Santiago de Compostela (Saint James, in Galicia, Spain)

Tomorrow, May 18th, I shall resume the journey on my third stage, which will be from Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis. It seems to be a relatively easy task, but there is rain again in the forecast. The bus will leave our town in Portugal at 6 am.

Source: https://caminhoportuguesdesantiago.eu/en/tour/stage-8-pontevedra-caldas-de-rei

 

I hope to return to my village in Portugal in time for the candlelight procession in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima.

 

Beautiful pictures! Thanks for keeping us posted. Keeping you in prayer

 

What an adventure! I am curious are you getting many spiritual blessings? Is the Holy Spirit teaching you much?

 

I think the most adventurous pilgrims go all the way to Rome from Spain!
i really hope I can do it someday, I have italian citizenship so I can go to spain

 

I'm back at home with dinner eaten and ready to go to the procession of the month of Mary in my village.

 

No, honestly it has been more of a cultural journey than a religious one, although I managed to pray three decades of the rosary alone along the way and enter some churches for a brief prayer. I would love to make this pilgrimage with a group of people with a greater spiritual interest, like some members of this forum who expressed this desire here.

 

Someday

 

We started at the entrance to Pontevedra exactly at the point where we finished the last stage. The first stop was at the Church of the Pilgrim Virgin in the center of Pontevedra.

 

Through Pontevedra:

 

Back in the woods, with much less rain than last time (just a few brief showers in the morning):

 

Beautiful views and the spring sound of birds and running water.

 

The stage ended in the thermal town of Caldas de Reis where pilgrims wash their feet in the hot water of the thermal spring to relax.


I had lunch at a local bar, a "pilgrim's menu" highlighting the "Galician broth" that pilgrims traditionally eat along the way.

 

I think what you are doing is amazing. The times when God has shown Himself the most to me in my life is when I sought him out the most. Pilgrimages are an excellent means for this.

 

Tomorrow the bus leaves our town in Portugal at 6 am heading to Caldas de Reyes, in Spain. This next stage will be from Caldas de Reyes to Padrón, around 19 km. The plan is to have lunch in Padrón (I hope to eat some Padron peppers) and then do another 6 km of the next and final stage so that this can be shorter in the next time and then we have some time to spend in Santiago de Compostela before returning to Portugal.

It looks like the weather will be nice tomorrow.

 

Arriving in Padrón. This is an important stop, tradition says that it was the place where the relics of Saint James arrived by boat and from there they were transported to Santiago de Compustela by ox cart.




In this fountain, there is a sign saying that by decree of Manuel de San Lucar, bishop of Sidonia, everyone who prays here a Hail [Holy Queen, I believe] in front of the image, will have a 40-day indulgence: