Spanish Shells

Yesterday I received a big package from my friends Byron and Xinver all the way from Spain! As usual, I went online to see how far away they live from me. This is the first package I've received that I cannot get driving distance to. If I were to drive to Byron and Xinver's house my car would have to be either a boat or an airplane! I did find out that from Westhampton, New York to Alicante,Valenciana, Spain it is 3,738 miles (6,015 kilometers). That's a long way!

Byron and Xinver went to a beautiful beach on the Mediterranean and found so many beautiful liitle shells! I can't believe how many they sent me! In addition to the little shells there was one really big shell!
The story of the big shell was so meaningful, I thought I'd post the whole thing. For more beautiful pictures, please be sure to visit Byron & Xinver's blog.
Hi everybody. Once Pedro has received our conchas (shells) we are ready to explain the meaning of the big one. Ok, it's Byron who writes now. Santiago (James) was one of the twelve apostols, and it is believed that his bones rest in Santiago de Compostela, nowadays a big town in Galicia (Northwest of Spain). So, since the Middle Ages, people from all over Europe went walking there to make their offers to the saint. This is a tradition that is still alive and we can see people going there all year round. Not so long ago, when I was just a year old (now I am three) but Xinver wasn't been born yet, the Boss was determined to travel to Santiago. If you want to be a real pilgrim you must get there walking, and you must walk a long distance (more than 100 Km). When you start, you are provided with a personal chart and you have to ask for stamps wherever you pass through, as pointers of your journey. This is the proof you have made the travel on foot (it is possible to go on bycicle, too; or on a horse). There are many different motivations to do this: religious, personal, promises... It doesn't matter if you ara a catholic or not, this journey has many more meanings... It is supposed you're going to travel humbly. There are lots of places to stay for just a few euros along the way, but you have to share everything there, even the room to sleep. Ok, the Boss planned this adventure with a friend of his in April. Galicia is a cold area, and one of the most beautiful in Spain... They walked 250 km in ten days and they thought they couldn't do it because of serious inflammation of their knee and ankle joints... But they finally did it... Cold, rain, snow, ... but wonderful places and thoughts. What about the Big Shell. As you can see, the Shell is everywhere. It is called vieira, a kind of mollusc from Galicia itself. It is a symbol of the Camino de Santiago (Santiago's Way). The pilgrims wore one of these shells in their luggages, so that everyone could see they were on a pilgrimage. Now we do the same. As a symbol, it is seen everywhere and if you follow the shells, you won't get lost and will arrive to Santiago.The Shell we gave to Pedro was one of the shells the Boss took with him during his journey. That's why it is so important to him. So, Pedro, you have some small shells from the Mediterranean Sea and one Big Shell from the Atlantic Ocean in Spain. We hope you like them.
Byron and Xinver check out the shells before they're packed up for the long flight to New York.Tris the cat does a final inspection too. Hey! Doesn't Tris look like Libby???I don't even have words for how much your gift of shells means to me. They are all so beautiful and are a wonderful addition to the collection. Thank you Byron, Xinver, Tris & the Boss!