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

[Theatregal]

Aside: That's a big backpack! ...or perhaps a small person

Maybe a bit but absolutely perfect for me. It looks a bit unwieldy because I had just pulled everything out to find something and then shoved it all back in without good organization and strap cinching.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

Maybe a bit but absolutely perfect for me. It looks a bit unwieldy because I had just pulled everything out to find something and then shoved it all back in without good organization and strap cinching.

Remembering a small detail like that after 10 years says something about the occasion!

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Saint Jean Pied de Port,
rue de La Citadelle

photo taken October 14, 2014



Exactly eight years ago at 75 I began my 10th camino! Arriving at the Porte Saint Jacques to look west towards rue de La Citadelle was another thrill. Nearest in view was # 55, the municipal albergue, where multitudes of pilgrims have slept as did I always.

 

[Anne&Pat]

31st, May, 2022. Calzada Romana on our way to Terradillos de los Templarios.

 

[dick bird]

Like all flat landscapes, the Meseta has its own magic. Looking over the laguna in April this year El Burgo Ranero.

 

[Rowena]

May 5, 2022 Cathedral Museum in Santiago
Wood carving of the body of Saint James being transported back to Spain

 

[SabsP]

Cafeteria of a service ( fuel ) station somewhere on the Camino Ingles 2014.
Standard of these places is impeccable! Real food and decent coffee. World apart from the mediocre stuff you get around here.

 

[mspath]

Valcarlos alternate route
Arneguy
photo taken October 15, 2014



At the Arneguy Venta shopping complex on the Spanish/French border this older stelle frames a newer sign pointing towards the camino path to Valcarlos, Ibaneta, and Roncesvalles.

 

[Anne&Pat]

1st, June, 2022. Between Moratinos and San Nicolas del Real Camino. Amazing cloud formation and more poppies. Short day, only walking from Terradillos to Sahagun, so we could spend time exploring Sahagun, which we didn’t do in 2014, just walked through.

 

[lalaone]

Rowena,
A skull is a symbol of life's fleetingness and the universality of death. Read more here. This female figure is Santa Maria Magdalena as inscribed on the scupture's support.
For more on her life as depicted in artistic images of Saint Mary Magdalene see this article.

A striking image! And a very interesting overview. I was once told that skulls were not often represented in European sculpture or painting until after ~1350 AD. One theory attributed the change in artistic imagery to the Black Death, which made death ubiquitous; another theory stated that it was due to the Catholic church loosening prohibitions on human dissection, partially in response to returning Crusaders who wanted their earthly remains buried in different places. Both theories are contested and make a field day for historians...but the 1350 rule-of-thumb does seem to hold up, from my limited knowledge? So it's very interesting to see different depictions of Mary Magdalene across the ages, including Rowena's striking photo.

The only memento mori I saw on the Camino Frances were in Castrojeriz. "O Death. O Eternity." They definitely made me pause and ponder.

 

[mspath]

A striking image! And a very interesting overview. I was once told that skulls were not often represented in European sculpture or painting until after ~1350 AD. One theory attributed the change in artistic imagery to the Black Death, which made death ubiquitous; another theory stated that it was due to the Catholic church loosening prohibitions on human dissection, partially in response to returning Crusaders who wanted their earthly remains buried in different places. Both theories are contested and make a field day for historians...but the 1350 rule-of-thumb does seem to hold up, from my limited knowledge? So it's very interesting to see different depictions of Mary Magdalene across the ages, including Rowena's striking photo.

The only memento mori I saw on the Camino Frances were in Castrojeriz. "O Death. O Eternity." They definitely made me pause and ponder.
View attachment 134899View attachment 134900

Rowena,
Here is another memento mori on the Camino Frances in Burgos cathedral

 

[Rowena]

Thank you @mspath and @lalaone for the information. The forum is a great educational resource!
Galicia seems to have many Romanesque churches, and it was a delight to see several of them. Although most weren’t open, the church in Puente Ulla being an exception, it was more the exterior form and detail that I wanted to see anyway.
My photo today, taken May 1, is of the animal heads on either side of this church door in Lalin. I saw that detail a few times, on churches from the same period, and wondered about the message behind it.

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Roncesvalles

photo taken October 16, 2014



When arriving at this site plan I was pooped. Despite starting pre dawn and knowing the route once again the long hard 5 hour slog up the Valcarlos alternate to Roncesvalles monastery had not been easy. Ouf!

 

[VNwalking]

I saw that detail a few times, on churches from the same period

Here are perennial favorites, from Diomondi, also on the Invierno. Everyone mentions the gentle cows. But lookit those wolves on either side of the front door!

 

[Anne&Pat]

2nd, June, 2022. Leaving Sahagun via Puente Canto, over the rio Cea, historic stone bridge, originally Roman but reconstructed in the 11th and 16th centuries.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

Thank you! When I asked the question, I thought you would know the answer.
I assumed it was Mary Magdalene but hadn’t noticed the inscription on the base of the statue.

Rowena,
A skull is a symbol of life's fleetingness and the universality of death. Read more here. This female figure is Santa Maria Magdalena as inscribed on the scupture's support.
For more on her life as depicted in artistic images of Saint Mary Magdalene see this article.

Here she is again, at Rennes le Chateaux. She certainly isn't contemplating the skull. I find it curious, associating her in particular with the skull motif.

June 14 2019.

 

[mspath]

2nd, June, 2022. Leaving Sahagun via Puente Canto, over the rio Cea, historic stone bridge, originally Roman but reconstructed in the 11th and 16th centuries.
View attachment 134979

Anne&Pat,
Your's is a great shot and glorious weather! Here is a colder wet November view.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Anne&Pat,
Your's is a great shot and glorious weather! Here is a colder wet November view.

We are in awe of you walking winter Caminos! We much prefer the warmer weather!

 

[mspath]

Here she is again, at Rennes le Chateaux. She certainly isn't contemplating the skull. I find it curious, associating her in particular with the skull motif.
View attachment 134980
June 14 2019.

Perhaps this account will further clarify Saint Mary Magdalene's depiction with a skull.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

Perhaps this account will further clarify Saint Mary Magdalene's depiction with a skull.

So, I just googled some random renaissance "saint art", and it seems this depiction is quite prevalent. St Francis in particular. Some compare with other memento mori practices in Catholicism, like annointing with ashes.

 

[Rowena]

I noticed a lot of new street art this year, which I supposed was done in 2021 as part of Holy Year celebrations. I think Belorado had the largest assortment. Photo taken April 2, 2022

 

[Anne&Pat]

2nd, June, 2022. Fuente del Peregrino was a welcome stop in a shaded rest area on the Via Romana, about 1.9 kms before Calzadilla de Los Hermanillos, where we stayed for the second time in the lovely Albergue Via Trajana. We received a very warm welcome from mother and daughter team who own this Albergue. Unfortunately for some the municipal Albergue was closed this year.

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
nearing Espinal
photo taken October 17, 2014



In the morning whilst walking towards that gleaming sunlight the descent into Espinal felt easy and, thankfully, my confidence returned.

"Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it."
..Marcus Aurelius

 

[dick bird]

Here are perennial favorites, from Diomondi, also on the Invierno. Everyone mentions the gentle cows. But lookit those wolves on either side of the front door!
View attachment 134972View attachment 134971

Absolutely. Imagine that looking down at you every time you walked in for mass.

 

[dick bird]

Walking out of Cifuentes 26/5/22 on the Lana. The light is always magical in the early morning on the camino but on the Lana there was a strange quality to it. This is the nearest I came to capturing it.

 

[VNwalking]

other memento mori practices

A good thing to keep in mind!
On the Vasco:

 

[Rowena]

Inside the Knights Templar church, Santa Maria la Virgen Blanca in Villalcazar de Sirga, CF, April 10, 2022

 

[FourSeasons]

CF April 17, 2016 early morning out of Roncesvalles as the sun says, "It's gonna be a great day."

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
east of Alto de Erro
memorial

photo taken October 18, 2014



This poignant memorial is for a Japanese pilgrim aged 64 who had died here in the wood east of Alto de Erro. Elsewhere along the camino are many additional markers to pilgrims who died en route; all are tragic.

 

[Anne&Pat]

3rd, June, 2022. 8.17am, Continuing on the Calzada Romana, after leaving Calzadilla de Los Hermanillos about an hour before, interesting skies ahead with a small rainbow. We went through a number of heavy showers throughout our walk this day to Mansilla de las Mulas. The ponchos were on and off frequently!

 

[FourSeasons]

CF April 18, 2016, Leaving Zubiri early morning walking along the Rio Arga. Don't you just love the sound of running water and birds singing? Makes for a Happy Morning. I can hear it now.

 

[Theatregal]

Arriving - Santiago, August 23, 2015

 

[SabsP]

Somewhere in Galicia.
CF 2011.

 

[Rowena]

April 5, 2022 Rabé de las Calzadas

 

[Anne&Pat]

3rd, June, 2022. Statue of Santiago outside Iglesia Santa Maria, Mansilla de las Mulas.

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Trinidad de Arre

photo taken October 19, 2014



Thankful as the shadows lengthened to be once again in such a pleasant, almost timeless, place I pondered how this Marist monastery garden might have changed over the years.

 

[Rowena]

April 4, 2022 Agés, Camino Frances

 

[Anne&Pat]

4th, June, 2022. A rare glimpse of a Stork on the ground in the early morning after leaving Mansilla. We saw many in their nests but this was the only one we saw on the ground.

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Cizur Menor
Roncal albergue

October 20, 2014



On a chilly October day I stopped, as usual, in the private albergue run by Maribel Roncal. Since it had been chaotic trying to cross Pamplona on crowded sidewalks with a full backpack, it was especially relaxing to return to the familar informal Roncal atmosphere in Cizur Menor.

 

[lalaone]

Horreo with blue hydrangea, July 2007
Somewhere between Melide and Ribadiso (wish I could give a better pinpoint on location!)
P.S. Edited to say hydrangea, not hyacinth

 

[VNwalking]

Camino Vasco Interior, 2019.
The road ahead, about to reveal the first view of the Tunel San Adrian. It's just around the corner, but at this point I have no idea what's coming. The first time walking any route holds an infinitude of smal surprises.

 

[mspath]

Horreo with blue hydrangea, July 2007
Somewhere between Melide and Ribadiso (wish I could give a better pinpoint on location!)
P.S. Edited to say hydrangea, not hyacinth
...


View attachment 135224

Lalaone,
For more on horreos check the citation listed here.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

Sometimes you both want a photo.
The baths at the Alcázar in Seville, 2018.

 

[lalaone]

Lalaone,
For more on horreos check the citation listed here.

Thank you mspath – wonderfully informative! I loved this bit about the word’s etymology; the fantastic image of selecting an ear of corn off a bookshelf will stick with me forever now, lol:

The Stoic philosopher Seneca, born in Cordoba, wrote that his library was a “horreum,” making it clear that the term was used to designate places of storage of all kinds of goods, including scrolls and parchments.

I almost wondered if we took photos of the same horreo? They look quite similar and the location fits. It doesn't seem like an *exact* match...but it's hard to tell. Very close resemblance in any case.

 

[Rowena]

April 10, 2018 Inside the cloister of Burgos Cathedral

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Alto de Perdon

October 21, 2014



The autumn sunshine was glorious when I crested the Alto de Perdon and saw these metal pilgrims; as in the past the slow descent on slippery scree was very difficult. However after the path leveled near Uterga with great relief I removed my pack and just sat enjoying that sunshine!

 

[Anne&Pat]

4th, June, 2022. Leon. Alfonso IXth, Rey de Leon 1188-1230.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

The plaza de toros at Almadén, about 50km north of Alcaracejos on the Mozarabe. It has been partly converted into very unusual hotel. We detoured by car to vist the mine and museum In 2018.

 

[Rowena]

April 18, 2022 Saint James at Prayer, Palacio de Gaudi, Astorga

 

[Peregrinopaul]

April 18, 2022 Saint James at Prayer, Palacio de Gaudi, Astorga

Brings to mind Jeremy Irons in "The Mission".

 

[Peregrinopaul]

Can't resist breaking the "one photo" rule. Back at Almadén ...probably the world's biggest museum-specimen of cinnabar (86% mercury!)

 

[lalaone]

Burgos Cathedral, July 2007
Shadows cast by stained glass windows in the cloister

 

[Anne&Pat]

5th, June, 2022. Leon Cathedral, one of the many amazing stained glass windows, contrasting with the well lit tomb below.

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Muruzábal
Santa Maria de Eunate

photo taken October 22, 2014



After revisiting Santa Maria de Eunate, I looked back for one last glimpse of the 1000 year old ocher sandstone structure surrounded by amber fields of corn and fennel.... There one sensed the eternal peace of paradise.

 

[dick bird]

A statue of Santiago in Burgos cathedral. In his left hand he is holding a recently caught fish. Can anyone explain this?
6 June 2022

 

[mspath]

A statue of Santiago in Burgos cathedral. In his left hand he is holding a recently caught fish. Can anyone explain this?
6 June 2022

View attachment 135345

dick bird,

Here is are several explantions from a still relevant past post

 

[dick bird]

dick bird,

Here is are several explantions from a still relevant past post

Archangel Raphael it is then.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Three years ago today; a very rainy morning at Montserrat. Taken from a window in the albergue while on my Camino Catalan. One of the most dramatic photographs I've ever taken.

 

[Rowena]

October 18, 2019 Between Matoshinos and Vila do Conde, CP

 

[SabsP]

October 18, 2019 Between Matoshinos and Vila do Conde, CP

View attachment 135371

Mine in 2015.

 

[Theatregal]

And mine, July 2015

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
near Lorca

October 23, 2014



I yearned for the distant open space while walking through this confined tunnel passing beneath a highway east of Lorca.

 

[Anne&Pat]

6th, June, 2022. A side door and the west door of the Iglesia de La Virgen del Camino in San Froilan.

 

[Kanga]

On the Le Puy at Aumont-Aubrac, September 2009.

Our hospitalero is making aligot - potato, garlic and Tomme cheese which he said had to be between 5 and 10 days old! Here is a link to more information on this delicious food - including a note that it was said to have first occurred as a comforting winter dish offered to pilgrims on their way to Santiago.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

This is a detail of the interface between two granite blocks of an arch of the Merida roman bridge. The accuracy achieved by the roman masons is stunning.

June 2012

 

[Rowena]

October 24, 2019 Cathedral entrance, Tui, CP

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
east of Estella

photo taken October 24, 2014



West of the Ermita San Miguel a natural tunnel of greenery framed the CF path leading towards Estella on this misty late October morning.

 

[Theatregal]

Tomb in the Igreja Matriz de Viana do Castelo, Portugal, August 4, 2015.

 

[dick bird]

The roof of Toledo cathedral, 24 Jun 2022. Architecture fascinates me. For years I have been obsessively photographing doors and windows. Then, during lockdown I started reading up a bit more about how medieval cathedrals were constructed (e.g. article attached, not for light reading). It was highly complex and mathematically precise, especially the roofs. This is Baroque. The essential shape is comparatively simple but the decoration is exuberantly detailed. Not to every one's taste but I loved the symmetry and blazing colour and variety.

 

[Rowena]

March 26, 2022 Two photos today, taken inside the Iglesia de Santiago in Puente la Reina, the altar from a distance and a close up of the right hand lower corner.

 

[Anne&Pat]

7th, June, 2022. Storks again this day, we saw many along the way but on top of the parish church of Santa Maria before crossing the Puente de Orbigo we saw the most!

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Villamayor de Monjardin

photo taken October 25, 2014



Asked about lunch possibilities the friendly hospitalero in the then new Villamayor de Monjardin private albergue offered me this splendid tomato from his father's garden.
...All these years later I remember the delicious taste and his kindness.

 

[dick bird]

What will it be today, boys and girls? Roofs or storks? I know, why not both? They do actually kind of go together, as you may have noticed. This one was in Cáceres on 30th April 2012.

 

[SabsP]

Machinewash or handwash? Albergue San Saturnino in Ventosa. CF 2013.

 

[Rowena]

April 8, 2022

 

[Anne&Pat]

8th, June, 2022. Gaudi’s Palacio Episcopal in Astorga. We were unable to visit this beautiful building in 2014, as we weren’t staying in Astorga but walking through and didn’t have time. We made a point of staying there this year, so as to revisit the Cathedral and visit other sites.

 

[Kanga]

What will it be today, boys and girls? Roofs or storks? I know, why not both? They do actually kind of go together, as you may have noticed. This one was in Cáceres on 30th April 2012.

View attachment 135525

That is one expressive bird! Caption needed.

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
towards Los Arcos

photo taken October 26, 2014



Following the camino across seemingly endless fields towards Los Arcos I passed a haystack or two on this clear crisp autumn day.

 

[Anne&Pat]

9th, June, 2022. A very hot day. Iglesia de Santa Maria XIIthC, Rabanal del Camino. Like Astorga in 2014, we also didn’t stay in Rabanal then, so we stayed there this year and went to the Pilgrims Mass, which was a wonderful experience.

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
nearing Viana
broken cross

photo taken October 27, 2014



Walking cross-country I literally stumbled upon this broken wayside cross, another poignant reminder that everything changes/omnia mutantur.

 

[Rowena]

October 22, 2019 Entering Ponte de Lima, CP

 

[Corned Beef]

Ship with a "thing" hanging off the rear. Rio Navia on the Norte.

The "thing" fascinated me as I could see it being lowered as the ship moved out of the port onto the river. Could speculate it was for dredging but would be interested in confirmation.

 

[VNwalking]

They do actually kind of go together

Indeed!

 

[VNwalking]

That is one expressive bird! Caption needed.

This could be a whole and very amusing thread!

 

[Rowena]

March 28, 2022 Los Arcos, CF

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Logroño
Parque del Espolón

photo taken October 28, 2014



We should take time to appreciate all 'roses' wherever they bloom; however these in Logroño are special. Bred/developed in Brittany, France, at the Pepinieres-Guerinais, by Michel Adam; 2012 in Logroño they were officially named rosa, Camino de Santiago.

 

[Anne&Pat]

10th, June, 2022. From our departure from Rabanal del Camino at the early hour of 5.30am this morning we had amazing skies all the way to Molinaseca! This photo, is an example, taken at the entrance to Foncebadon. What an improvement to the road in Foncebadon compared with 2014!

 

[Peregrinopaul]

This could be a whole and very amusing thread!

Indeed. Here are the storks of Merida. 2016

 

[Trekker One]

From my last Camino from April 2019 on the Francis route. This was between Portomarin and Palas De Rei.

 

[VNwalking]

We should take time to appreciate all 'roses' wherever they bloom

I had to stop and take a photo of this gorgeous old rose, Cecile Brunner, in someone's garden along the Invierno. It helped to be climbing a steep hill - any excuse!

 

[Rowena]

October 23, 2019 A solitary rose on the Portugués, after Ponte de Lima.

 

[Anne&Pat]

11th, June, 2022. Leaving Molinaseca at 8.32am for a short but rainy walk to Ponferrada. Looking forward to visiting the Templar Castle for the first time, didn’t in 2014.

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Navarrete

photo taken October 29, 2014



On the west side of Navarrete this cemetery entrance repurposed/reused earlier features moved circa 1887 from the medieval complex San Juan de Acre on the east of town.

 

[Theatregal]

I always enjoy spending time on this bench in the Alameda. The recent years of restoration have changed the sense of timelessness of this view of the Cathedral. Specific years can now be identified through the various stages of the work. August 6, 2014

 

[Rowena]

October 21, 2015 On the way to Finisterre
I took this photo entering the village of Santa Mariña, having walked from Negreira that day. The building opened right onto the street, so perhaps they had no space for a horreo.

 

[lalaone]

Camino Frances, Iglesia Santa María de los Arcos



The cloister rose garden was very welcoming after a hot summer day’s walk, when even a slight bit of shade seemed fortuitous – let alone the beauty of greenery and flowers whose cooling presence soothed exhaustion almost by sight alone. Even more touching was to find locals taking refuge inside, praying silently within the cool stone walls hours before mass and the pilgrims’ blessing – my first ones in Spain.

 

[mspath]

Camino Frances
Ventosa
albergue San Saturnino

October 30, 2014



It was always a pleasure to arrive at the albergue San Saturnino, chat with other pilgrims, take a hot shower and collapse in clean comfort on a bottom bunk thankful for the joy of another camino day.

 

[Anne&Pat]

12th, June, 2022. Most photographed white washed building on the Camino!
Between Valtuille de Arriba and Villafranca del Bierzo on a very hot June day taken just before midday.

 

[Rowena]

October 30, 2019 A very rainy early morning boat ride up the Rio Ulla, past the Via Crucis Marítimo, from Vilanova de Arousa to Padrón, Portugués Variante Espiritual

 

[Anne&Pat]

13th, June, 2022. 08.19hrs. Our breakfast stop on the Pradela route, with amazing views. Between Villafranca del Bierzo and Pradela. Another hot day on the Camino, hence our early start!