Leaaving Spain

Saturday 1st May

Caminha, coast of North Portugal

We have travelled from Oleiros (near Porto Do Son) on the north east peninsular of Spain to Northern Portugal.

Oleiros was magical being situated in the mountains with a waterfall as a backdrop. We spent one evening swimming in a large pool at the head of the fall in full sun, late in the day. The water was a deep and clear turquoise with an invigorating chill. The surrounding rocks radiated the heat of the spent day and oak trees followed the line of the plunge pools up the river. It was wonderful to stand in the water, looking up as the river flowed towards you and, listen to toads answer each others croaks from across from one corner bed of floating white pine head flowers to another.

Overall we spent nearly a week at Oleiros; it was good just to pitch up and not move every third day. The climate being already warmer than a Scottish summer and, we spent two of our days on the beach.

After taking one day to drive along the coast line will pulled up outside a DIY store in Porto Do Son completely by accident and, I spent half an hour excitedly walking the isles pulling out different hose adaptors, oil for the bikes and an electricity convertor plug for motor homes and caravans. Funny the thrill you get from such things that would ordinarily have entailed a quick visit to B and Q at home. Marianne left the store triumphant with a collapsible wheelie bag under her arm and we discussed our prizes over coffee in the town square watching local life go by.

Being a keen gardener, one thing that warmed me to the area was the amount of land set aside to grow vegetables for, it seemed, nearly every house had a plot of land in which something was growing or being attended to as we cycled or drove by. The soil was a rich red brown, inviting you in and hard to resist. One joyful moment for us was cycling around a corner to see a local standing astride a cart being pulled by two cows; ‘Ola’! he grunted as we passed.

The area has been rich in habitation with Neolithic settlements to Celtic round houses and Roman bridges and aqua ducts. We chose to visit Castro de Barona, a round house settlement on the lee of a sea headland and imagined the morning away while we strolled from one home to another. What beliefs did they hold, rituals they practiced and, how did they structure their community? What was first contact with the Romans like? Their walled defences built with large rounded granite boulders at the entrance to their little town still stood pristine with clear lines as if recently drafted by an architect.
Transcending the mundane is perhaps a primary motivation for me in travelling. Eighteen years spent pouring over an old cottage that I called home, touching almost every square inch and wondering ‘what if’ or, ‘what else’? Not to mention the less existential times when there simply was no more than, ‘how can we get through this’. The journey affords an opportunity to leave behind the old and familiar, whether they be routines or wounds. Perhaps therefore reflecting on what we see and do on this journey is pleasantly misleading as it does not reflect my state of mind. Nonetheless, one struggle is replaced by others. The struggle of running a home and raising a child is replaced by uncertainties as, where and how we could exist either for a few days or, would we choose to buy somewhere here? Or, on some days with more practical questions as simply, how do you get from here to there? Perhaps the physical act of putting much ground underfoot is an attempt to create inner space. An attempt at some inner rejuvenation as my mind is drawn back to old conflicts at work, old grievances or terrors. I remind myself to look outward at such moments to view the ever changing scenery whether that of the Celtic round houses or, standing in the cooling waters of a plunge pool. A reminder of the transitory nature of life and a reconnection with a goodness in the holding of the beauty in the surroundings. Sean said wryly before we left, having reflected some of the struggle Marianne and I experienced in simply becoming a couple; ‘Enjoy your therapeutic journey!’ One thing however remains constant now despite the looking outward and, that is connection with my heart. Perhaps that has been the longest journey.