The Pilgrim's Way In Spain

The pilgrims' way in north-west Spain follows centuries of tradition. The story goes that the disciple of Jesus, James, went to Spain, but after a dream went back to Jerusalem where he was killed.

His body, or part of it was brought back. According to one legend, the body was lost at sea and later recovered covered in shells.

The place where he was laid to rest was called Santiago (Spanish for St James) di (of) Compostela (field of stars).

The pilgrimage route follows a marked path. Along the way are inexpensive hostels for religious pilgrims.

My friend who is Spanish did the walk. She told me and a room full of people about it at a Toastmaster International Club meeting in London, where she now lives. If you complete the walk, as she did, you can receive a small certificate in Spanish. If you are doing it as part of a religious and spiritual event, the Church will give you a grander certificate. But you need to have registered with the religious authorities at the start, in which case you are given a book which you can get stamped at every section along the way.

The symbol of the whole story is the shell. You can buy or be given a shell. In the middle ages, it served the practical purpose of being a scoop for drinking fresh water and also a plate.

The stops along the way are inexpensive hostels, which allocated firstly to registered pilgrims. The final stop is at a grand five star Parador by the cathedral.

If you want to know more about it, you can see details and photos in Wikipedia. If you can get a stay or a meal here, do so. I love the paradors. They are all converted historic buildings, after rescued fom ruins and restored, featuring local architecture, objects, and history plaques, and featuring regional food, designed to make tourists want to go around Spain spreading the tourism to benefit everybody.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Oysters in England, sizes 0-5

Jonathan Swift said, It was a bold man that first ate an oyster. But Carnegie said, the first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell.

You may ponder this is you contemplate starting to eat your oysters.

Now, November, is the month when oysters are in season. They grow in summer. You can't eat them May, June, July, August. Wait and watch for when there is a R in the month and you are allowed to eat them.

Oysters are graded in size from the largest, size zero, to the smallest, size five. Restaurants are likely to serve you sizes 3 and 4.

I was invited to an oyster tasting event at a bar in London, England, by my family. How interesting. But I didn't go because I am allergic to shellfish.

Names to look for:
Colchester oysters.
Rock oysters.

Souvenirs

I did ask if somebody could bring me back an oyster shell or two. I could use an oyster shell for a pendant, by making a hole for a ribbon.

Alternatively I could stick shells on a box. I'm all for recycling.

I'd also like any pearls which happen to be rolling around, like lost buttons, looking for a new home. Round pearls, or squashed shape pearls, I don't mind. If the pearls are free I'm not fussy.

I am not allergic to pearls and mother of pearl. However, that hopeful idea was scotched with the caustic comment, "Farmed oysters won't have pearls".

I have my friendly photographer out in London and later I hope to add some photos of oysters at an oyster bar.
Back to the oysters.

Apparently a Roman commended Colchester oysters by damning with faint praise. He said, 'They were the only good thing to come out of England.'

Oysters served in England could come from England, Ireland or France. Huitres is French for oysters.

If you are in the USA, great cities for oysters are San Francisco in California and Houston, Texas.
http://houston.eater.com/maps/12-restaurants-for-eating-raw-oysters-mapped

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

An Englishman's Home is his Castle - his garden, his snail shell

A French visitor to England told me he was surprised and delighted by the gardens and greenery of houses in London.

You need go no further than an English garden for endless entertainment. All summer the roses bloom. On the underside of a rose I found this little snail.

Have a rest on this petal.

Oops - you are going to crawl off the plate onto my work surface and disappear. Let's put you on the edge of the sink for a moment.

 You are gorgeous. Stay there while I fetch my camera.

Lovely. In close up I see your shell is a gorgeous spiral. But it's a bit damaged.

Just a minute where

are

you

going?

I knew snails could walk along uneven ground.

I didn't know you could cling 

to a sheer

shiny

metal

sink!

At this point I decided to gather up the snail, by edging it onto the rose petal, and carried it back to the garden to enjoy the plants, roses, and fellow snails and slugs.

What's the difference between a snail and a slug? A snail carries it's protective house on its back and can withdraw into its shell for protection from birds and predators. I don't feel as friendly towards slugs as I do towards snails. I don't eat snails.

The French eat snails. The variety of snail they eat is not the same as the English garden snail.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and author and speaker.

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