Wednesday, June 16, 2010

You can't get there from here!
















Oh but you can!. How?! Flechas amarillas, thats how. The pilgrim's best friend is the yellow arrow. They are everywhere. On rocks, asphalt, trees, buildings, lamp posts, sidewalks- you'll find them almost anywhere. From the time one sets out on foot from St Jean Pied de Port, until one reaches Santiago, all one needs to do is look for the yellow arrows. They all lead to Santiago. In 1980s, Spanish priest and Camino promoter extraordinaire, Don Elias Valina Sampedro , begged the Galician Public Works department for leftover yellow/orange road paint. He spent the year waymarking the entire route of the Camino in Spain. The story goes that in one summer of the 80's, as he was stooped over painting a stone, he was approached by the Guardia Civil and interrogated as to what he was up to. "Planning an invasion," he answered, correctly. The tide of pilgrims has risen ever higher since. Its the ol' "if you build it, they will come" phenomenon.

The pilgrims second best friend is the scallop shell. The shell is the symbol of St James. It seems that these are more prevalent in the urban areas. Walking through the major cities, one can look for the yellow arrows, but often, in the old section of town, one can follow scallop shells embedded in the street or sidewalks. The legend has it that a groom, riding along the beach, on his wedding day saw the boat carrying the remains of St James approaching the shore in Galicia. So startled by the stone boats, he and his steed were washed into the waves, and presumed drowned. He was later brought up, and to life, covered in scallop shells. The shells later became proof of completion for returning pilgrims. The grooves of the shell also symbolize the coming together of all roads to Santiago. They are also are universally associated with rebirth (Birth of Venus) Finally they make pretty good makeshift cups.
Quite handy in a pinch!

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