Today, we walked from Bercianos del Real Camino to Mansilla de las Mulas. It was 26.3 km, our second 26 km day in three days, and it felt like it.. I was pretty tired by the end of it.. It was pretty easy walking again, though.. A big open stretch (about 12-13 km) without any villages, but very little climbing, and easy terrain to navigate..
Not too much of particular interest about the day, so I thought I´d talk a bit about some of the symbols of the Camino. The two main symbols are the scallop shell and the yellow arrow. The scallop shell, which we see in various artistic representations, is thought to be connected with the sea in this area, and particularly with the town of Finisterre at the coast, which is the very end of the Camino (we are not walking quite that far). Many people, including us, have scallop shells attached to the outside of our backpacks. This marks us as pilgrims. The scallop shell can also be seen on many of the signs marking the way, and often along the ground through cities or towns, marking the route we are to follow. Many of the old statues of pilgrims show them wearing or holding the scallop shell.
The yellow arrow is the primary symbol we follow to know we are going the right way. The whole route is marked with them. Some arrows are easier to see than others, and some areas have more of them, while some cities seem to have relatively few. They are painted on the roadways, on rocks, on the backs of signs, on the concrete pillars marking the way as well. The tell us which way to go, when to cross the street etc.. If we haven´t seen a yellow arrow for a while, it is a sign that we might have gone the wrong way.
Of course, both the scallop shell and the yellow arrow are available on countless souvenirs. Both are signs and symbols of the Camino, of pilgrims, and of the pilgrimage itself.
With blessings,
susan
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