Tuesday 6 November 2018

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 6 Nov 2018 - T for Camino, pomegranates and a football stadium


Hello Tuesday girls, here we are again. Today I am going to join the T-party with a fruit drink. (but more of that later). In the meantime, if you would like to join me, saunter over to Altered Book Lover  with a beverage, where Elizabeth and Buebeard will welcome you to the T-Party.

But first a postcard that I received from the north of Spain. It features the Camino de Santiago known in English as the Way of Saint James, and it is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried. Wikipedia writes: Many follow its routes as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth. It is also popular with hiking and cycling enthusiasts and organized tour groups. 
 Today, hundreds of thousands (over 300,000 in 2017) of Christian pilgrims and many others set out each year from their homes, or from popular starting points across Europe, to make their way to Santiago de Compostela. Most travel by foot, some by bicycle, and a few travel as some of their medieval counterparts did, on horseback or by donkey. In addition to those undertaking a religious pilgrimage, many are hikers who walk the route for travel or sport. Also, many consider the experience a spiritual retreat from modern life.

The scallop shell, often found on the shores in Galicia, has long been the symbol of the Camino de Santiago. Over the centuries the scallop shell has taken on a variety of meanings, metaphorical, practical, and mythical meanings, even if its relevance may have actually derived from the desire of pilgrims to take home a souvenir. Of course there are legends relating the scallop:
 After James' death, his disciples shipped his body to the Iberian Peninsula to be buried in what is now Santiago. Off the coast of Spain, a heavy storm hit the ship, and the body was lost to the ocean. After some time, however, it washed ashore undamaged, covered in scallops


 This is the stamp that was on the card. And no, it is not the cathderal of Santiago de Compostella. The writing says: 12 months, 12 stamps. Cathedral of Léon (Léon). The girl that sent me the card lives in Léon.

Here in Spain it is pomegranate time! They grow here of course. I live in the province of Granada and pomegranate means 'apple of Granada'. I have been taught the trick of cutting them and we had juice every day this week.



I opened them, then beat them with a large wooden spoon until all the seeds have fallen out:
 Then I put them in the juicer and with two pomegranates we each had a glass full of lovely juice.
Very healthy too they say.

I still haven't shown you all the photos from the trip. The following photos are from our visit to Bilbao, where we stayed a couple of nights in a delightful hotel (just outside the city but with a metro station nearby):
 It was in the foothills of the mountains. Beautiful.

We took the metro from the large Exhibition Centre, a short drive from our hotel. It had a huge car park, which was almost free for metro passengers (0.70 eur). We travelled to Bilbao city and this is the first thing we saw:

 It is the footbal (soccer) stadium in the middle of the city. Very impressive. The man at the hotel reception had told us that there was a cafe/bar inside, so we went in for a coffee.

The Bilbao team is called Athletic Club

All the players are represented by their shirts behind me.



Above the bar there were huge screens to watch the matches I suppose.


 And from where we were sitting we had an excellent view of the pitch, which was being watered and I don't know what else.
Finally the sign in the underground car park which is written in Euskara, the language of the Basque country. It is their official language and most signage will have Spanish as well, but not everywhere! I obviously cannot make head nor tail of it and it can be a bit disconcerting at times seeing a 'weird' language around me all the time.


This is what Wikipedia says about Euskara: A language isolate, Basque is believed to be one of the few surviving pre-Indo-European languages in Europe, and is the only one in Western Europe. The origin of the Basques and of their languages is not conclusively known, though the most accepted current theory is that early forms of Basque developed prior to the arrival of Indo-European languages in the area, including the Romance languages that geographically surround the Basque-speaking region. Basque has adopted a good deal of its vocabulary from the Romance languages, and Basque speakers have in turn lent their own words to Romance speakers.

I hope you enjoyed my little outing to Bilbao. More about Bilbao next week.

PS The pay machines in the large car park were not working and we were issued a ticket to lift the barrier without having to pay! Hurray! (Well, I think we saved 0.70 eur)

Wishing you all a very happy T-Day,
Hugs,
Lisca


17 comments:

  1. such an all around interesting post! I have heard and read about the pilgrimage so many people make on the Camino de Santiago.I am impressed how the European cities can keep the integrity of the old and yet build something modern like that soccer stadium (the Louvre pyramid is another example). Have also read how the Basque descendants are trying so hard to keep their language alive.It almost seems like a mix of French,Spanish and even Portuguese! There are Basque descendants in my DNA somewhere along the line. Have never had a real pomegranate though have tried the seeds in salads. Another wonderful excursion you've had. Thanks for sharing and happy T day!

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  2. You packed a lot into this post, Lisca. I was really impressed with what I learned about Camino de Santiago. It really made an impression on me. That's what I love about T day. I learn something new every time.

    I enjoyed your trip to Bilbao. That is an amazing stadium and that bar inside is beautiful. I didn't understand what you meant by the pitch being watered, but once I enlarged the photo, I "got it."

    I've never tasted a pomegranate, but if I ever do, I will know how to open it and remove the seeds. It looks healthy and really quite refreshing, too. I am SO glad you shared this with us and showed us the proper way to open a pomegranate. It made a great drink for T this Tuesday, too!

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  3. Lisca, I just saw your question about vignette. A vignette is an arrangement of several images or pieces that can be placed in a pleasing way. The items in the vignette are often related in some way. I hope that helped.

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  4. Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos from the Camino. A friend of mine did the pilgrimage on foot some years back, and was most impressed and said what a wonderful and life changing experience it was for him. I had pomegranate juice last week - my cleaning lady dropped one on the floor and it burst - I was glad she was there to clean up the mess! Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

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  5. always an interesting place to learn here:) i did not know that the Jakobsweg (german term) is called the way of st james in english... and pomegranates are so beautiful and healthy, i will try that beating thing out:)
    happy t-day!

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  6. Lots of interest in this wonderful post

    Great idea with the pomegranates and I hope it tasted as good as it looks

    Have a very happy T Day

    Love Chrissie xx

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  7. A really interesting post Lisca. All the photos are super, I am not a fan of football but the stadium looked modern and having a cafe for folk to use is a good addition.
    Your pomegranate drink looked delicious and I have seen the chefs on many cookery TV shows use the wooden spoon to release the fruits.
    Happy T day wishes.
    Yvonne xx

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  8. My gosh - how fantastic the photos! Your pomegranate drink looks delicious! Happy T-Day wishes! Susi

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  9. Wow this was such an interesting and informative post-I enjoyed it all-Love that you made your own juice from pomegranate! so awesome you are able to travel around Happy T kathy

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  10. Such wonderful postcards and postage stamps this week 😀. That's a really neat way to cut the pomegranate open and the juice you made looks so refereshing and delicious! Fabulous photos of your travels too, looks like you had a lovely time. Happy T Day! J 😊 x

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  11. I have always been interested in the Basques and used to track the Basque separatist movement, so your post absolutely made my day! Happy T Tuesday :)

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  12. Thanks for the info on how to open a pomegranate. I didn't know and have more or less shied away from them but now I will try some. They don't grow here but they have been in the grocery stores lately. ANd I enjoyed reading about the Camino de Santiago. I do know about it as I have a good friend who did the Portuguese walk to Santiago this past summer. I think it would be a fantastic thing to do. Love seeing the photos too. I am late commenting so I hope it was a happy T day. Hugs-Erika

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  13. Wonderful postcard and story behind the scallop shell.
    What a fun outing you had. And I loved seeing your pomegranate juice. Wow! 2 pomegranates to get such a small glass of juice. Seems like a lot of work. I bet it was tasty.
    Looking forward to seeing more of your travels.
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

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  14. Congratulations on saving some money. More money for crafting! About pomegranates: They look delicious, but I don't like their flavor at all. I have ordered pomegranate tea, and didn't like it or the salad dressing either. But they look so good! LOL Love that stamp! Thanks for sharing photos of your trip. Happy Tea Day!

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  15. Making the pomegranate juice is a lot of work! I'm glad it was worth the effort. The juice looks lovely.

    Sr. Google speaks Euskara.

    "Eskerrik asko informazio zoragarri guztiagatik."

    (Thank you for all the wonderful information.)

    Happy T-day! Hugs, Eileen

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  16. Very interesting and informative post this week :) I love pomegranates but they are such a hassle to eat or juice.
    Thanks for stopping by my blog and don't worry about being late as I am always late getting around to see everyone too. Monday and Tuesday's are my busy days too so I fully understand.

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  17. Bilbao looks interesting - I am sure hubby would have enjoyed the stadium! My nephew did a pilgrimage walk to Santiago de Compostela a few years ago so it was interesting to se the postcard! To answer your question - the Hunderwasser buildings are in two places not far apart - one is the village and the other is the museum! Belated Happy T Day, Chrisx

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