Walk walk walk - Jakobsschelp

Walk walk walk. This scallop shell (dut: Jakobsschelp) is the symbol of the pilgrims walking to Santiago the Compostella. Please telll about your wanderings.

The why

I activate this TB two days before I start my Camino. 18 March 2018 I will travel to Porto. Then I will walk from Porto to Santiago de Compostella in about 2 weeks taking the Coastal route.

Turning 50 some inner urge called that I should do this. Thanks to my lovely family I can. And now it is time. Leaving work and family behind .... 

The scallop shell 

The scallop shell is one of the most iconic symbols of the Camino de Santiago and today it is used, along with the yellow arrow, to guide pilgrims heading to Santiago de Compostela along its many different routes. Painted on trees, sidewalks, tiles, etc… the scallop shell (or ‘vieira’ in Galician and Spanish) will help travellers find their way.

The Camino Portugues

The Portuguese Way (Spanish: Camino Portugués, Portuguese: Caminho Português) is the name of the Way of St. James pilgrimage routes starting in Portugal. It begins at Porto or Lisbon. From Porto, along the Douro River, pilgrims travel north crossing the five main rivers—the Ave, Cávado, Neiva, Lima and Minho rivers—before entering Spain and passing through Padron on the way to Santiago de Compostela.

The Portuguese way is the second most popular route after the French Way and the Portuguese coastal way is the seventh most popular route in Galicia, with 19.9% and 4.41%, respectively. The Portuguese way is 227 km long starting in Porto or 610 km long starting in Lisbon. The way from Porto was historically used by the local populations and by those who arrived in the local ports.  In the contemporary period, most pilgrims are foreigners, and of the total number reaching Galicia between January 1 and October 6, 2017, only 4.27% were Portuguese. Roughly 30,000 pilgrims per year walk this path.

Read more

The Camino Portugues: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Portuguese_Way
The Camino the Santiago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago
De Pelgrimswijzer (in Dutch): https://www.pelgrimwijzer.nl