Last week I went on a pilgrimage with my cousin’s parishioners. We visited Portugal and Spain. Although we came back on Sunday, I’m still there. This is how it is with special journeys. One spends a couple of days somewhere and keeps memories forever.

We’ve seen Fatima and Santiago de Compostela and many places in between. We’ve met friendly people everywhere. We’ve walked and prayed and had fun. I decided to dip my toes in the water of the Atlantic ocean, but the ocean had its own ideas, so I spent the rest of the day in wet jeans. 🙂

In Fatima we joined the night procession with candles, supported by an angelic voice singing “Ave Maria”. This same melody rings from the basilica at noon, after the church bells strike twelve times.

We arrived in Santiago de Compostela on Thursday evening. Speaking a few words of Spanish/Castellano can get you an extra portion of food. The waiter insisted. 🙂 When I saw the pilgrims, old and young, some with kids, some with dogs, smiling and being happy, I wished I had walked, not just travelled with the bus. So I’m starting my training soon, hoping to walk El Camino in the next five years.

We finished our pilgrimage on Sunday, with a short walk through Lisbon, where I made more photos of tiles. The amount of different designs is fascinating and here I present you just one. And it’s not even green. Well, not entirely. They deserve a post on its own, and I may or may not write it in the future. We’ll see.