landmarks

There have been two recent descriptions by forum members who have visited former industrial sites turned into museums. The first was @jungleboy and @Wendy Werneth’s trip to the hat museum in Sao Joao da Madeira on the Camino Portugués. Interesting information from Nick and wendy here. More...

Hola, I have walked and cycled the Camino Frances and have marveled at the canal structures as you enter the town of Fromista. Can someone enlighten me? (Please) Why were they built and by whom. First correct answer gets my thanks (and maybe a coffee at some point). The reason I ask is that...

The gist of this article is that some pictures have been released showing the renovations to the San Marcos parador. The article describes the public's reaction as scandalized. Look for yourself -- it is the post-industrial chic look. At least there are no exposed pipes, at least that I can...

This week a new pedestrian bridge opened that offers some interesting possibilities for pilgrims starting the Mozárabe in Málaga. If you have an extra half-day at the beginning of your camino, you could use the bridge to explore the Parque Natural Desembocadura del Guadalhorce. There has long...

First, they tried to keep pilgrims safe by taking away the sign showing entrance into Santiago (how many of us dangerously darted across the highway to get our picture taken :rolleyes:). This next step is a much bigger deal. The article shows pictures of the new walkway from Monte de Gozo...

A waymarker near the pass on the Route Napoleon has been improved by the local camino association of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port who also run the pilgrims office in the town. The following pictures show the final result of their recent improvement works, the improvement works while ongoing and a...

Escapada Rural keeps sending me links to all the many beautiful places to visit in rural Spain. Today, I got one about Alcalá del Júcar, which was a planned stop on my ”2020 Lana.” It looks just gorgeous, and helps motivate me to think about “2021 Lana.” Any other members hoping to walk the...

I just saw this interesting article about the Alhambra. It's not the usual. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/27/alhambra-palace-spain-amphibians-little-known-inhabitants-aoe If you go there and can peel your eyes away from the buildings, there are other things to notice. It's...

There is a small twist to this one so I ask members who know to give the others a small clue rather than an outright answer.

I have occasionally reserved places to stay on the Escapada Rural website, and now they must think it’s a good idea to email me with tantalizing information about why I should be going to Spain. Just got this one, with a list of 31 ”not to be missed” castles. Though I think any list of ”top...

Does anyone know what the situation is for visiting the site of the Atapuerca excavation? I’ve been to the museum website and emailed them but haven’t yet had a response. We’d like to walk through the narrow canyon area and see the site, if not the dig itself. It’ll be early next June before...

More here: https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/ourense/2020/06/20/xunta-galicia-rehabilitara-albergue-peregrinos-monasterio-oseira/0003_202006O20C89911.htm

I’ve been doing some poking around the internet in preparation for another Zoom meeting on the Olvidado. I should stop, because I have been finding some amazing sites that are not on camino, just a stone’s throw away. But I was totally oblivious when I walked. Here’s one of the most amazing...

Now that I have the hang of walking virtually after taking on the Invierno, I'm going to be more ambitous: next up is the combination of the Viejo and Olvidado from Pamplona to Ponferrada. I won't go any faster then I walk here everyday, so it will take a while (weeks? months?). As I go I'll...

In our confinement, we're planning 2021. There's nothing better than to look ahead and hopefully, turn dreams into reality. We are tossing between walking the Caminho Português, which we were going to walk this year and for which we have a plan, and the VdlP. For a number of reasons, mainly...

http://sahagundigital.com/art/8945/la-imagen-de-la-peregrina-volvera-a-presidir-su-santuario-desde-el-lunes

After becoming bored at taking photos of yet another beautiful village and/or church I started taking photos of other things. One was the various markers from the ubiquitous yellow arrow to ornate oyster shells. Below are some of my photos, including some hard to spot markers. Please...

We're looking at our schedule for the VDLP and trying to figure out Stage 16. Should we stop in Banos de Montemayor? Is it worth the stop? What is there to do there? Or should we just continue on to La Calzada? Opinions? Suggestions?

Local news sites have reported on plans to landscape the area around the Cruz de Ferro and add new toilet facilities and parking area. A project by the local authorities to be funded by a donation from an anonymous American pilgrim. Thanks to @SYates for pointing out the story...

For anyone walking through Granada, this posting on a TripAdvisor forum might be of interest. It says that starting March 1st, instead of the current 29% of tickets being available online for 14 euros, there will be a progressive change to 70% being available online to private individuals. I...