own Camimo and no one cares how many steps you take."

I am in Tomar right now in a little cafe and a can of 7-up in front of me

I didn't push send! Really!!   I have no idea what I do to send these things off prematurely anyway......

So, I'm in this little café with the can of ice cold 7-Up in front of me and nothing in the world could feel better than that. I'm in a town called Tomar. This town is where the Knights Templar had their beginnings. Their Gnostic belief was that the sanctity of the God that lies within every individual makes us less dependent on external church authority. Clearly, the Vatican wasn't impressed and outlawed the Knights in 1312. There is a Templar castle and I'm going to go see it now. 

Physically, (aside from my right baby toe who screams obscenities at me but whose howls I'm able to smother with a blister bandaid), I'm doing fine. I love Portugal and Portuguese people. Just take. a log off the fire!!

Much love (and dreaming of a good old fashioned blizzard) PortuGal.

Judith

Tomorrow Will Be Another Day

You think you've got it rough? Well Judith, that PortuGal, wrote this entire blog on her phone! Now that's dedication!  I hope this blog post finds you comfortable, in good health, and spiritiually fulfilled. 

Mike

Judith and Laura at 26 Bromley Bay, Winnipeg

Hi, I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to get this off to you but I have been overwhelmed with trying to get to know this country, figuring out how things work, trying to find the road every morning, finding a place with Wi-Fi and even now I don't seem to be able to get email working.  The only thing I can use is text so that's why am sending it to you in this form. So I guess this is my first blog entry.

My guidebook says and I quote, " Lisbon to Porto section should only be undertaken by seasoned pilgrims with a flexible approach and a reasonable ability to speak Portuguese." so, I figured "I'm flexible".  Armed with my extensive Portuguese (obrigado/a) and not much else, I headed out into the unknown.  

The guidebook guy was right.

Sorry, I pushed send and I'm not finished. Michael you are really dealing with a novice in the e-world.

Anyway the first three days were really tough. A lot of walking on highways and really busy roads… Kind of like walking down Pembina Highway in rush-hour traffic. Today I was on the road at 6:30 AM but clearly it wasn't early enough. It was a nine hour walk and for the most of it the temperature was over 40°. The one thing that saved me was bumping into a lovely couple who originally are from Venezuela but now live in Florida and a nice young man from Windsor Ontario. The four of us walked the last hour and a half together and held each other up , sharing the little bit of water we had left and a package of biscuits.

Not that I can yet say that I have a routine, but it kind of looks like I will start around 5:30-ish. The places I'm staying at all include breakfast but i've decided that it's way better to skip breakfast than to start on the road too late in the day.

Crap, I pushed send again. Don't post that!

Anyway, I'm tucked into my hotel, had a shower and will be having dinner with my Camino buddies. And tomorrow will be another day.  I will be in touch.

Much love,


Jud/y/ith/ilee/Mom/Nan

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again

Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver

...but it had you in it and you helped make it sweet...

As this is being sent to you, I will be starting the first leg of this strange and, hopefully, wondrous journey.  Well, maybe not the first leg of the journey.  This trip to Portugal actually started around a year ago.

As you may be aware, I am just finishing up a year that has been a difficult one, both physically and emotionally.  I cannot think of a better way to express myself than to borrow the words of Connie Kaldor, a gifted songwriter I once knew.  She wrote a song about a very tough patch in her life and said that time was, "One I'd care not to repeat".  The next line continues, "But, it had you in it and you helped make it sweet."

So, to all of you reading this who, over this year, talked with me, listened to me, called me, let me cry, let me be cranky, made meals for me, made green healthy smoothies, made me laugh, said a prayer for me, blessed me, encouraged me, wrote me cards of concern, took me out for meals, went for walks with me, quietly fixed little things for me, watched my back, threw a bon voyage party and made a blog for me ..... you helped make it sweet. Thank you.  I will never forget all your kindnesses.  I am so grateful.  I shudder to think how I would have made it
without you.

And now, I'm back on the Camino for the 3rd time.  The word "camino" literally translates from Spanish as "I walk".  So really, all of us are on our own caminos through life, however it plays out for each of us. May we do it well.

Buen camino a todos nosotros.

With much love,

Judith

The PortuGal Blog is now live!

On June 13, 2015 Judith Bennett leaves Winnipeg for Portugal where she embarks on a one month trek across the country. This is not your typical Club Med guided tour with creature comforts at every turn, nope, that's not Judith's style. This walk is entirely independent and unsupported with few amenities other than a bed at the end of each day. Judith will carry nothing more than a small day-pack, a hydration pack, an iPhone, and a whole lotta heart.

This has been a significant year for Judith. Please join her on this beautiful journey of self discovery by following the PortuGal blog. I will announce new posts via email to all followers of PortuGal. This is a private blog so we respectfully ask you not share the link without Michael or Judith's permission.

You have the option to leave a comment following each post. These comments add texture and colour to the stories. Don't be shy, leave a positive comment to show your support.

You make us proud, Judith.

It's a good day to be alive with heart pumping and face glowing.

Blog dude,

Michael