wildflowers

The wildflowers are amazing. They are by far my favorite part of the landscape. I have been trying to photograph them, but there´s no real way to communicate the heavenly scent of the yellow bushes. I can´t capture the purplish red stalks, the teeny daisies, the long dandelions, the bristly thistles, the starbursts of yellow flowers, the small blue mouths, the intricate Queen Anne´s lace. They are truly amazing the way they line the Camino, leading us into Santiago.

The scallop shell is the symbol of the Camino. Pilgrims wear them on their backpacks. Signs feature them. Today I saw a sculpture of a scallop shell. To be honest, I forget the exact meaning, something to do with St. James rising from the sea. Doesn´t matter. I appreciate the scallop shell, but to me, the symbol of the Camino will always be the poppy. Gorgeous fields of poppies have accompanied me from France to the middle of Spain. There hasn´t been a day without a poppy.

Any bride would be thrilled to have an aisle so bedecked as the Camino is now, though she may not be as thrilled by the mice scrambling across her toes.