issue 3 may 2014 ccop halifax chapter newsletter

Halifax Chapter Issue 3, May 2014

Canadian Company of Pilgrims Halifax Chapter

Issue 3, Spring 2014

Message from the Chapter We are delighted to present our third newsletter we hope you find entertaining and informative.

In November 2013 we held our second meeting of the Halifax Chapter of the Canadian Company of Pilgrims. We were once again thrilled with the turnout with over 100 people in attendance. Our next meeting will be on November 2, 2014 at St Mary’s Basilica in Halifax from 1-5pm. One of our presenters will be Tom Friesen from London, Ontario. He will provide us with some insights on how to continue living the spirit of the Camino experience in a presentation called “Ways to Unpack your Camino”, and will talk about hospitalero training, an opportunity to learn about volunteering on the Camino Frances.

We always appreciate volunteers to write articles or make presentations about their Camino experience. Please let us know if you can help us out. Thank you for your continued interest and enthusiasm for all things Camino and we hope to see veteran pilgrims as well as those of you planning your Camino at our next meeting

Buen Camino!

Kathy Kepkay & Cathy Cavanaugh

Mary Murphy walked her second Camino Frances in 2013 starting in Pamploma. She is sharing with us letters which she wrote while on her

Camino.

Upcoming Events Nov 2, 2014

Spring 2015 (tba)

Annual Fall Chapter Meeting featuring Tom Friesen, CCOP Hospitalero Trainer.

Hospitalero Training by CCOP trainers. Registration required. Max 15 -‐20

pg. 3

Letters from the Camino: Mary Murphy

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https://www.facebook.com/TheCanadianCompanyOfPilgrimsHalifaxChapter


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The Camino Forum

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Having a guidebook with you as you walk The Way of Saint James can be helpful, indeed comforting or it can ruin the surprise at what is around the corner! The amount of detail in guidebooks will vary, but one of the most popular, at least in the English speaking world, is by John Brierley. ‘From St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela’ is updated regularly and new information, can be found on his website at www.caminoguides.com.

The Confraternity of Saint James (www.csj.org.uk) publishes guides to all major routes to Santiago. They are kept simple so that they can be produced cheaply and reissued frequently. A relatively new guide is ‘A Village to Village Guide to Hiking the Camino de Santiago, Camino Francés: St. Jean -‐

Where past pilgrims share & future pilgrims learn ‘Finding the way on The Way’

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Santiago – Finisterre’ (May 2013) by Anna Dintaman and David Landis. It has received excellent reviews, although its size and weight does not lend itself to being carried on The Way. This guide has full-‐color detailed topographical stage maps of each day’s walk, the Camino Francés and the Camino Finisterre, 135 detailed stage, city and town maps and essential practical information on transport, accommodations and services. Free GPS files for all the stages are available from an associated website (www.hikingthecamino.com) and an e-‐book will soon be available.

Another excellent maps only guide, which will only be available for a

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short time, is Camino de Santiago Map, published by Pili Pala Press www.pilipalapress.com. This guide strips the Camino de Santiago down to its bare essentials with 40 full-‐colour route maps at a scale of 1:100,000 and six full colour city maps. The last edition was published in 2010 and, according to their website, there are only 50 of these maps left and they will then be out of print.

Like beauty, the utility of a Guide is in the eyes of the beholder; for as many as are listed here, many more can be found on the web, especially through the Camino Forum. Obtain one which will suit your Camino, however you are choosing to walk it!

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Between 2011 and 2012 the number of pilgrims who registered with the Pilgrims’ Office in Santiago rose by 5% from 183,366 to 192,488. In 2013 numbers have grown by an amazing 12%, with 215,856 pilgrims receiving Compostelas; 70% of these pilgrims walked the Camino Frances. It is

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anticipated that this growth will continue. For more analysis of who comes from where and where they begin, check out Johnnie Walker’s website at http://johnniewalker-‐santiago.blogspot.ca Mr. Walker works at the Pilgrim Office in Santiago.

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Did you know?


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In the fall of 2011, sister-‐in-‐law Pat and I crossed the Pyrenees. This past Fall (2013) we started in Pamplona. The following are our early days’ notes sent to family and friends along The Way.

Day 2, 30/08/13 (Cizar Maior to Puenta de la Reina)

Our wet clothes are hanging in the windows of a nice hotel…. a good end to a looong day.

Pat and I stayed last night in a new village a few km off the Camino. This morning, however, in our plan to rejoin el Camino we received at least four different suggestions as to how to do it, but still had no idea how we could cross the autoroute. After what seemed like many km, I crossed it under a bridge, turned right on a dirt road through a forest, and prayed …… Pat took another route, and eventually I could see her walking up the road on the way to the village that joined the other pilgrims (whew!). Clearly, someone up there was listening! However, no more deviations from the Camino!

This was merely the beginning of the climb to ‘windmill hill’. It was a reasonable climb (not too steep) of about 100 metres altitude (but

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three times higher than Wentworth hill). The view from the top was spectacular. The summit has an endless row of windmills…It was windy, but beautiful – and with a long set of sculptures in metal representing pilgrims from ancient times.

The path down was STEEP and long. About half way down the old legs started to wobble, I was worried they wouldn’t follow orders. Alas, they did (yay legs), and then it was only about 10 km into Puenta. Pat did an admirable job even with two sore knees. She never ceases to amaze me.

It was very hot, close to 30C, dry and dusty. We’ve met many different nationalities, Aussies, Canadians (Ont.), one French lady, several Korean gals and many Spanish folks. My Española is not functioning very well, except to ask for cerveca, vino and ‘un vaso de heilo’ (guess!) for the wee bit of vino we have in the room.

The few stores in the village/town (2500 residents) close at 1:00 pm, and don’t reopen until after 5 pm. The post office closes at 2:30 during the week, and tomorrow, Saturday, doesn’t open until 09:30. We will be gone by then toward Estella, so

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still no stamps…. therefore, no postcards sent yet. Doing these walks is addictive; we both love it! Alas, it’s late and I’m obviously babbling, so must close.

Lots of hugs and kisses to all, XXXOOO Mary y Pat

Friday, Sept 6 – Santo Domingo to Belarado (no internet connections last night….)

Hi All,

Another wonderful day, the sun was shining, it wasn’t overly hot until just after noon, and by that time I was close to destination.

Letters from the Camino

When we walk the Camino, thoughts often go to those we have left behind at home.

How do we ‘bring them along’ with us? How do we share our experiences? Some pilgrims may communicate electronically,

through Facebook & blogs, & others choose a complete break. Mary Murphy shared her experiences through letters.

Tuti, the beautiful donkey


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The highlights of the day are really more of the same – lovely little villages with undulating hills between. One relatively new view was the many huge fields packed with sunflowers. People had picked the seeds from their enormous faces such that they made happy facesJ Funny.

Belorado is a lovely town of about 2200 folks – and it has lots of restaurants!

Love and hugs to all, Mary and Pat

PS – no postcards sent yet. The post offices are only open in the mornings in these small villages; we leave before they open, arrive after they’ve closed…. such is life.

Days 6-‐8 Walking…. (but not counting!) Santo Domingo de Calzada

The last three days have been relatively uneventful, walking in the heat (woof! – not much shade) through vineyards, fields and small villages. It is lovely countryside, undulating at times (the best), very (too) flat at times. There are many

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things to say, but it’s late.

The highlight of the past three days is meeting ‘Tuti’ and his master. I first met them two days ago, and was thrilled. Tuti is a handsome/beautiful ass, whose master is, so I’m told, a 75-‐yr-‐young man who is now making his 4th journey on the Camino. I attempted to give Tuti blackberries the first time seeing them, and he started to follow me J. Since then I’ve seen them just about every day. Perhaps the next time we’ll go together. Sure.

It is late and is raining outside –a not unwelcome relief from the heat (although it is supposed to rain/storm again tomorrowL. We’ve seen several more people who have obvious injuries related to walking, it is a bit intimidating. However, one must keep faithJ. On the plus side, we did meet again two new friends, a gal from England who is teaching in Spain, and a man our age from Paris, and had drinks together. At 0.60 euros a glass, there was more than one each! One forms great bonds whilst walking – a most important part of the

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journey.

Goodnight my Dears, sleep tight – I’m sure I will. Mary

Saturday, Sept. 9th

Hi again, This will be quick as the day wasn’t quite a ‘piece of cake’…. It went well until the last 7 km, -‐ the walk on sidewalks through the industrial part of the city. Burgos is beautiful in its old interior, especially when one sees a folk-‐dancing exhibit upon arrivalJ The architecture is quite unusual from other towns and cities we’ve seen. The cathedral is probably the most beautiful in Spain – and one of the most beautiful in Europe. We did tour it with the audio guides, but I’m too tired to explain in detail….

Many of the people we’ve met are staying here for the day tomorrow – wise idea but we must press on. And tomorrow is another day, a good one, as it’s only about 20 km – yay!

Hugs to everyone!

XXOO Mary and Pat

Continued

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Congratulations!! You are about to embark on your first Camino! Trust me…you are going to have so much fun!!

This time last year, in preparation for my first Camino, I was spending just about every spare minute I had reading any article I could find, viewing any video clips and talking to anyone that had Camino experience. Oh, and I was walking everywhere J Everyone/thing

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seemed to share some common pieces of advice and suggestions. The main point that will always stick in my head was the reference to WEIGHT. No, not how much I weigh…but how much I would carry in my backpack.

If you plan to carry your own backpack, every gram or ounce must be accounted for (you will hear that statement many times as you prepare). You will want to

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take the necessities…but what are they? There are many documented articles suggesting Pilgrims should travel with just the very basics. And I would agree. In addition, there are suggestions to leave your cameras and cell phones at home. Well, I was not one of those!

This Pilgrim (yes, you will become a Pilgrim) decided to take the aforementioned items. I

How to Make the Most of Camino Memories: Photography Tips


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was travelling alone and vowed to only use my cell phone in the unlikely event of an emergency situation. Thankfully, I did not

have to make one phone call!

I did not want to rely on just my memory to preserve my Camino experience. I am very much a novice who has always loved to take photographs and what better way to share my Camino journey with any other interested friends once I arrived back home. You are about to see such amazing scenery-‐ landscapes, villages, cathedrals and historic buildings to name a few.

So, what camera to take? Most cameras on the market today will do a decent job of reproducing an image for you. It comes down to the features that you like and want.

Remember my WEIGHT comment earlier? Well, that fact alone eliminated my full size DSLR camera. It was just too big,

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bulky and heavy!

In lieu of my nice larger heavy camera, I decided to purchase a compact Point and Shoot camera. This is very much a personal choice. My requirements were simple. First, I wanted a camera that was easy to use and dependable. Second, I wanted a camera that was capable of being programmed with manual control as well as the standard automatic setting. Third, this camera would have to fit into one of the zipper side pockets of my backpack. Last, I wanted a camera that was capable of capturing and reproducing decent image quality.

With those features in mind I went shopping and came home with a

Canon S-‐110

compact camera. My camera turned out to be perfect for me and fulfilled all my requirements. Happy Shopping! PS…Don’t forget to turn around and look back. Many people forget to check the view and scenery from the opposite direction.

Buen Camino, Alf Baldwin

Continued

Packing for Your Camino

On April 22nd, 52 prospective and seasoned pilgrims joined

CCoP Halifax Chapter & the Trail Shop to learn about the Camino experience, tips on packing, enjoy the Camino spirit, and

take in some shopping!

My proudest moment: arriving at Finisterre 33 days after starting my Camino in St Jean Pied du Port. I need a shave!

You will see amazing scenery. Pass through historic places. This area is called the Flat land or Table top. There will be about 4 days of this before seeing real hills again.


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Statues & Monuments

How many of these did you see on your Camino? (see last page for the identification key)

11 9

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7 8

4 5 6

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Wines of the Rioja Region

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The harvesting of wine in La Rioja has an ancient lineage with origins dating back to the Phoenicians and the Celtiberians. The earliest written evidence of the existence of the grape in La Rioja dates to 873, in the form of a document from the Public Notary of San Millán dealing with a donation to the San Andrés de Trepeana (Treviana) Monastery. As was the case in many Mediterranean lands in mediaeval times, monks

Enjoy and remember your experiences walking through La Rioja

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were the main practitioners of winemaking in La Rioja and great advocates of its virtues. The three principal regions of La Rioja are Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja with each area producing its own unique expression of Rioja wine. The Rioja province of Spain has over 500 wineries and is internationally famous for its quality of wine. The Way of St. James, The French Way, offers 60 km of medieval history

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passing through 7 Riojan towns and crossing 7 rivers.

Fortunately, here in Nova Scotia the NSLC offers a rather bountiful selection of wines. from La Rioja region. Enjoy and remember your experiences walking through La Rioja. www.wikipedia.com www.nslc.com Photos: Alf Baldwin

Rioja Wines available locally

ALTOS DE RAIZA RIOJA TEMPRANILLO CAMPO VIEJO GRAN RESERVA CAMPO VIEJO RIOJA RESERVA CAMPO VIEJO TEMPRANILLO DOMECQ BD LA FINCA CAMPO VIEJO RES FAUSTINO VII RED LAN RESERVA SPANISH DEMON TEMPRANILLO

MARQUES CACERES RIOJA CRIANZA MARQUES RISCAL RUEDA BLANCO MARTIN CODAX ERGO TEMPRANILLO MONTECILLO CRIANZA MONTECILLO RESERVA VINA BUJANDA CRIANZA VINA BUJANDA VIURA

Thank you to our contributors, Mary Murphy and Alf Baldwin, our photographic contributors, and to the newsletter committee of the CCoP Halifax Chapter (Cathy Cavanaugh, Kathy Kepkay, Grace Cameron, Alf Baldwin & Maureen Summers) for making this Halifax Chapter Newsletter a wealth of shared Camino experiences and advice. We are always looking for stories to profile. If you are interested in contributing to our next issue, or have ideas or topics that you would like to see, please contact us through either email: [email protected]) or leave a comment or message on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/TheCanadianCompanyOfPilgrimsHalifaxChapter

Buen Camino! Maureen Summers, Newsletter Editor


Camino Treasures: Samos

After leaving Triacastela, there are 2 routes to Sarria: the northern San Xil or the southern route along the Rio Oribio via Samos. We choose to take the ‘mystical path’ and stayed a night in Samos. Our Camino included a tour of the oldest monastery in the Western world by one of the 15 monks who are active at Samos. The austerity of the albergue is not present in the cathedral, which was beautiful, or in the mural paintings lining the public halls. Having the opportunity to share a sung Vespers service with 11 monks and 6 other pilgrims was a highlight of our Camino. If you pause, and wonder which route to take – take the route via Samos.

Identify the Statues & Monuments: 1. Stone marker, Church of Santa Maria de Eunate.

AndreeLaChance 2. Cruceiro Santa Toribio, overlooking Astorga. A.Baldwin 3. Mary with child, Leon Cathedral, Leon. C.Cavanaugh 4. Santiago Peregrino, Hospital de San Nicolas de Puente

Fitero. A.LaChance 5. Church of Santa Maria de Eunate. A.LaChance 6. Stone monument, 2002, commemorating sunken oil tanker,

Muxia. Leo Kennedy 7. Resting place of Don Elias Valina Sampedro, parish priest

who did much to preserve the Camino, including marking the route with the yellow arrows, O’Cebriero. M.Summers

8. Fire pit for burnt offerings, Faro at Fisterra. A.Balwin 9. Windy Pilgrim, Alto de San Rocque. M.Summers 10. Mary, Iglesias Santa Maria, Ponferrada. C.Cavanaugh 11. Weary Pilgrim, Plaza San Marcos, Leon. A.Baldwin 12. Cruz de Ferro. A.Baldwin

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issue 3 may 2014 ccop halifax chapter newsletter

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