Winewalkers: Reflections On Our Camino

Now that we are back home we have time to contemplate our Camino and what it meant to us, but it will take us a while longer to fully absorb this trip.

We have so many memories of Portugal and Spain that we have brought back with us, among them are: the friendliness of the Portuguese and Spanish people that we met on and off the road and in the cities and villages, who would wish you a "Buen Camino;" the other pilgrims that we met along the way. like Marit and Lilly from Norway, and Annie from Sweden; the German couple who walked 40 km one day ("It was too much," she said...but he just shrugged it off as if was nothing). They had already walked more than 2000 km on various caminos; Luis and his friends, who had 7 children between them and offered several times when we saw him if we wanted to buy any of them...

...Lesley Southwick-Trask, a fellow Canadian, who along with her husband, ran Quinta Estrada Romana, an albergue and cafe that they fully renovated themselves. It is right on the camino in Portugal. Her personal story is a memorable one and we hope to read it in book form one day...


Lesley Southwick-Trask

Our group at Quinta Estrada Romana (l to r: Dianne, Warren, Glen, Nola, Phil, Linda, Cheryl, Sam, Deborah, George)

...the acres and acres of cornfields (who knew Portugal grew so much corn?); the lady shepherding her sheep through the streets of a village; the Roman bridges we crossed, and cobblestone roads of Portugal...

Crossing a Roman Bridge in Spain

...the widow lady in one little village who stopped me on the street and asked me if I was going to Santiago and when I said I was, asked me to say a prayer to her dear departed husband (at least, that's what I think she was asking),
who was now up in heaven (at least she hoped that's where he was)...

...the yellow arrows...drop down anywhere in Spain and all you have to do is follow the yellow arrows to get to Santiago. All roads lead to Santiago, just follow the yellow arrows...

The waymarkers that lined the route

...the forests of eucalyptus trees, the churches and cathedrals...

Our Pilgrim Passports filling up with stamps as we went...


pasteis de nata

...those delicious portuguese tarts, known as pasteis de nata. The best ones we had were from Pasteis de Belem in the Belem district of Lisbon. They've been making pasteis de nata there since 1837...

Cheryl, Nola, and Glen and the pasteis de natas of Belem

...for Cheryl the best cappuccino ever, next door to our hotel in Lisbon...

...the sidewalk cafes, the cafe con leches, tapas, Super Bok,

ham and cheese for breakfast, ham and cheese for lunch; the family harvesting their ornamental corn, who wanted to give each of us a cob; the avenue of trees as we entered Ponte de Lima...