Day 5

The church bells are ringing… nearly all day. It’s Sunday… and in every village, they’re chiming us in and out… and then just keep ringing all the way in between. I love the sound of church bells and as we walk today I wonder how many people over the centuries have heard those bells, and here we are… walking through more sleepy villages, cornfields and vineyards listening to those bells. 

I remember going to see the Powerhouse exhibition “1001 remarkable things”. There was this huge really old bell there, I think from the 14th century or something and I read that according to Buddhist tradition, the sound of a bell can gladden the heart of immortals, stop ghosts from their evil-doings and break open the gates of hell to bring relief to the suffering and the distressed. No wonder I love the sound of church bells. 

Today is Mums birthday… heavenly birthday for those who might not know me. And it somehow seemed quite poignant for me today, walking the Camino, listening to those bells when it was mum that had really started my journey towards the Camino. 

Doing the Camino is a deeply personal and transformative journey… and it’s different for everyone. Many walkers seek spiritual growth, a sense of accomplishment, or a connection to nature and community. Many don’t really know why they’re walking and I would likely place myself in that category but I felt it calling and I guess any chance for self-discovery and reflection is positive. 

Things come up inside you when you walk – sometimes it’s grief about people you’ve lost or disappointments in how your life has turned out… maybe missed opportunities… fear of the future. Other times, it’s sheer delight at being alive. It’s about coming to terms with your own story. And that’s what pilgrimages are about. Breaking open your heart. And I felt a bit of both today… grief and joy. 

I felt a connection with mum… even though our relationship was always difficult. And maybe that is part of why I am here… coming to terms with never having the relationship with her that I might have expected… the disappointment of what never was and never can be. And as I was thinking about this, I came across a gardenia bush… which I hadn’t seen in Portugal before. Gardenias were mum’s favourite flower and what we threw on her coffin before she was buried. I picked one and attached it to my pack and had that beautiful fragrance with me all day. One of the small blessings of the Camino. They say “the Camino always provides”… whatever it is you need. Even if it’s a gardenia. 

There was also sadness as we heard of the passing of a beautiful friend back home… happy knowing she was ready and had been with family… and grateful for a life well lived…and for generational friendships but sadness knowing we will never see her again this side of heaven. 

I also felt joy from just being in the right place at the right time. It was a glorious morning and lovely to be walking in the sunshine, through the countryside with its valleys and hills, along ancient pathways, through vineyards, farms and brief patches of fragrant pine and eucalyptus forests. The path was clear and easy to read with lots of well-maintained signs, arrows and way markers and very little need to stop and read a map.

Far off in the distance I could hear drumming and wondered what it was… probably some kind of festival as there has been one in nearly every place we’ve been. We continued to walk and it didn’t stop. Eventually we got to the tiny village of Lijó where the drumming was coming from and it seemed like the whole town was walking towards something. We were going this way anyway and followed… just in time as everyone descended on the little chapel of Santa Cruz… built in 1843 after a cross appeared on the ground. Some kind of celebration was happening apparently associated with the Festival of the Crosses (Festa das Cruzes), which takes place in June, specifically at this time.

There was a small procession carrying the cross of Jesus covered in flowers…

… and a narrow carpet of flowers leading to another cross covered in more flowers.

I had no understanding of what was happening but it was quite beautiful and gave me an unexpected moment of joy. 

We passed a few little churches as we always do and then heard some lovely singing coming from a modern church… so we called in and sat down,  just in time to hear a  beautiful rendition of Hallelujah in Portuguese… a song we both love. Another of the many small blessings of the Camino. 

Passing through more small villages we reached Ponte das Tabuas, a twelfth century bridge that passes over the Rio Neiva. I sat on the bridge with my feet hanging over watching the water flow by slowly thinking about what a beautiful day it had been… and wondering how far til we could stop. 

And thankfully from the Ponte das Tabuas it was a walk of only about a kilometre or so before getting to the tiny hamlet of Balugaes- a place so small that it can’t even be described as a village… and then we saw the blue door of Casas da Quinta da Cancela in front of me.

We were lucky once again as our home for the night was right on the Camino path. What a treat! As soon as we opened the door we said “Wow”… there was such a sense of serenity and beauty with grapevines everywhere.

Idyllic old farm with stone buildings kept mostly as it had always been and now used as accommodations for pilgrims… a peaceful place surrounded by nature… and we were staying in the actual original farmhouse. 

Checking in with Alex, the host, we arranged to have dinner onsite. It was a Sunday, we were exhausted and weren’t sure what, if anything, would be open in Balugães so it seemed like a good (easy) choice. As it turned out, our friends Constance and Matthew were once again staying at the same place and we could have dinner together… probably for the last time 😢…

Steps today- 25,044

Kilometres today- 16.42

Floors climbed-6

Temperature- 24°