Journey plan

Stage 1: Porto to Labruge (24km)
S2: Labruge to Rates (23km)
S3: Rates to Barcelos (16km)
S4: Barcelos to Ponte de Lima (34km)
S5: Ponte de Lima to Rubiaes (20km)
S6: Rubies to Tui (Spanish border)(20km)
S7: Tui to Porrino (19km)
S8: Porrino to Redondela (17km)
S9: Redondela to Pontevedra (20km)
S10: Pontevedra to Caladas de Reis (23km)
S11: Caladas to Padron (20km)
S12: Padron to Santiago (25km)


Day 1

Day 1

I walked 2 miles to Se Do Cathedral, the start of the Camino. On leaving Porto I realised there was a "heaviness" about the city. It has seen rebellion and slavery, and has many statues dedicated to the "downtrodden" as well as many Catholic statues. Prayed for breaking of strongholds.

Met 2 lovely Australians, had a conversation about why we were doing this "pilgrimage".
Also walked a way with a Canadian lady who was doing the walk in remberence of her brother who had died recently, shared with her too. 

The 25km walk was set in beautiful farmland, but the villages were like ghost towns. Lots of derelict buildings. Prayed life back to them. That God would use these places once again.

Habakkuk 2:1 "I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart; I will watch to see what He will say to me."
•A watchman looks for gaps & stands there to intercede. Praising & praying.
•A watchman lifts his eyes from the physical to the spiritual.
        
                

Day 4

So, it's been a long tough day today. Made it to Ponte de Lima, in 28 degrees. Passed through many towns and villages, saw many people dressed in black going into the churches for mass. The sense I'm getting is its a "laid back" nation, steeped in a Catholism that a Portuguese man told me, "had not moved forward". Its almost sleepy. 
When at the port, I found there had been massive slavery in the past and their treatment was horrendous.
Prayed forgiveness on the land and for curses to be lifted.

Day 6

Day 8 ¡Bienvenido a España!

Day 8 Friendship Bridge

Day 9

Day 9 and 10 video

Day 10 Cathedral outside

Day 10 Cathedral inside

Day 23 Galicia mountains

Day 26 Proper Spanish Churros for brekkie!

Day 27 Inside Villafranca Church

Day 28 River Elsa at León

Day 29 Burgos Cathedral

Day 29 Spanish landscape

Day 31 Petra! Ancient Church cut out of the rock

Day 32 photo of My dream doer-upper home at Redecilla Del Camino

Day 40 Pamplona

I was not looking forward to visiting this city but knew it was important to. 

Pamplona, known for its giant headed puppets and the "Bull run", a lot of the city was run down and covered in graffiti. 

 Every July it holds an 8 day festival, starting with San Fermin, which entails a parade of people with giant heads. This is followed by the bull run and ends with bull fighting. 

This is how a tourist brochure describes it:
"After the Opening Ceremony of the San Fermin Festival comes to a close, the party rages on late into the night. Amongst the narrow meandering alleys of Pamplona are countless bars and clubs with customers spewing out onto the streets, drink in hand. The San Fermin Festival and its internationally famous running of the bulls (el encierro) is a religious event at its core, although the Christian aspects of this holiday have been gradually overshadowed with excessive drinking and partying."

Many lives have been lost during these bull runs and the treatment of the 6 fighting bulls and 4 Oxen, is not great.

I spent some time walking the streets where this takes place, praying. Asking for forgiveness, for God to break and remove the spirit of pride, generational curses, etc.
In return, for the city to know God's love, peace and joy. To be known as the city to spread the love of Jesus throughout this region. 

Pamplona Bull Run
Day 45 snow
Day 45
Day 46
There and back again!