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Place to leave a stone (like Cruz de Ferro) on Portuguese Camino?

Mars R

Newbie
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances done March 2014
Hi there,

I liked walking with a stone and placing it at Cruz de Ferro when we did our Camino Frances.

Is there a similar place for this on the Portuguese Camino? I guess I can place it anywhere, but just wanted to know if there might be a place of significance for this ritual..

Thank you!
 
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There is a cross on the Portela de Alto Grande mountain between Ponte de Lima and Rubiães but please do not place any stones or items there . The Portuguese do not appreciate that . the Cruz dos Franceses or Cruz dos Mortos, is a homanage to the Portuguese who fight against invading French army .
 
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oh goodness, I will make a note of that.
 
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Mars, this topic has come up a few times in the past and the discussions have resulted in some strong views being expressed - not that you would be expected to know that of course!
Probably the best thing is just to leave your stone somewhere that feels right and special to you, and feels like it does not impose something that might become unwanted on the people and lands you are passing through. I would just leave it at that. But if you really want to dig into this a bit more, here are three earlier threads...
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/where-to-place-my-rock.50057/#post-546830

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...ng-point-on-the-portuguese.47235/#post-507220

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...t-on-the-camino-portuguese.28008/#post-229801

Best wishes
 

Thanks so much for this info. I totally respect that and very grateful to know this now!
 
Yes there is. A cross placed on Napoleon's pass, as I recall. Lots of rubbish was left around too, sadly, when I was there in 2016.
 
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As the other person said. Leave it wherever the feeling inside wants it placed. Bom Camino
 
This past April - May (2017) when I walked the Camino Portuguese to Santiago from Lisbon, I deposited a stone to commemorate my recently passed father at the international borderline on the steel girder bridge between Valenca, Portugal and Tui, Spain. The line is painted on the railing and deck iIRC.

As a Navy veteran, my dad would have appreciated my little private ceremony. I read the commitment prayer from the US Navy service for a burial at sea. Then facing the setting sun in the west, in the direction of the Atlantic, I deposited "dad" over the side. With a final salute, I continued into Spain...

It worked for me. Moreover, unlike Cruz de Ferro and similar repositories, it does not detract from the view by creating a mountain of assorted stones, rocks, and a host of other mementos deposited by passing pilgrims. You may not know that periodically, these items must be cleaned up and removed. Another mountain soon replaces the replaced items.

Depositing my father's stone into the River Minho ensures that it will repose there, undisturbed, like forever.

Hope this helps the dialog.
 

As a side note, and sorry to derail the thread, what did you think of the Lisbon-Porto stretch? I am going to walk the Caminho Português from either Lisbon or Porto next year and am trying to get as many people's views as possible on whether it's worth starting in Lisbon or not.

Edit: And my deep condolences about the passing of your father, and sorry for my insensitivity in failing to write that in my original post.
 
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A beautiful tribute in the naval tradition, Tom. I'm sure your dad was present there with you.
 
Personally, again this is my opinion, there was too much road walking on national routes for my preference. While the towns and small cities are wonderful and beautiful, the main roads have very narrow verges or shoulders. In Spain, the typical verge or shoulder is at least a meter from the traffic lane. In Portugal, half-a-meter is more or less standard.

This makes some of the passing trailer trucks, busses, and construction equipment a tad close for my personal comfort. I had to retrieve my lightweight ball cap four times after the slipstream from passing trucks blew it off.

This DOES NOT mean you should not walk this stretch. What I am suggesting is that you are aware of the conditions. Also, I recommend taking a train from downtown Lisbon (Oriente Station) up to Azambuja. This leap frogs over the industrial belt that surrounds Lisbon, and saved perhaps two days walking.

Personally, I find walking through warehouses and industrial estates soul-sapping. Simply start at the Cathedral, walk to Oriente station, then leap frog to Azambuja. Proceed from there.

Hope this helps.
 
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Tom is a very great friend of mine, so we spar at times but I totally agree with him about the proximity of the traffic on the Central Route. The coastal is very pleasant and it would be a great place to leave a tribute on a beach.
I remember a Boy Scout Master who warned us scouts every night at camp after dinner as we threw stones into a large pond near the dining hall that one day the lake would be full of stones and we would have clean it out.
I don't think Tom's tribute to his dad will create any such problem for the Minho River and what a perfect place to pay tribute. There is so much history associated with that river and the mythology of the divide between Portugal and Spain, besides in the matter of seconds you pass from one time zone to another crossing this bridge.
Here is a tribute I left to my daughter on the beach in Biarritz.
 
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Kazles said:
Yes there is. A cross placed on Napoleon's pass, as I recall. Lots of rubbish was left around too, sadly, when I was there in 2016.
Click to expand...
See my post above.you are speaking about the same cross.
 
Thanks for your insight Tom, much appreciated.

t2andreo said:
Also, I recommend taking a train from downtown Lisbon (Oriente Station) up to Azambuja. This leap frogs over the industrial belt that surrounds Lisbon, and saved perhaps two days walking.
Click to expand...

We live in Lisbon, so part of the attraction of starting from Lisbon is walking out our door all the way to Santiago. Maybe we'd be better just starting in Porto after all. Anyway, something to think about, cheers.
 
I disagree with the views off there being too many busy roads on the Lisbon to Porto stretch.
I walked it in April 2017. At this time there was a long stretch into Azambuja (which i skipped) on the road but this is now changed to a path next to the train line. The route has changed a lot over the last few years.
I think it's worth walking and if you want to check out why, my videos on YouTube are below.
Either way Boa Viagem!

Camino Portuguese April - May 2017: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6_LoreKUN6A9_ZUEQdJtBwpvdG4VUxTe
 
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@jungleboy , go on step out your door and be off.

The stretch between Porto and Lisbon is fine, I liked the stroll along the river leading into/outof Lisbon, though a pilgrim was badly as assaulted there a year ago. But on a bright day with the many locals enjoying the board walk it would be a lovely way to start your Camino. Yes there area some road and industrial sections, but that's the way of it.
 
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