24th June Borders

 

Grandes de Salime to A Fonsagrada 28km

I guess I could have used the word boundaries or barriers. I've been pondering those things today and how they shape us, help define us, give us a sense of belonging, maybe even a tribal identity. And the reason for this is that during today's rolling 28km walk we left behind the region of Asturias and entered Galicia.  

And whilst there was no official border point, no checkpoint Charlie or defining moment in time, what might have alerted those with eyes to both look and see was the now official looking, identikit Camino route markers (see today's picture) with the shell, the arrow, the distance to Santiago and the word 'Galicia ' visible on all of them, where apparently they take Camino markers pretty seriously.

This walk will have taken me through 4 different and distinct regions of Spain. The hills of the Basque region, the coastline and concrete of Cantabria, the streams, rivers and green valleys of Asturias and now the rolling hills of Galicia. 

Each of them has it own climate, culture, sporting allegiances, distinct languages and cuisines, (although to be honest buying Philadelphia, tortilla  wraps and bananas from a Mercadona supermarket is a pretty similar experience everywhere). And yet all the inhabitants of these 4 regions fall under the umbrella of being Spanish, those that might not necessarily be the first mode of self identification.

Borders, barriers and boundaries can be visible and/or invisible and the very nature of being on a camino journey would innately suggest that by being here we would be prepared, willing and open to having some of those borders crossed. 

In these transient moving groups we walk, eat, drink, converse, dress and undress and sharing sleeping spaces with people form all walks of life. A whole big melting pot of humanity just thrown together, across countries, cultures, life experiences, languages, faiths (or not), age, sex, gender, expectations and assumptions, each of us bearing our prejudices about 'the other' to be gently seasoned and stirred by the Camino experience.

Slowly but surely, over time and distance, as we cross geographical borders, and as we bond through blisters, backpacks and shared aches and pains, the boundaries and barriers between us dissolve. 

Not completely,  not entirely, not 100 percent but enough so that hopefully we are able to look and see each other as we truly are, as God created us, equally valued and loved, not as we have been culturally conditioned to believe we / they are.