The Pilgrim
He was striding along with the aid of a long pole, and on his hat was a cockle shell, similar to the one used by a well-known oil company. Unbidden, the words sprang into my head:
I was in the town of Carriòn de los Condes, in the province of Palencia, which is a tidy little town huddled mainly on the right bank of the River Carriòn. Most of the houses are of the off-white or white red-tile roofed kind which seem to shout ‘Spain’. Here and there, there’s a more modern, anonymous, glass and concrete office building, block of apartments or showroom, but these seem to blend in almost unnoticed with older buildings.
‘By his cockle-hat and staff ….’
How did the rest of it go? Where had I heard those words? And, why should a statue in a town in northern Spain cause them to be suddenly retrieved from memories of long ago?
Generally, the streets are wide enough to allow two cars to pass without argument, but there is still the occasional set of steps or a narrow alley inviting exploration. And, most of the time, that exploration leads to charming old squares, which are almost a cliché of all that is Spanish.
Many visitors arrive on foot, for it stands on the Camino de Santiago, or ‘Way of St. James’
Santiago is a corruption of San Diego, or St. James. He’s the Patron Saint of Spain, and is reputed to be buried in the town of Santiago de Compostella. In the Middle Ages, this became a place of pilgrimage, and the route most of the pilgrims travelled became known as the Camino de Santiago.
The Saint’s emblem was a cockle shell, which the pilgrims wore on their clothing to show that they were on the pilgrimage … originally, it was carried to scoop water up from a stream. It’s to be seen everywhere along the route; in Carriòn de los Condes alone, there are stone cockle shells on walls, fountains and statues. The sign, in brass, is also embedded in the stones of the pavement to show the way pilgrims should go. Even the fob of the key to my hotel room was in the form of a heavy brass cockle shell; I suppose it’s as good a way as any of ensuring the guests don’t inadvertently walk off with the key.
That hotel lies just outside the town, on the other side of the River Carriòn, crossed by a picturesque bridge of mediaeval origin. The Hotel Real Monasterio San Zoilo, is in a part of a former monastery; the bit not used by the hotel has, so far, been retained in its original condition, and the ornate cloisters and the gloriously exuberant Gothic façade can still be seen.
San Zoilo Monastery ... now, a hotel
In former times, the monks had a duty to care for sick pilgrims, but those who were not sick could also obtain a night’s lodging at the monastery. Even today, people walking or cycling the Camino … or even traversing it by coach … sometimes stay here, although most stay in hostels in the town itself.
Modern pilgrims in Carrion de los Condes
There are still a few pilgrims in modern times, but there are many more long-distance walkers. In the many statues and paintings I saw during my stay, the pilgrims were lightly burdened … most of the modern walkers were carrying packs which would make a Marine’s knees buckle!
But, the words just wouldn’t go away, and, when I finally got to a computer, I keyed them into Google, and almost immediately got the whole poem.
My Google search also uncovered an interesting theory. If a man discovered that his wife was having an affair, her lover was well advised to get out of town fast! And, what better method was there of staying out of the husband’s way until he’d calmed down than going on a pilgrimage?
‘And how shall I your true love know
From many another one?
Oh, by his cockle hat and staff,
And by his sandal shoon’
‘Shoon’ is an obsolete plural for ‘shoe’ … I know this, because there’s a shoe-shop called ‘Shoon’ in the town where I live. And, the poem brought back scattered, almost intangible memories … I was very small, and reading to my grandmother from a very old nursery rhyme book. Why should I suddenly recall this after nearly sixty years?
Suddenly, the old rhyme made sense!
