Snippets from Simon

This is one of those red herring posts. I started calling it red sardines because the Portuguese are rather fond of their sardines - cold or grilled. Anyhow, I’m digressing off the digression and may be taking the wrong pilgrim path! Popular piety and devotions can be a mix of the good, the bad and the downright zaney. Some of the sovenier shops are awash with cheap and gaudy plastic statues of St. Anthony of Padua in various colours. Often they are shelved near wood carved images of over size penises that act as beer bottle openers! Oh, the irony! St. Anthony is, of course, the saint raised by the Portuguese who went to join the Franciscan Friars and became associated with Padua in Italy. A blessed relief came in the cathedral of Santo Ildefonso in Porto, where this tasteful and original word carved side-altar offers pilgrims a quiet pause with one of their favourite saints. Speaking of spreading good news I’m very grateful to the We Are The World Blogfest crew who ha...

After taxi strike had us scrambling for buses on arrival, we got to our accommodation.   The next morning we awakened from a jet-lagged sleep to a delightful breakfast in the hotel. Finding the red Hop-on Hop-off bus tours we had a two circuit tours of Lisbon.  Avenues, statues (and more statues and monuments) popped up on the route. Some of the parks and areas are we well ordered and beautiful. Yesterday a pleasant lunch was to be had at the Museo de Beer on the Placa Commercia. See photo.  A delightful lunch was had today on one of Lisbon’s hills from this tiny kiosk. Buskers thrilled us with their blues, while a man - who earlier talked with his imaginary friend - danced freely to the music. Tomorrow,  on to Porto and then the Camino begins.

Two people came into my life that have given me pause.   The first is Ailsa Piper . In her account of the Camino Walk Sinning Across Spain ,  she writes beautifully of her experience of both events and her inner life. I particularly liked her love of language, landscape and a good yarn, seasoned with delightful servings of poems. T he second is Noel Braun . I've met Noel Braun on a couple of occasions. After his wife died, Noel went on a Camino. He described this in his book The Day was Made for Walking .  After that, he did the Portuguese Camino and related his experience in I Guess I'll Just Keep on Walking . There are others out there. These two have helped me.