Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.
Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.
- Christopher Howse: 'A Pilgrim in Spain'*
Covid 19 in Spain
- Spain saw one of the most draconian Covid-19 lockdowns in Europe, but 2 months after it was lifted, the virus is spreading faster than in any neighbouring nation.
- It now has Europe's fastest-rising caseload, with 142 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the past two weeks. By the time the state of emergency ended on 21 June, Spain was registering 100 to 150 cases per day. That number has risen to more than 3,000.
- But there are key differences compared to the spring. The number of deaths over the past week stood at 122 on Thursday, a far cry from the 950 registered on 2 April alone, the blackest day in Europe's epidemic. And only around 3% of current cases require hospital treatment, less than 0.5% need intensive care and the current death rate is as low as 0.3%.
- Despite rising figures across the country due to increased PCR-testing, a high number of towns and villages nationwide have never had any cases of Covid-19 – or, at most, only 1 or 2. Whilst it may appear that the virus is rife everywhere, this is not necessarily the case – 1 in 3 cases is in Madrid, and the majority are in Catalunya, Navarra and the Basque Country. All regions have active cases – none have escaped entirely – although latest estimates show that in some parts of the country, up to 70% are asymptomatic.
- Spanish politics has lacked any consensus or spirit of collaboration in managing the coronavirus crisis. And Poisonous politics is putting Madrid at risk. See this BBC article on this.
- We have a national triathlon event in Pontevedra city this weekend. Which means a lot of visitors and much congregating. Stand by for a spike in infections, if not in hospitalisations and deaths.
- An interesting video.
Living La Vida Loca
- The power of this blog 1: An exposure: Squatting is on the rise in Spain
- The power of this blog 2: Action at last: Catalonia and Castilla-La Mancha order the closure of brothels – Other regions are expected to follow.
- The BBC has interviewed our ex-king’s ex-lover. See here. I mean . . Who gives anyone a 'gift' of €65m? And who'd believe anything said by an utterly corrupt monarch? And who on earth would support and protect him? Lots of Spanish politicians of all stripes, actually. For whatever reasons. Beats me. To save the monarchy and to preclude a 3rd republic, perhaps.
- Contrary to this report, I don’t believe many ‘pilgrims’ do the camino de Santiago for religious reasons. Or even ‘spiritual’ reasons. But, if you’re likely to be one of the few who do, the (machin) translation below will be of interest. You’ll need to go to the article for the fotos.
- Yesterday was the 18th birthday of my neighbour’s son. When I got back from dinner at midnight, the party was just getting started in their back garden. The loud music went on until after 4am, my daughter tells me. But I had pushed my foam earplugs further down into my ears than I’d ever thought possible and managed to get to sleep. And, more importantly, stay that way.
- Talking of local irritations . . . Yesterday, I had someone on my right do a U turn on a roundabout entirely in the outside lane, blocking my exit. Twice. I wouldn't mention this bugbear/everyday occurrence - honest! - but for the fact the second offender was a police car
- Days 7 and 8 of María’s Dystopian Times.
The UK
The USA
- Trump: I spoke to God about the economy and He trusts me to rebuild It. Yes, of course it's believable. That he said this, I mean.
Finally . . .
- The greedy greenfinches are most definitely back, en masse. But still no sign of my 20+ sparrows.
- More importantly . . My post of 20th August doesn't seem to have been publish on EoS. So click here for it.
THE ARTICLE
Religious tourism on the Camino de Santiago: its spiritual dimension
Many are the pilgrims who start the Camino de Santiago with religious reasons, either for personal devotion, to fulfil a promise or vow, or as penance for their sins.
Currently there is a large number of religious shrines, temples and churches that receive hundreds of people every year. Santiago de Compostela is, along with Rome and Jerusalem, one of the great centers of Christian pilgrimage since medieval times.
Many and very diverse are the reasons that lead thousands of pilgrims to make the pilgrimage to Santiago every year. The spiritual component is one of the reasons that leads walkers to start this great adventure. It is true that most pilgrims have experienced how this experience has changed their way of life. Pilgrims who make the Camino for religious tourism are advised to prepare physically and spiritually.
Within this type of pilgrimage, travelers who made the Camino could do so for various purposes, out of personal devotion, to fulfil a promise or vow, or as penance for their sins. To this day the arguments of conversion, change of life and rethinking of the very existence that the pilgrimage to Santiago has had since the Middle Ages have not been lost.
The places of worship most acclaimed by pilgrims
Religious tourism represents a growing type of tourism market. The main destinations are important places of devotion and pilgrimage. Religious tourism includes tourist activities linked to religious practices in places with religious significance. Here we detail a series of places of worship and essential monuments for pilgrims:
Somport pass
The Calixtino Codex places the Port of Somport as one of the three most important hospitals for pilgrims on the Jacobean route. As the Codex cites: "The three columns that the Lord established in this world to support the pilgrims." These three hospitals are that of Jerusalem in the Holy Land, that of Mont Joux, in the Alps (on the way to Rome), and finally the port of Somport del Alto Aragón, on the way to the city of Santiago de Compostela.
The Lameiros Cross
The cruceros were in charge of guiding the pilgrims before the appearance of the yellow arrows. The Lameiros Cross dates from the 17th century and located in Ligonde. It is decorated with sculptures and stone messages. At its base it has coiled serpents, skulls and sculptures related to symbols of the crucifixion of Christ. Furthermore, in 820 the battle between the Christian troops and the army of Almanzor took place in the nearby hills.
Saint Mary of Eunate
A Romanesque temple with an octagonal plan that was created in the 12th century. It is surrounded by a gallery of semicircular arches on double columns. A peculiarity is that it has the same number of steps as the staircase of the Cathedral of Santiago. This church is a replica of the octagonal enclosure of the Temple of Solomon (Jerusalem). In the Temple of Solomon was born in 1128 the Order of the Temple, due to a papal edict that assigned warrior monks the protection of the roads that led to the Holy Land.
The Perdón Heights
In this famous place on the Camino de Santiago were the pilgrims' hospital and the hermitage of the Virgen del Perdón. Formerly the pilgrims confirmed here their belief of reaching Santiago. However, these constructions disappeared over time. The Friends of the Camino de Santiago raised an incredible monument with different pilgrims that today is often visited.
La Reina Bridge
It was built in the 11th century by Sancho el Mayor in commemoration of his wife. The reason for its construction was to save the riverbed. The pilgrims used to worship in this place the Christ of the Crucifix.
Monjardín Fountain. Also known as Fuente de los Moros, it was an old cistern from the 13th century built to alleviate the fatigue of the pilgrims in times of heat. However, as it posed a danger to animals, it was closed until 1991, and from there it was restored and opened to the public.
San Juan de Ortega
It is a Romanesque sanctuary that is located on the French Way. In the Middle Ages this route crossed the nave of the church. In the nave there is a chapel that represents the Miracle of Light twice a year, a message to pagans and believers that still hides unsolved mysteries Cruz de Ferro
The Ferro Cross
This is a stone altar found on Mount Irago. It is crowned with a wooden post and a small metal cross. It is thought that it was a funerary monument where deceased pilgrims were buried in the mountain pass.
The Door of Forgiveness
The Puerta del Perdón is located in the Church of Santiago, in Villafranca del Bierzo. It has the peculiarity of granting the pardon or achievement of the pilgrimage in substitution to the Cathedral of Santiago, in case of not being able to continue the trip to Galicia. The Puerta del Perdón only opens in the Jacobean Year, as is the case with the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Santiago.
Samos Monastery
This belongs to the oldest Benedictine monasteries in Spain. Here appeared the abbot Virila, a monk who spent three centuries in ecstasy on an astral journey.
* A terrible book, by the way. Don't be tempted to buy it, unless you're a very religious Protestant.