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On the Camino: One Day at a Time, one Photo at a Time 5.0

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Logroño
Parque del Espolón
roses

photo taken October 28, 2014



Do appreciate these roses

While walking we should take time to appreciate all 'roses' wherever they bloom; however these in Logroño are special.

Bred/developed at the Pepinieres-Guerinais in Brittany, France, by Michel Adam; 2012 in Logroño they were officially named
rosa, Camino de Santiago

Flourishing now not only in Logroño but elsewhere along pilgrim paths I, too, would like to plant some on our French hillside overlooking the Marne.
 
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Briviesca. Town hall / tourism office. Staff called the older gentleman who volunteers as hospitalero. He accompanied us to the albergue ( flat in a bigger buidling ) and gave lots of information about the region and the etapa the next day.
Again a day full of kindness on the Camino Vasco Interior.
 
Our stay in Tomar coincided with the University Graduation and end of the Uni year. The city was very busy and we unfortunately were kept awake the first night with the students staying in the room next to us!
This was repeated when we reached Coimbra with the Universities end of year celebrations and Graduation in that city. Another sleepless night.
 
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O Pedrouzo
rua Concello
Camino Frances

photo taken December 7, 2014, 08.am



At daybreak upon entering this dense wood
I began walking the last 20 km of my 10th camino to Santiago de Compostela. I had been on route for 56 days.

Pre-dawn I had fled the municipal albergue for an early breakfast in a nearby cafe which by chance was crowded with Guardia Civil police. When at first light the police left for their rounds saying "Buen Camino Señora" I then walked into the wood.

After plodding through huge puddles, heavy mud, giant fern and groves of eucalyptus five hours later, very wet, and crying with joy I glimpsed Santiago de Compostela at last!
 
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The picturesque Ponte de San Xoán de Furelos, a Romanesque feature encountered as you enter Melide on the CF. A nice town. Apparently there is an interesting Museo Terra de Melide that features a lot of day-to-day items found in homes of the not too distant past. I will have to visit on my next walk, as I enjoy learning about practical everyday life of days gone by.

 
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Santiago de Compostela
Praza da Inmaculada

photo taken December 7, 2014, 3.pm



At last Santiago de Compostela! After 56 days of walking always carrying my full pack I arrived weary yet thrilled and sincerely thankful.

This 10th camino had been three concurrent journeys
- looking at the cultural heritage along the Camino Frances,
- traversing on foot northern Spain east to west,
- and a deeper discovery of myself.

Walking alone required adaptation to changing weather/varied terrain while overcoming fear of high bridges/slippery scree as I relearned personal tenacity/ endurance.

Serendipity brought daily pleasure such as the magic of sunlight within a silent wood or the joy of meeting old friends and making new.

Most importantly I relearned the necessity for sincerity in all interactions and was privileged to experience the power of true caritas, that special spirit of unconditional selfless love as offered by some to many along the camino.

As time goes by and takes its toll may I always remember these precious days.
 
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The occasional nature interpretation poster, such as this one, helps one appreciate, and perhaps understand a little more about the natural environment of Spain along the CF. This poster is encountered along a river trail a few kilometers before Carrion de los Condes.

 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
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peregrina2000 said:
Though I have stopped and enjoyed many long rests in this amazing village, I have never been there when the resturant was open. Did you eat a meal there, @mspath? Just sitting on the terrace with the stunning view would be worth the price!
Click to expand...
Yes Laurie I ate here, December 10, 2013. It was very reasonable and relaxed, no bling. Rather mellow afterwards my onwards walk to the municipal past Negreira took much of the late afternoon.
 
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mspath said:
Theatregal,
I remember that turn. In 2013 at Santa Marina Maronas the albergue Casa Pepa was very pleasant with very good food.
Click to expand...
I had stayed in Vilaserio the night before and the cafe there wasn't open for breakfast. I hoped I might find a place for coffee in Santa Marina Maronas. It was a chilly morning in March 2017, alternating between periods of heavy rain and sun shining through the clouds for brief moments, making the rain drops on the fields and trees sparkle. It was magical walk. I arrived at Casa Pepa soaked and hopeful for breakfast. The door was locked but a woman inside heard me and came to the door. She said that she hadn't opened because there weren't any pilgrims staying the night before but her husband was coming in for breakfast and asked if I'd like to have some eggs and toast with them. A delicious breakfast with very nice company!

 
VNwalking said:
The peach colored building across the street (in the center of the pic) has a fantastic panaderia/pastelleria, very much worth a stop.
Click to expand...
It is! I enjoyed churos and chocolate there for the first time and made some new pilgrim friends while we waited for the castle to open for a visit.
 
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VNwalking said:
The view of mountains from the castle in Ponferrada. April 2014.
The peach colored building across the street (in the center of the pic) has a fantastic panaderia/pastelleria, very much worth a stop.
View attachment 101514
Click to expand...
VN,
Indeed it is worth 2 stops! The peach building is a well liked /well known coffee house called Liebana at 131 avenue El Castello.
 
Another breakfast at Hostal Sigueiro in Sigueiro.

INICIO | SIGUEIRO HOSTEL - Bed & Breakfast

[Telf. +34.981 973 636 | +34.615 499 071 ] SIGUEIRO HOSTEL - Bed & Breakfast, Albergue de Peregrinos del Camino de Santiago en Sigüeiro. Alojamiento para peregrinos.
www.sigueirohostel.com

Camino Ingles 2018.
On my first Ingles I got ill in Sigueiro. The owners of this hostal were then the owners of the former Hostal Miraz. The lovely lady there insisted I visited ER in Santiago and asked a local taxi driver to assist me to the hospital. This nice gentleman stayed with me for the whole two hours at ER waiting for me. Nothing major going on so I was sent back to the hostal but the doctor advised me to stop my Camino and not walk the last 16k. into Santiago.

Fast forward. When I heard that the nice lady opened this wonderful place I decided to stay there. She surprised me completely when the former taxidriver ( now on a well deserved pension ) showed up. We hugged and talked a bit. The wine was on me!
Utter joy!

 
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La Virgen del Camino
Av Astorga 67
La Basilica

photo taken February 27, 2009



Seven km from Leon on the CF is
La Basilica de La Virgen del Camino

Deep yellow windows light the interior of this extraordinary contemporary church.

Designed in the 1960s by a Dominican monk, Francisco Coello, a follower of the Brutalist style of Le Corbusier, this is basically a glass box; giant metal sculptures of the Apostles adorn the west façade.

The town is named for a famous 15th c. figure of the Virgin holding the dead body of Christ. Today the figure is within the contemporary church

Opposite the church you can either continue on the CF or follow the peaceful alternative camino route towards Villar de Mazarife thus escaping the N120 highway noise/ suburban sprawl while crossing flat plains.
 
We loved our stay at Casa Pepa. Great albergue, very hospitable, welcoming and good food. June, 2018.
 
We have fond memories of La Basilica de la Virgen del Camino. We met a lovely American couple with their 6 year old daughter outside the church the day we walked passed. They had walked from St Jean and had a buggy pram for their daughter to rest in when she got tired. They had done much research about which was the best buggy to buy for this purpose and so far it had worked very well. We walked with them off and on for the next couple of days and stayed in the same albergue in Villar de Mazarife.
 
Get a Spanish mobil number + data while on the Camino
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mspath said:
The peach building is a well liked /well known coffee house called Liebana at 131 avenue El Castello.
Click to expand...
It was full of very well-dressed local ladies, and familes. The 1st time there we were the omly pilgrims and were feeling very scruffy! But you wouldn't have known it from the very friendly service.
 
VNwalking said:
It was full of very well-dressed local ladies, and familes. The 1st time there we were the omly pilgrims and were feeling very scruffy! But you wouldn't have known it from the very friendly service.
Click to expand...
VN,
Perhaps it is the fact that one IS a pilgrim that impacts the service. Often when resembling the "wicked witch of the west" drenched with rain/covered in mud I too have been treated most royally.
 
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mspath said:
Often when resembling the "wicked witch of the west" drenched with rain/covered in mud I too have been treated most royally.
Click to expand...
Me too. It never fails to touch the heart.
There I am feeling mortified for leaving a trail of water, and maybe (God forbid) muddy footprints...but am being treated soooo kindly.
I do wonder - often people (always women) say, "I could never do what you are doing," or, "I would be afraid to walk alone," so it feels in some way that we solo women out there carry many others' prayers to Santiago. That may in part explain the special kindness...we are walking for them too.
 
We met up again with another pilgrim we have been meeting occasionally, Karen, from Denmark, who is 69 years old, walking solo, and carrying her pack! Together, we explored our area of Mansilla de las Mulas a little. We found a rather nice restaurant and had a delicious dinner of gazpacho, paella, and sangria. When in Spain, eat like the locals! When our waiter came to ask how we liked the food, I said to him < De verdad, ¿está mi abuelita en tu cocina? > Did he ever laugh at that one! The locals really appreciate pilgrims who make an effort with their language.

 
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Day one from oporto. I recall the need for a break. We took this photo just because. Then we continued...the whole section was such a delight, with the wind, the open sea on the left, the exhilaration of day ne, the struggle through the sand...
 
VNwalking said:
That moment on the Frances when it feels like you have arrived at least to the edge of Santiago. The first time I got here it was ho hum...the second, I surprised myself in starting to blubber from joy and gratitude.
Click to expand...
I can identify with your observations VN. As I walked the CF, I kept an on-line blog. The technology was quite simple really, just a Google doc to which I shared a "View Only" link with family and friends etc. Due to the widespread availability of Wifi I was able to update the blog just about daily with photos, stories, meditations, the weather, etc. As I arrived in Santiago, I was a little emotional after 32 days of unforgettable experiences, and as usual I posted the photos and thoughts to my blog. What surprised me were the number of replies I received, from men and women following my blog, who told me they had tears in their eyes! We are indeed walking for others!
 
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Bill905,
We are indeed walking/writing for others.

One of the great strengths of writing on line is the importance of sharing.
Tips and memories from/to scores of other readers, both known and unknown, pass to/from digital acquaintances.

For those of us who have walked it is a meaningful way to keep our journey anew while providing practical advice to those who plan to walk.
 
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Saint Jean Pied de Port
rue d'Espagne
view east

photo taken October 13, 2015



This Saint Jean Pied de Port view is
looking EAST across the Nive Béhérobie river.
from rue d'Espagne ie. the Camino Frances.

Many pilgrims miss this view since they hurry WEST on the Camino Frances and never look back.
 
They call it 'queima das fitas', or burning the ribbons. The story goes that in times past, a very male-oriented past, when only men could go to university and they had to wear black gowns; every time they 'made a conquest', they would tear a strip in the hem of their gown. At the end of their studies they would ritually burn their gowns, for reasons that no one was ever able to explain. But the name persists.
 
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We were required to take the Val Carlos route when we started the Camino in March of 2019. The Napoleonic route was officially 'closed' until April 1st. We were warned in the Pilgrim Welcome Center in SJPP that if anyone did take the Napoleonic route, and subsequently had to be rescued, the fines would be hefty! Here is a screenshot of what it took to reach Roncesvalles that first day. One of our walking companions had a phone app that tracked the altitude covered and converted it into the equivalent of floors of a building. When I saw that statistic, I knew why my thighs were so sore! The Napoleonic route would require even more floors.

 
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Bill905,
Multi-floors indeed. You can read my 2004 reaction to all those "floors" in this earlier post
What a relief it was to finally sit down on level ground and have some tea!
 
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Altus BALI Sleeping bag liner
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Camino Preparation Guide
Fail to prepare? reduce your risk by buying this book full of practical info.
2nd ed.
Arzúa
municipal albergue
interior

photos taken December 6, 2012





In Arzúa on the CF in Galicia the municipal albergue is a repurposed/renovated historic school. Old stone was handsomely combined with new slate; original details were kept. I always enjoyed staying here; the winter heating was great.

Unseen in these pictures, but best of all, in the spacious showers, hot water sprayed me/not the walls! Bliss
 
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Camino Preparation Guide
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2nd ed.
City of Porto where we started our Portuguese walk. Plan on spending a extra day here to sample port wine and rest. The city if VERY hilly. One day of touring and my Fitbit said '120 flights of stairs'. we walked from here to coast for two days and then moved inland.

 
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Saint Jean Pied de Port
Notre-Dame du Bout du Pont
church interior

photo taken October 13, 2015



Before begining my last camino in Saint Jean Pied de Port the riverside church,
Notre-Dame du Bout du Pont, was a welcoming sanctuary.
 
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Camino Frances
west of Arca

photo taken December 8, 2013



Dawn was frigid this December morning; frozen vegetation lining the camino path sparkled like crystal as the sun rose.
It was a perfect winter day for walking the last 20km into Santiago de Compostela and up the hill to the cathedral for the 9th time.
 
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Entry from 22 April 2019 - on the Primitivo, near Tineo:
It was tough but so beautiful. Snow covered mountains around. Lush, lush, lush. Lots of cows, the sweet-sour smell of sileage, and milk tankers confirm we are in Asturias. Wild violets, and primula. Huge bumblebees hovering over a sweet smelling white bush.
Had a delicious taste of the local creamy blue cheese with my breakfast. At night a tapas of cured meat and cheese on a tostados.
My muscles tell me I climbed today. As do my hips, knees and feet. This large goblet of local red wine is sooo good - along with the super strength Spanish ibuprofen.

 
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Portomarine: the dreaded bridge (I have a fear of heights, so I walked on the wrong side of the cement wall) and right after, the stairs, sooooo steep... not the best part of my camino!!! But still, I will do it again as soon as I can!
 
Anik2001,
Glad to read that you made it safely across.
Tomorrow should be easier. Carpe diem.
 
More Eucalypts against a very threatening sky as we were nearing Albergaria-a-Velha. Arrived at our accommodation to discover it was closed on a Monday! Even although we had a booking. By this stage it was pouring rain. The lady in the next door travel agency came to our rescue and invited us into her premises. She then phoned the owners for us. Reluctantly they arrived about an hour later and let us in.
Why they took our booking in the first place who knows. They were also meant to be giving us our evening meal, which they did, we were the only ones in the restaurant. It was all very strange. Caminho Portuguese, May, 2016.
 
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Cirauqui
Iglesia de San Román
door

photo taken October 22, 2015



Learning/teaching are continual


October 2015 alone in Cirauqui I was intently re-admiring the south door of the Iglesia de San Román.

Two local tots on tricycles and their mom also stopped to look. Mom asked "What makes that door of this church special?"

Forever the professor I pointed to the distinctive poly-globed arch as Mom took this photo.
 
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A small side altar in the church of San Andreas in La Faba on the CF - although I realize that most of the tradition and mystique of a camino refers to, and revolves around, the person of Santiago, I also have to remind myself from time to time that as an apostle he was a personal friend of the two people depicted by this statue, i.e. the Blessed Virgin and her son, Jesus Christ. May they all inspire pilgrims forever!

 
Another twofer. Invierno 6/6/19.
There's absolutely nothing special about this photograph, Except what happened a few minutes later.
As you can see, the Camino here is right next to the railroad line. A train approached going in the other direction - and when it reached where I was walking, the driver gave a couple of cheerful blasts of the whistle. It made my day.
On the camino, it doesn't take much.

 
Train on the 4-day Catalina Camino
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VN,
It doesn't take much but it is very special.
Much of my camino day was spent in a chaotic mental mix of personal thanksgiving, worry over the weather or my gut, and, the far more social act of simply waving to those that passed by.

These include other pilgrims, of course, but also dog walkers, police, bikers, farmers and especially lorry drivers. Such exchanges are silent gestures of our shared humanity.
 
Muruzábal
Iglesia de Santa María de Eunate
albergue
tea

photo taken January 31, 2009



January 31, 2009, I was the first pilgrim of the new seaon to stop and ask to stay at the Eunate albergue near the Camino Frances/Camino Aragones junction.

Jean, the French hospitalero, remembered me from 2008 and very graciously invited me to join him and his friends for "tea". We ate delicious goodies and shared much camino gossip in French !

That cold night I slept upstairs in the tiny dorm. One of the many delights of the albergue, now unfortunately closed, was falling asleep in the dark while regarding above applied to the dorm ceiling a phosphorescent band of stars, a Milky Way, leading westward...Magic.

.....All these years later as I fall asleep I still try to glimpse those stars.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Day two, CP, 2013
Looking now at this photo, I recognise my ignorance of so much. 'Civilisation' has not helped me to know what is under my feet, because it has covered the earth in something that has desensitised me.
I am partly sorry for the dark note. It was prompted by seeing again these beautiful creatures, whose forebears surely did not include constraints of having to forage through metal barriers!
 
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