On the Camino: One Day at a Time, one Photo at a Time 10.0

[Anne&Pat]

Astorga wall art. June, 2022.

 

[Yoyo]

Puente la Reina, bridge over the Arga river.
View from the neighbouring modern bridge.
Camino Francés, May 2017.

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
near Gonzar

February 28, 2008



This horreo/ granary is located near Gonzar where the CF crosses the wood at the junction of routes LU 633 and LU P 4905.

 

[Theatregal]

We saw this interesting door in the morning after we left Casa de Jesus, Villar de Mazarife, heading to Hospital de Orbigo, just a short day. June, 2022.
View attachment 142114

@Anne&Pat The door caught my eye too! I did a bit of research on it a while back. This house was the final studio and home of the Leonese artist / sculptor Luis López Casado, also known as Monseñor, who died in 2009. His home is now a museum.

 

[Theatregal]

Sanabres, June 21, 2019. Leaving Silleda and passing the Poet's Wall. The wall celebrates "some of the most beautiful words of Gallego" and each tile, a Galician poet.

 

[Rowena]

November 5, 2019
Muxia

 

[Yoyo]

The famous 19th-century railway bridge in Redondela.
Camino Portugués, September 2022.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Modern church as we were leaving Astorga. With mention of the Camino and Peregrino. June, 2022.

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
towards Arzúa

March 1, 2008



The CF from Melide west to Arzúa 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.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

This is a part of the track on the Voie du Littorale, which runs parallel to the 200km long beach of Les Landes in SW France. This part utilises the original German motorcycle track connecting defensive positions of the Atlantic Wall in WW2. It is only about a metre wide.
June 2018

 

[Yoyo]

At dawn, on the way out of Pontevedra.
Camino Portugués, September 2022

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Salceda

March 2, 2008



This poignant memorial replicates/preserves(?) in bronze the shoes/boots(?) of a pilgrim, Guillermo Watt, aged 69 who died just one day before arriving at Santiago de Compostela.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Rabanal del Camino. Statue of Santiago in Iglesia Santa Maria, XIIthC Romanesque parish church in the small central plaza of Rabanal, taken following the Pilgrim Mass. June, 2022.

 

[mspath]

Santiago de Compostela
Praza de Fonseca, 5
Libredon Barbantes hostal

March 3-4, 2008



From my cosy attic room's ceiling window when seeing the Torre da Berenguela as well as hearing the great bells chime; I felt as if that belltower view and those sounds were mine alone!

 

[Rowena]

March 21, 2022
Pamplona, Plaza del Castillo

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Foncebadon
Monte Irago albergue
blizzard

photo taken March 4, 2009



Fourteen yeqrs ago today I took this photo through an icy albergue window as proof of the blizzard which obliterated the nearby landscape in deep snow. My diary/blog describes this 3 day 2009 storm spent snowbound sharing albergue warmth and camaraderie.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Left Rabanal del Camino in the dark at about 5.30am, this photo was taken about an hour later.
June, 2022.

 

[Yoyo]

Arcade, Camino Portugués.
September 2022

 

[Theatregal]

Curious about this carved bit of history peeking out from an overgrown wall. Just before Betanzos on the Camino Ingles. July 29, 2014

 

[SabsP]

Cee. March 2016. On the way to Finisterre.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Cruz de Ferro, June 2022.

 

[mspath]

Camino Finisterre
towards Negreira

March 5, 2008



After crossing the bridge over the Sarela river the camino path towards Negreira began at this rather ad hoc sign/ gate.

 

[Yoyo]

Almost there!
Camino Francés, walking past Santiago Airport.
June, 2019

 

[Rowena]

March 24, 2022
The Camino Frances beside the Rio Arga between Larrasoaña and Zabaldika

 

[Anne&Pat]

Entering Riego de Ambros. June, 2022.

 

[SabsP]

.

April 2014. Camino Ingles.Between Naron and Pontedeume. A huge flecha on that tank.

 

[mspath]

Camino Finisterre
Olveiroa
Xunta albergue

March 6, 2008



These adjacent stone farm buildings have been handsomely repurposed; dorms on the left and dining/commons room are separated by a central path.

 

[Yoyo]

Believed to have been carved over 4,000 years ago at the beginning of the Bronze-Age, these petroglyphs can be found on the Spiritual Variant of the Camino Portugués.



The "Petroglifo das Forcadas" (left) is in Campañó, while the "Petroglifo Outeiro do Cribo" (right) is a short climb off-camino in the woods on the way to Armenteira.
Photos taken in September, 2022.

 

[Rowena]

March 25, 2022
Obanos

 

[SabsP]

On the way to Portela deTamel.Camino Portugues 2015.

 

[Anne&Pat]

View of Ponferrada from the Templar Castle, June, 2022.

 

[VNwalking]

Sanabres, June 21, 2019. Leaving Silleda and passing the Poet's Wall. The wall celebrates "some of the most beautiful words of Gallego" and each tile, a Galician poet.

View attachment 142330 View attachment 142331 View attachment 142332

I missed this completely. How!?? Wonderful, thanks, @Theatregal !

Not my pic. Final sprint to the top of the climb. From the car park at Puerto de Ibañeta. Early March, 2015.

 

[mspath]

Camino Finisterre
near Cée

March 7, 2008


From a hilltop near Cée could be glimpsed the silvery sea with Finisterra in the far distance. Imagine the astonishment of medieval pilgrims when they crested that hill and first saw the sea!

 

[Theatregal]

I missed this completely. How!?? Wonderful, thanks, @Theatregal !

It was actually a bit off the route out of town. I asked a man on the street if he knew of an open bar for breakfast and he walked me to his favourite cafe!

 

[Rowena]

March 26, 2022
Iglesia de Santiago, Puente la Reina

 

[Yoyo]

March 26, 2022
Iglesia de Santiago, Puente la Reina

View attachment 142685

Interesting how well-preserved the carved details are on the right hand side, while centuries of rain and hail storms have almost erased everything on the left. Bad weather tends to always come from the same direction.

 

[Yoyo]

Colorful vegetation near Cruz de Ferro.
CF, May 2019

 

[Anne&Pat]

Leaving Ponferrada before 6am. June, 2022.

 

[mspath]

Camino Finisterre
Finisterre

March 8, 2008



By the sculpted last boot on the rocks the sea was the color of pewter and the clouds above dove gray. After sitting here for a long time while silently saying my thanks, I walked slowly back to town. ... My 4th camino was over.

 

[Yoyo]

In Sta. Catalina de Somoza.
CF, May 2019

 

[Rowena]

March 27, 2022
Walking on the Roman road after Cirauqui

 

[SabsP]

A regular citytrip to Santiago de Compostela.October 2018.

 

[mspath]

towards Vézelay
near Villenauxe-la-Grande, France

photo taken November 22, 2008



Autumn 2008 I walked 220 km. from our farmhouse on the Marne River to Vézelay. The cold was bitter but the sun was bright on local paths/roads through wood and open farmland.

 

[lalaone]

Interesting how well-preserved the carved details are on the right hand side, while centuries of rain and hail storms have almost erased everything on the left. Bad weather tends to always come from the same direction.

That is a really interesting observation, thank you! In this photo from 2007, the erosion pattern can also be seen. I never thought to look for it before you mentioned it, but now I can see it too.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Fuentes Nuevas, Bar La Ermita opposite the tiny chapel Ermita del DivinoCristo with pilgrim fountain and gates. We stopped for a warm drink and rest stop at the bar, where we had stopped in 2014 during a down pour. June, 2022.

 

[Yoyo]

One of the most beautiful albergue gardens I encountered on the Camino Francés.
Boadilla del Camino, albergue "En el Camino", June 2017.

 

[Kirkie]

One of the most beautiful albergue gardens I encountered on the Camino Francés.
Boadilla del Camino, albergue "En el Camino", June 2017.

View attachment 142748

Quite! The effect, pushing open the door, was magical! The experience (2006) was such a treat, starting with the superb accommodation for €5.00, sheets included, spotless shower and loo facilities, the kidney shaped pool, the offer of a communal meal... thanks for the memories!

 

[Rowena]

March 28, 2022
Photo taken a few minutes before reaching the wine fountain at Irache

 

[mspath]

towards Vèzelay
Auxerre, France
Cathédrale Saint Étienne

photo taken November 28, 2008



The cathedral city of Auxerre is the departure point for an historical walking route/ l'ancienne route d'Auxerre á Vézelay crossing Burgundian farmland/vineyards southeast to the Abbey at Vézelay.

 

[Anne&Pat]

The beautiful El Bierzo landscape between Valtuille de Arriba and Villafranca del Bierzo. Hot day, June, 2022.

 

[Rowena]

March 29, 2022
Iglesia de Santa Maria, Viana

 

[kohara]

The lovely Capela de San Pedro Martir, en route to Cee.
The nearby spring is famed for its healing properties for arthritis etc

 

[Yoyo]

Iglesia parroquial of Villar de Mazarife with its characteristic church tower.
CF, June 2017.

 

[SabsP]

Lighthouse.On the way to Vila do Conde, first day out of Porto.
Camino Portugues 2015.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Castillo Palacio de Los Marqueses XVthC, Villafranca del Bierzo, June, 2022.

 

[mspath]

towards Vézelay
les Rochers du Saussois, France

photo taken December 2, 2008



These huge cliffs/ les Rochers du Saussois face the Yonne river along l'ancienne route d'Auxerre á Vézelay/ an historic route from Auxerre southeast to Vézelay.

 

[gregrobinson]

A real breakfast on the Meseta from 2019 and again in 2022...

 

[Rowena]

March 30, 2022
Santiago Peregrino, Navarrete

 

[Yoyo]

"Las Dos Marías", sculptures in the Alameda Park in Santiago de Compostela, seem to get a make-over every now and then. Do you have a picture of them with yet another outfit?

 

[Anne&Pat]

A real breakfast on the Meseta from 2019 and again in 2022...View attachment 142863

Welcome Greg to this thread. Your photo is very appetising but it took a long time to load. If you wouldn’t mind posting thumbnail photos instead because of the number of photos on this thread for ease of loading.
Buen Camino.

 

[mspath]

Vézelay, France
Basilique

photo taken December 4, 2008



Entering the light of the ambulatory I was silently thankful to simply be after walking from home.
Vezelay Abbey and la colline éternelle
have been a love of mine for 50+ years. Romanesque, Gothic, and 19th c. intervention form timeless beauty here; eternal peace is melded with man-made perfection.
...May this magnificent site always endure.

 

[Anne&Pat]

The start of the Pradela route, Villafranca Del Bierzo, 6.25 am. June, 2022.

 

[VNwalking]

Between Muruzabal and Eunate, May 2017.

 

[Theatregal]

Nearing Orisson and looking back. September 5, 2012. Camino Frances.

 

[Yoyo]

On the way to Triacastela.
CF, June 2017

 

[Rowena]

March 31, 2022
Monasterio Santa Maria de la Real, Najera

 

[mspath]

Guchan, France
view south towards Spain

January 2012



Guchan, a handsome mountain village in the Hautes-Pyrénées, is on the French hiking route GR105 which crosses the valley of the river Aure between Lortet and Port d'Ouridissétou where it connects with Spanish caminos leading towards Santiago.

 

[VNwalking]

The gardens nature makes are always more sublime than the ones we try to create...
Camino Frances, May 2917, somewhere near Santa Maria de Eunate..

 

[Anne&Pat]

Continuing on the Pradela route. June, 2022.

 

[MilenaS]

A wall of shoes. August 3rd 2017, Santo Domingo de Calzada

 

[Rowena]

April 1, 2022
Albergue La Casa de Las Sonrisas, Grañon

 

[SabsP]

April 1, 2022
Albergue La Casa de Las Sonrisas, Grañon

View attachment 142969

Dis you stay there that time? Was it doable regarding hygiene because I know it is sometimes hit and miss with this place.

 

[SabsP]

April 2014. Camino Ingles. Pension Bar Luis in Pontedeume.
When you do not have a clothingline but only a safetypin and a shutter.

 

[Rowena]

Dis you stay there that time? Was it doable regarding hygiene because I know it is sometimes hit and miss with this place.

Yes, I did stay there. I didn’t notice anything amiss regarding cleanliness, but I didn’t take a shower because it was freezing cold that day, inside and outside, and I couldn’t bring myself to strip down!

 

[Anne&Pat]

April 2014. Camino Ingles. Pension Bar Luis in Pontedeume.
When you do not have a clothingline but only a safetypin and a shutter.

View attachment 142970

We stayed there in July, 2022. We found a Lavanderia just down the road and round the corner, on the main road through town, so we didn’t need to use the shutters.
But we did in Salas in Albergue Valle de Nonaya. Socks etc along the window ledges and hanging on small lines outside the window. Then we had a storm later in the day!

 

[mspath]

Cordes-sur-Ciel, France

January 2012



The French hiking route GR46 passes through Cordes-sur-Ciel, as it meanders sw towards Toulouse. After taking this view I ate in an upmarket resto wearing my camino winter garb and shell. When the owner's teenage daughter dubiously asked "Madame êtes-vous une pèlerine?" I nodded yes and togther we sat by the blazing fireplace to plot/plan her future camino. .

 

[Anne&Pat]

Heading to O Cebreiro from Vega de Valcarce, then onto Linares for the night. June, 2022.

 

[VNwalking]

Out for an evening stroll from Casa Magica, there was magic in the town, too, thanks to the gorgeous evening light. May 2017.

 

[Rowena]

April 2, 2022
Belorado, CF

 

[markie6]

3rd October '22 Approaching the end of another camino but not my last

 

[Anne&Pat]

Still on the way to O Cebreiro, we had reached Laguna de Castilla, only 2.5 kms to go! Again a hot day, glad we started early. June, 2022.

 

[mspath]

Toulouse, France
Basilique Saint-Sernin

photo taken January 6, 2012



Toulouse, is located almost midway on the 800 km Via Tolosana/Voie d'Arles aka the French hiking route GR653 which connects Arles to the Col du Somport. This view of the Basilique Saint-Sernin was taken from the rue Saint-Bernard looking west towards the chevet, the exterior area behind the main altar.

 

[Josep Montserrat]

Pontesesures. Sant James.

 

[Yoyo]

Riego de Ambros, Camino Francés.
May, 2019

 

[Rowena]

April 3, 2022
Ages, CF

These beautiful birds (are they storks?) were flying through the snowflakes. Last year the first week of April was very cold, with frequent periods of snow.

 

[Anne&Pat]

We made it in time for Morning Mass in Iglesia de Santa Maria, O Cebreiro, photo taken after Mass. Church was very full with a visiting French group who had their own Priest, who said Mass. June 2022.

 

[mspath]

Toulouse, France
Basilique Saint-Sernin
la porte Miégeville, detail

photo taken January 6, 2012



This slightly salacious carving adorns
la porte Miégeville whuch was named after its location facing the center of the city, "mièjo vilo" in the local Occitan language.

 

[Bradypus]

26 January 2023

This road sign caught my eye on my most recent Camino. Some signs just don't work well for speakers of another language.

 

[Bradypus]

24 March 2018

Another example of a sign that didn't quite sit right for an English speaker. A clothes shop in Tokushima, Japan. Seen while walking the Shikoku 88 temple circuit. Who knew that special clothing was required?

 

[lalaone]

24 March 2018

Another example of a sign that didn't quite sit right for an English speaker. A clothes shop in Tokushima, Japan. Seen while walking the Shikoku 88 temple circuit. Who knew that special clothing was required?

View attachment 143072

One of the coolest things to see is Japanese and Spanish cultures finding common ground over pilgrimage. When we saw a Basque flag in Tokyo, it was a very unusual and happy moment, and it was definitely tied to the Camino.

 

[Yoyo]

The welcoming access to the park next to the albergue Ciervas de María in Astorga.
CF, May 2019

 

[Rowena]

April 4, 2022
Approaching the Cruz de Matagrande, on the way to Burgos

 

[mspath]

La Charité-sur-Loire, France
Église Notre-Dame

photo taken January 2013



Located on a section of the Chemin de Saint Jacques sw of Vèzelay/east of Bourges the town, La Charité-sur-Loire, is named after a vast Cluniac monastery founded in 1059 and greatly destroyed during medieval wars and a 16th c. fire. This church was part of that monastery.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Sunrise after leaving Linares, CF, early. June, 2022.

 

[Yoyo]

On the way to Villamayor de Monjardín, not far from the Fuente de los Moros.
CF, May 2017

 

[Rowena]

On the way to Villamayor de Monjardín, not far from the Fuente de los Morors.
CF, May 2017

View attachment 143124

A beautiful landscape! I have a very similar photo from April 2018.

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Villamayor de Monjardin
Iglesia de San Andrés Apóstol
capital, detail

photo taken October 25, 2014



This Romanesque capital which depicts fighting knights is said to represent Charlemagne and a Navarrese prince. While regarding this chivalric image I remember the sincere camino caritas felt here many years ago.

 

[Josep Montserrat]

Padrón. Bar Don Pepe.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Nearing Triacastella, June, 2022.

 

[Rowena]

April 5, 2022
Leaving Burgos. A short day, as far as Rabé de Las Calzadas