On the Camino, on this date in November...

[trecile]

The thread that I started last year has become rather long, so here's a new thread to post pictures, musings, etc. from any year for any dates in November on any Camino.

When you respond, please mention the year, route you were on and where you walked (or rested) that day. Thanks!

Also, if you are posting multiple pictures upload them as thumbnails.

 

[mspath]

November 1, 2004
Hospital de Orbigo



Not all accidents end badly. On All Souls Day/
Día de todos los Santos I would meet my first camino angels.

November 1, 2004, after crossing the long medieval bridge I entered the town of Hospital de Órbigo. Attempting to photograph the parish church I lost my footing and fell head first onto the irregular pavement! Flat on the ground my forehead and shoulder hurt like hell! An egg was quickly swelling on my forehead (by day’s end I resembled Cyclopes).

Exiting the Día de todos los Santos mass a kind Spanish couple approached; the man said “Don’t worry, madam, I am a Chevalier de Santiago and will help”. They quickly took me to the regional hospital, where I was told to rest, and see a doctor again the following day.

The couple then graciously invited me to lunch at their house. My host explained that the Chevaliers de Santiago are a group of Catholic men, who have been nominated to become members and who pledge to foster the Camino and to help all pilgrims.

In the Spanish custom lunch lasted at least four hours! Two charming adult sons cut my food while I alternately held ice to my head and tried to eat with my left hand since the right shoulder and arm were extremely painful. Nevertheless, how, lucky I was to be able to move and to have met a family of guardian angels.

..Now after all these years I still fondly remember their kindnesses and spontaneous gracious hospitality. It was, indeed, heartfelt camino caritas.

 

[Rowena]

November 2, 2019 Early morning in Santiago

 

[mspath]

November 3, 2004
Murias de Rechivaldo

Stiff, sore and looking like a bruised raccoon with a 'shiner' I continued. The landscape had changed; mountains appeared on the distant horizon and the earth was more orange in color.



At the private albergue Las Águedas in Murias de Rechivaldo several units encircled a central patio. Most were dorms (mine had a pot bellied stove); others included a common kitchen, dining room and shower block.

After a welcome hot shower and warm siesta (thanks to that stove) came dinner. The helpful Swiss hospitalera served delicious potato pancakes and chops with homemade applesauce! ...All things considered this was a very comfy stop for a cold night in early November!

 

[mspath]

November 4, 2004
Rabanal del Camino




Weary after crossing the area known as the Maragateria which for centuries had provided mules and muleteers I relaxed facing this age-old ledge at the wayside church in El Ganso.

The path then started to gently rise. Nothing would be flat for the next week or so as the highest elevation on the CF, Monte Irago, would slowly be climbed. Trepidatious I wondered how all might evolve.

In Rabanal del Camino, a picturesque mountain town, at the Gaucelmo Refuge hosted by the Confraternity of St James tea served beside their library fireplace was soothing in the afternoon chill.



Later during a sunset stroll the sky was splendid in the cold crystalline air and I was thankful just to be.

 

[mspath]

November 5, 2004
passing Cruz de Ferro



The CF continued to climb into the mountains crossing oak forest, broom and heather.
At the Cruz de Ferro, altitude 1504 m., a small iron cross atop a tall wooden pole rose from a huge stone cairn. By tradition pilgrims have placed stones carried from home on the giant pile as they pass; I added mine from our farmhouse in France.
All was rather messy and depressing with rags and streamers tied to the base of the pole
...I was glad to walk on towards El Acebo.

 

[trecile]

All was rather messy and depressing with rags and streamers tied to the base of the pole

I had the same impression.

 

[Rowena]

November 5, 2019, Muxia

 

[mspath]

November 6, 2004
Ponferrada

After El Acebo the CF path was steep as I descended through light snow, rain, fog and a bit of sun. I stopped at Ponferrada. The city had been so named after iron supports were added in the 11th c. to an older bridge crossing the river Sil used by pilgrims on route to Santiago.



Overlooking the river in the 12th c. the Knights Templar, an order who protected pilgrims, had built this magnificent fortress castle with crenellated towers and turrets.

While waiting for the albergue San Nicolás de Flüe to open I entered the adjacent Capilla de Nuestra Señora del Carmen and admired the vibrant 1999 mural beneath the chapel dome.



Years later I read on line this document
which discusses the albergue site and the complex iconography of the painting

 

[mspath]

November 7, 2004
Villafranca del Bierzo

Leaving urban Ponferrada and its suburbs took a while. Spotting yellow arrows marking the route was more and more difficult as the path crossed endless acres of Bierzo vineyards.




Near Pierros an atelier filled a field with large 20th c. classical sculpture in concrete; it was a shock to discover so much ‘art brut’ in the middle of a pasture.




Arriving at the eastern edge of Villafranca del Bierzo I passed the 12th c. Santiago chapel, Puerta del Perdón. Medieval pilgrims too sick to continue who stopped here were given the same indulgences as in Santiago de Compostela.



Since the municipal albergue was closed I stayed in an atmospheric private one, Ave Fénix, composed of an ad hoc series of volumes and levels surrounding an open courtyard; unfortunately the coed toilets were outside down a flight of slippery stairs in the courtyard. ...It would be a long, cold night.

 

[nycwalking]

According to my pilgrim’s passport I spent three nights at the albergue municipal in Negreira.

The hospitalera told those of us who had become quite comfortable to hit the road, literally, on the morrow.

A group of us simply could not leave the heated floors, single beds, and quiet all around us.

The albergue was only a year old and pristine.

I still have three or four single use cameras from various caminos waiting to be developed.

For now pilgrims stamp and memories will have to suffice.

 

[mspath]

November 8, 2004
O Cebreiro
distant landscape





When I arrived at O Cebreiro on the CF in 2004 the weather was cold, but glorious with blue sky and bright sun.
Thrilled, I shot this view towards distant Ponferrada to show the landscape which day after day had been so tenaciously crossed.

...It remains a memento of an intense effort

 

[mspath]

November 10, 2004
Samos
Monastery of San Julián
interior mural



Fantastic and historic figures painted c.1955 in a Social Realist style surround this Oratorium door. My 2004 guided view of these new murals which line interior corridors was most impressive and rather frightening.

Parts of the Benedictine monastery complex are 9th c., but the majority was built in the 16th /17th c. Much, however, was rebuilt after a 1951 fire.

 

[mspath]

November 11, 2004
Barbadelo




The CF became more picturesque; low, stonewalls crossed farm fields near the hamlet of Barbadelo where I visited the simple church dedicated to Santiago which was all that remained of a medieval monastery.

Since the xunta albergue was closed I stopped at a farmhouse casa rural. Their Galician soup, a chicken broth thick with potato, cabbage and sausage, was hot/ hearty and the cake made with ground almonds, tarta de Santiago, most delicious. However the one single bedroom had neither heat nor heater; thus I put my sleeping bag inside the bed covers to get warm!

 

[mspath]

November 12, 2004
Portomarin



Following the CF through fields, oak wood and tiny hamlets I first glimpsed distant Portomarin through a delicate scrim of early morning fog.

However close up the unappealing moved/re-made town would resemble a Potemkin village; the medieval site/structures had been flooded in the 1960s during the construction of a reservoir on the river Miño.
Within the new town all seemed soulless.

 

[rappahannock_rev]

November 7, 2004

View attachment 112755

Near Pierros an atelier filled a field with large 20th c. classical sculpture in concrete; it was a shock to discover so much ‘art brut’ in the middle of a pasture.

.

The sculpture garden is still there .... On 25 Sept 2021 I took the road route west out of Pieros, then turned off onto a trail to Villafranca that went right past it. Gave me the creeps!

 

[mspath]

November 13, 2004
Vilar de Donas
Iglesia de San Salvador




East of Palas de Rei in Vilar de Donas near Portos on the CF the 12th c. Iglesia de San Salvador was the official burial place of the Chevaliers de Santiago for several centuries.

Extraordinary iron fittings support the wooden panels of the great entrance door; within delicate 15th c. frescos surround tombs topped with recumbent effigies of the knights.

When I visited in 2004 restoration had just begun.

...Almost hidden in the verdant countryside San Salvador de Donas was, and hopefully still is, a special site filled with eternal peace .

 

[mspath]

November 14, 2004
towards Arzua



The CF crossed many villages, several rivers and much woodland. Tucked into the wayside greenery amidst the fern mementos such as this small cross could be seen.

Near O Coto I ate a delicious second breakfast in the tented patio of a chic, but very friendly, casa rural, Casa de los Somoza. A small van stopped and a few ‘Sunday pilgrims’ with poles, but no packs, exited to walk for an hour or so to sample the trail! Spotting my pack, shell, and still bruised forehead they asked “How long have you been walking?” When I replied “Forty-eight days!” all were shocked and impressed.

After trudging through Melide, Boente de Baixo, and Ribadiso do Baixo I arrived exhausted in Arzua at the end of the afternoon. ...A sign read Santiago 38 km !

 

[mspath]

November 15, 2004
to A Rua

Through much eucalyptus the CF often dangerously crisscrossed route N 547, a busy provincial highway.



At Salceda this memorial replicated in bronze the shoes of a Swiss pilgrim, aged 69, who had died just one day’s walk from Santiago.

Later in A Rua I ate and stayed in the pleasant Hotel 0 Pino. Their food was good and the heater in the small single room worked.

As night fell, my last night on the camino, I felt more and more nostalgic that this extraordinary journey was ending.

 

[mspath]

November 16, 2004
Santiago de Compostela


Up before dawn for this conclusive walk I hoisted my pack and set off to cover the final 18 km. At Vilamaior two teenagers tending an information booth noticed my bruised forehead and broken glasses. They asked “How long have you been walking?” “Seven weeks exactly” I answered. Smiling they replied “Oh, happy, happy day! You are almost there!”

A few hours later I entered the medieval city through the Puerta del Camino. My heart beat faster as I hurried along the narrow pedestrian lanes, rua das Casas Reales, rua das Animas and plaza de la Azabacheria.

There it was! The cathedral at last!
Oh, happy, happy day!




Weeping I put my hand on the stone. Suddenly the giant bells began to chime; the sound was majestic. I did not enter then, but searched for the office of the Cathedral Dean. An assistant reviewed my Credencial, marked it with one final stamp, and issued the Compostela which stated in Latin that I had devotedly completed the pilgrimage.



Early evening as I entered the cathedral
the congregation was assembling for mass. Other pilgrims whom I had met or seen along the camino were present; we nodded, silently smiled and gestured a euphoric thumbs up, not wanting to break the sacred silence.
... After mass I sat alone in the dim cathedral for a long time.

 

[mspath]

November 17, 2004
leaving Santiago de Compostela

Bells tolled for the pilgrims’ mass at noon. The cathedral was densely crowded; the service most impressive concluding in a great cloud of fragrant smoke from the botafumeiro, a giant silver censer. Eight churchmen swung it in front of the altar; on a long rope sailing back and forth across the transept it nearly touched the ceiling!

Whatever one believes, however one sees this world, it is impossible not to be touched and moved in this city and at this place. As the priest said this morning for centuries and centuries pilgrims have been coming and shall continue to come.



Later after walking along the arcaded Rúa do Vilar for the last time and following the Rúa do Horreo to the railroad station I would board a train to carry me back across Spain to France. I was going home; my camino had become a memory. As time goes by and takes its toll may I always remember these precious days.

... Wherever I might be I shall forever 'wear' a pilgrim shell and search for arrows
marking the path ahead.

 

[mspath]

November 19, 2008
Across the Hills

On this day in 2008 I climbed the rise behind our farmhouse in Champagne, planning to walk across the hills down the length of France
to St Jean Pied de Port, from where my earlier caminos had begun, and then continuing to Santiago de Compostela.

My reasons for this journey included non-traditional spiritual ones offering thanks for my life then at 69 as well as the excitement of another new adventure.
...As it is written in Psalm 119:45 "And I will walk at liberty:for I seek thy precepts."

Unfortunately after 220km I was barely able to stand at Vézelay. Although I had intended to continue towards Santiago my knees did not; chagrined I returned home.



This map shows those daily stops I was able to make walking S/SW on small roads and some marked paths.

,,,,to be continued

 

[mspath]

Across the Hills
November 19, 2008
towards Baulne en Brie, France

During this new walk for a change and security, I carried a Nokia cellphone which doubled as a 5mp camera. Thus photos and a short text could be uploaded directly to my blog. Many friends and followers had requested daily updates from this new journey.



After leaving our farmhouse I walked west for 4 km and then made a big turn south. For the immediate future I would always be going south by southwest.

Slowly I meandered through neighboring villages getting used to the weight of my pack (7 kg). After chatting with a few curious folk I ate a chilly picnic lunch sitting in a cemetery. Later following route D4 to Baulne en Brie I stopped at the Auberge de l'Omois.

Bill, my husband, joined me for dinner. When he returned to the farm I quickly fell asleep in my single room, slightly pooped since I had walked those first 20km.

,,,,to be continued

 

[mspath]

November 21, 2008
Across the Hills
towards Esternay

Yesterday I walked about 21 km to Montmirail in a light rain; the only dry places to sit were covered bus shelters.

Route D23 entered the department of the Marne crossing fields of betterave sucrière/sugar beets. Great piles of beets resembling coconuts or rocks were along the road waiting to be collected. During the Napoleonic wars in the early 19th c. due to the blockade between France and Great Britain cane sugar was no longer available in France. Thus Napoleon ordered a massive planting of sugar beets north of the Loire river.

Napoleon Bonaparte leading the French forces famously fought against Prussian and Russian forces near both Montmirail and Esternay in February 1814 during the Six Days Campaign.

Today following routes D375 and D48 to Esternay was wet, cold and very windy. A pleasant young postgirl stopped to chat. She was amazed that I was walking alone in such weather across rural France.



I passed this old manor house which Bill and I had visited when searching for a farmhouse. A goat was then tied at the gate as guardian and all was in need of repair. Now the goat was gone, but even more repair is needed!

In Esternay I stayed in a comfortable pension occupied during the week by nearby oil rig workers. Since it was a Friday I easily got a single room and alone ate dinner from a tray; in 3 days I had now covered 60 km.

,,,,to be continued

 

[mspath]

November 22, 2008
Across the Hills
Villenauxe-la-Grande




The cold was bitter but the sun was bright as I followed routes D48 and D448 easily walking 21km on the verges through woods and open farmland into Villenauxe-la-Grande in the Aube department

The town had developed N/S along the river Noxe. During the 13th c. monks settled here, establishing windmills and vineyards. In the 15th c. the settlement was encircled with ditches and fortifications. Most importantly clay was mined mid-19th c. and a major ceramic industry developed which lasted until 1990. Champagne vines were replanted 1970.

Villenauxe is very conscious of its patrimony. It has a new Ecomusée and most handsome contemporary stained glass windows in l’église Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul. Do admire les vitraux here.

Bill joined me late afternoon and we stayed next to the church at the Hotel Flaubert. Both the food and wines at diner were outstanding! Thus we happily bought a case of their delicious local house champagne!

....to be continued

 

[mspath]

November 23, 2008
Across the Hills
Bouy sur Orvin



Before Bill left for home he took this photo of me leaving Villenauxe-la-Grande.

After following route D951 to Nogent sur Seine where I crossed that river the long cold trek to Bouy sur Orvin ended in a snow shower!



Exhausted and drenched I finally located this very remote, handsome 300 year old chambre d'hote/ b&b. A suite, larger than many NYC apts, was 20€ ! There was even a full kitchen area. What a bargain!

My hostess kindly offered a cup of welcome tea in her kitchen. I met her adult daughter who had worked in Chicago as an au paire. Sleeping on a cot in the kitchen was my host. Unfortunately he had recently suffered a stroke. The women referred to him constantly, but as the absence of a presence.

Next morning after breakfast when I said goodbye my hostess asked the traditional
"Priez pour nous à Compostelle/ Pray for us at Compostela." Indeed I would.


....to be continued

 

[mspath]

November 24, 2008
Across the Hills
Villeneuve l' Archeveque

It was a long, hard 25 km to Villeneuve l'Archeveque. At times I was ready to faint.

After hours along back roads and farm paths the last kms were on the verges of a national route! Chaos! Huge rigs kept whizing past; this was as bad as the entry into Leon on the CF ie. pure hell!

Exhausted I staggered into
l'Auberge des Vieux Moulins Banaux.
The renovated/ repurposed 16th c. mill on the Vanne river was a very friendly inn. However my room was up and dinner down 3 steep flights of stairs!!

Next morning when paying the 54€ bill, the price for private room, dinner and breakfast, I asked as usual for my Credential to be stamped.




...to be continued

 

[ranthr]

November 5, 2004
passing Cruz de Ferro

View attachment 112603

The CF continued to climb into the mountains crossing oak forest, broom and heather.
At the Cruz de Ferro, altitude 1504 m., a small iron cross atop a tall wooden pole rose from a huge stone cairn. By tradition pilgrims have placed stones carried from home on the giant pile as they pass; I added mine from our farmhouse in France.
All was rather messy and depressing with rags and streamers tied to the base of the pole
...I was glad to walk on towards El Acebo.

I guess Foncebadon still was quite a let down place that year. Went through in 2005 and still mostly a ruintown.

 

[mspath]

November 25, 2008
Across the Hills
Cerisiers



Fog swirled on ice crusted puddles in the freezing cold as I followed back lanes across frozen fields for 20km. Walking south from the mill on route D84 I arrived at the small town charmingly named Cerisiers/Cherry Trees.

Followed route D77 through town to La Montagne and another farm b&b in a rustic former seigneury. The thick stone walls and large beams were 16th c.

All was impressive but that uninsulated interior was very cold; portable electric heaters were hardly adequate as I wore my knitted hat to bed which thankfully had cosy flannel sheets!

Unfortunately my legs began to ache which was hardly a surprise since I had been almost continually upright for 6 hours!

Thus ended my first week.

...to be continued

 

[mspath]

November 26, 2008
Across the Hills
Laroche Migennes



While trudging 26 km to Laroche Migennes I bought a welcome goody at a small boulangerie; I ate it perched on the only public bench seen in days.

When I continued walking a car of Gendarmes stopped to check my papers; rural France just can't be too careful about old ladies hiking alone late in November! The police were rather stunned that I was aiming for Vezelay; I didn't dare mention Spain and Santiago!

At the end of this exhausting day I stayed at a small riverside hotel Aux Rives de l'Yonne with special rates for hikers. My room was down a flight of very steep steps; dinner was up the same damn steps. Each one hurt.

...to be continued

 

[DoughnutANZ]

When I continued walking a car of Gendarmes stopped to check my papers; rural France just can't be too careful about old ladies hiking alone late in Novembe

It is their way of evening out their stop-and-check statistics so that they can not be accused of racial profiling.

"See, look, we also stop and check older ladies on the side of the road".

 

[mspath]

It is their way of evening out their stop-and-check statistics so that they can not be accused of racial profiling.

"See, look, we also stop and check older ladies on the side of the road".

Indeed. After my papers were checked when they offered to drive me to Vezelay, I declined!

 

[mspath]

November 27, 2008
Across the Hills
Appoigny



As I started walking towards Auxerre from the hotel I turned west to cross the river Yonne via route D181 and then followed this picturesque riverside hiking path E/S to Bassou. All was bucolic and serene. However once on the verges of routes D164 and especially D606 all turned hectic as this was the old N/S route to Paris. So many huge trucks wizzed past!

My body and nerves exhausted I stopped in Appoigny/Auxerre nord at a truckers' motel. The tiny roomette resembled a train compartment (not the Orient Express) with toilets/showers in the corridor. Luckily there was a sink with running water in the room.

For dinner I hobbled to the nearby Courtpaille chain resto. Since nervous walking produced a big appetite I ate steak and 2 large baked potatoes! The chef/owner emphatically stated that he had never before served any
pèlerine 2 baked potatoes as he stamped my Credential.



...to be continued

 

[mspath]

November 28, 2008
Across the Hills
Auxerre


The chef last night kindly wrote notes for my 16 km rural route into Auxerre:
1.outside resto turn left/west on D319/ rue Fossé de Bois;



2 enter wood to south at path/Chemin de Chaumoy;
3 path becomes dirt road then paved;
4 turn right/east at road to Bréandes;
5 follow route de Terre et Vignes into Auxerre. This info was invaluable for walking today!



Auxerre is a splendid city but cold in late November. I quickly visited the impressive 13-16th c.Cathedrale Saint Etienne. Unfortunately the interior light was too dim to really see the famed stained glass.

Later I checked in at the municipal
Maison des Randonneurs. My tiny private heated room cost 15 €; there were no other guests. In this hikers' house I began to feel more like a pilgrim, but my right leg still ached.

...to be continued

 

[mspath]

November 29-30, 2008
Across the Hills
Cravant

Yesterday in cold sunshine after leaving Auxerre I walked 24 km along the Yonne river to get to Cravant. By the time I arrived I was hobbling; my right leg throbbed.

Luckily I stopped at the very comfortable Hostellerie St Pierre.
Located near the 12rh c. church and a 14th c. donjon this friendly place caters to hikers and pilgrims; their 62€ price for a single room, gourmet dinner and buffet breakfast was a great value.

Taking paracetamol for the pain I spent last night and most of today in bed with my leg propped up writing my blog. Tomorrow I hope to move on.

...to be continued

 

[VNwalking]

rural France just can't be too careful about old ladies hiking alone late in November! The police were rather stunned that I was aiming for Vezelay; I didn't dare mention Spain and Santiago!

Yes. Surely you are subversive.

After my papers were checked when they offered to drive me to Vezelay, I declined!

Clueless gits. You should have mentioned Santiago.