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