• Remove ads on the forum by becoming a donating member. More here.

Search 74,075 Camino Questions

On the Camino: One Day at a Time, one Photo at a Time 6.0

Status
Not open for further replies.
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Leon
Parador San Marcos
cloister garden

photo taken March 7, 2007

View attachment 106932

Wearing pilgrim winter garb I brazenly entered the super deluxe San Marcos Parador which had been built as a pilgrim shelter/hospice 12th/16th c.

Speaking French the maitre de querried Madame? I asked if the famous cloister garden could be visited; he answered that I might faire le tour/circumnavigate that space but must not enter it. While I slowly walked the periphery arcade photographing he intently watched every footstep!!

Thus this view is proof of one peripatetic shot.
Beautiful! Is no one allowed in the garden?
 
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
CF August 14, 2019 Between Arzua and Pedrouzo: When nature reclaims what was once hers.
View attachment 106906
You see even more of this on other caminos especially in Galicia. On the Francés, the camino itself keeps villages alive but Spain has seen a massive depopulation of the countryside and in Galicia, entire villages have become deserted. People in Spain are much better off than they used to be, but something has been lost as well. Ironically, remote working has seen the beginning of a move back to rural areas, but that is a long way from complete revitalisation.
 
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
Leon
Parador San Marcos
cloister garden

photo taken March 7, 2007

View attachment 106932

Wearing pilgrim winter garb I brazenly entered the super deluxe San Marcos Parador which had been built as a pilgrim shelter/hospice 12th/16th c.

Speaking French the maitre de querried Madame? I asked if the famous cloister garden could be visited; he answered that I might faire le tour/circumnavigate that space but must not enter it. While I slowly walked the periphery arcade photographing he intently watched every footstep!!

Thus this view is proof of one peripatetic shot.
I once fainted in the lobby of the parador in Mérida (long story). I have to say, they were most attentive.
 
I was fascinated by the hanging bridge in Portugalete, still very much in daily use and one of only about a dozen or so around the world. In the first picture you can see the platform carrying vehicles and pedestrians and the cables it is strung by from a motorised trolley that moves along the top rail.
P1000100.webp
P1000098.webp
 
P4190103.webp
Camilo José Cela Trulock (1.916-2002) was born in Iria Flavia on May 11. He spent his childhood in Galicia, until in 1925 when his family moved to Madrid, where he published some of his early poems in 1936 and publishing his first novel in 1945, La Familia de Pascual Duarte
In 1956, he founded a magazine called Papeles de Son Armadans which became a cultural reference in Spain in the 50s and 60s. And in 1957 he joined the Real Academia Española which is the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language.
Author of plays such as La Familia de Pascual Duarte, Nuevas Andanzas y Desventuras del Lazarillo de Tormes, Viaje a la Alcarria and La Colmena…,which won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1989, el Cervantes (1995), and el Príncipe de Asturias (1987 ) and in 1996 he was ennobled and received the honor of Marquis of Iria Flavia by King D. Juan Carlos.
In 1991, he inaugurated his own foundation in the town of Padrón, a desire that he had for years.
The Foundation is headquartered in Iria Flavia, opposite the old collegiate church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Iria Flavia, the current building used to be huge houses that were built as a canonical residence in the XVIII century.
It has a total area of 11,000 square meters, a library with of over 45,000 volumes, an art gallery with over 700 original paintings a 178 seater auditorium, classrooms and galleries, along with a widely landscaped area. The John Trulock Railway Museum displays a sample of the Galician railway history which it is very much a part of.
There is a complete collection of manuscripts that makes up almost a totality of all his work.
The library consists of 45,000 volumes, including all editions and translations of the work of CJC. The newspaper library includes 1,200 titles of magazines and newspapers with a total of 45,900 copies, among which includes the full journal file of Son Armadans . The collection of his letters consists of more than 90,000 letters. The pinacoteca gallery is made up of major names in contemporary art (Picasso, Miro, Mosquera, Ulbricht, Zabaleta, Úrculo …), and has various drawings by Lorca, Alberti and even Cela.
Hundreds of titles, honors and awards, among which are the Nobel (1989), the Cervantes (1995) and the Prince of Asturias (1987) – as well as collections and objects that Camilo José Cela went compiling along his life and because of their richness and variety the collection surprises all visitors.
We have to add the legacies of José María Sánchez Silva, José García Nieto, Maria del Carmen and Fernando Pajares Escolano Huarte and manuscripts of other authors.
Camilo José Cela died in Madrid on January 17, 2002, following his wishes, he was transferred to the Adina cemetery.
+ info: Fundación Público Galega Camilo José Cela
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
I enjoy these threads more than any other. I get to see the Caminos through the eyes of others and it gives me an opportunity to rediscover my own photos. There's no rhyme or reason to the ones I post - just whichever one catches my eye on that day.
 
You see even more of this on other caminos especially in Galicia. On the Francés, the camino itself keeps villages alive but Spain has seen a massive depopulation of the countryside and in Galicia, entire villages have become deserted. People in Spain are much better off than they used to be, but something has been lost as well. Ironically, remote working has seen the beginning of a move back to rural areas, but that is a long way from complete revitalisation.
Sadly true for under appreciated rural areas in every country. Unfortunately WFH won’t last long enough to put most of those towns back on their feet. And if it does it may destroy the towns. I’m seeing that tension in mine, where newcomers want to recreate the urban areas they left, paving over creeks and getting rid of deer to put up Starbucks 🙄
 
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.
CF August 13, 2019 Between Palas de Ria and Arzua. Here’s a property for sale. Doesn’t look like it world take much to renovate into an alburgue. 😳 Who’s with me? 😬
View attachment 106974
And it’s right on the Camino!!
To steal a line from the movie The Way, “if it’s more than two euro it’s too much”🙂
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Camino Frances
east of Lorca
tunnel

photo taken October 20, 2011

View attachment 107019

I yearned for unknown open space while walking through this confined passage.
Beautiful photo of this tunnel—spring looks similar to fall. I wonder if those trees lose leaves in winter, it would be interesting to see the view in every season
 
Not very Spanish. But after a cold, grey, foggy walk , over Alto do San Roque, I wanted a beer and a bacon sandwich. CF May 2019.

View attachment 106176
This is a very good post.... I do believe that bacon is one of the 4 basic food groups essential to good (Camino calorie building) nutrition. Beer passes as an acceptable carb, didn't make the cut for one of the 4 basic food groups ......
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
The façade of San Miguel, Estella, 17 Aug 2021. I think this is the three magi and two angels. One thing to look at Romanesque sculpture and admire it, quite another to know what it even represents, let alone actually means. Estella was a camino town early on and benefited from both a steady stream of pilgrims, but also a a steady stream of trade along the same route in addition to some very enterprising settlers. San Miguel parish runs the donativo albergue, which is rather less historic, being located in the basement of a small apartment block owned by the parish.

DSC04283.webpDSC04275.webp
 
Near Lloriana on the Primitivo. Someone took the written warning on the tree seriously and added a more attention grabbing sign :)

View attachment 106985
The Spanish seem to have a thing about 'embellishing' road signs. I remember seeing a very rude one where a sign warning of livestock on the road, i.e. a cow, had a bull added in a highly compromising position. This is a polite one just outside Jaca.DSC05779.webp
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
The façade of San Miguel, Estella, 17 Aug 2021. I think this is the three magi and two angels. One thing to look at Romanesque sculpture and admire it, quite another to know what it even represents, let alone actually means. Estella was a camino town early on and benefited from both a steady stream of pilgrims, but also a a steady stream of trade along the same route in addition to some very enterprising settlers. San Miguel parish runs the donativo albergue, which is rather less historic, being located in the basement of a small apartment block owned by the parish.

View attachment 107027View attachment 107028
I think this may be the angels showing the three Mary’s who came to the tomb that it was empty and Christ had risen

edit: I think a similar design is on the door of pardon at San Isidoro in Leon. I’ll see if I have a picture

edit: estella is one of my favorite stops and eventually I’ll post pictures. Loved it and the albergue.
 
Last edited:
I think this may be the angels showing the three Mary’s who came to the tomb that it was empty and Christ had risen

edit: I think a similar design is on the door of pardon at San Isidoro in Leon. I’ll see if I have a picture

edit: estella is one of my favorite stops and eventually I’ll post pictures. Loved it and the albergue.

Scroll and you may find! ;)

 
Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I think this may be the angels showing the three Mary’s who came to the tomb that it was empty and Christ had risen

edit: I think a similar design is on the door of pardon at San Isidoro in Leon. I’ll see if I have a picture

edit: estella is one of my favorite stops and eventually I’ll post pictures. Loved it and the albergue.
I think this may be the angels showing the three Mary’s who came to the tomb that it was empty and Christ had risen

edit: I think a similar design is on the door of pardon at San Isidoro in Leon. I’ll see if I have a picture

edit: estella is one of my favorite stops and eventually I’ll post pictures. Loved it and the albergue.
I'll go with that. I was going on the fact that the three standing figures were holding what I thought were their three gifts, your explanation makes a lot more sense. We were hospis there in August 2018 so have very fond memories of the place. Unfortunately, we were so busy, we barely had time to grab a coffee and pan con tomate let alone explore the town.
 
The façade of San Miguel, Estella, 17 Aug 2021. I think this is the three magi and two angels. One thing to look at Romanesque sculpture and admire it, quite another to know what it even represents, let alone actually means. Estella was a camino town early on and benefited from both a steady stream of pilgrims, but also a a steady stream of trade along the same route in addition to some very enterprising settlers. San Miguel parish runs the donativo albergue, which is rather less historic, being located in the basement of a small apartment block owned by the parish.

View attachment 107027View attachment 107028
Also super jealous, my pictures didn’t turn out well in estella, I really like the clear detail
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I'll go with that. I was going on the fact that the three standing figures were holding what I thought were their three gifts,
Whoa, symmetry and symbolism I hadn’t seen before—the angel and three men bearing gifts at birth, angels and three women bringing perfumed oils and spices at death.
😮 I’m supposed to be asleep but I don’t think my mind is going to shut off anytime soon.
thank you!!
 
Whoa, symmetry and symbolism I hadn’t seen before—the angel and three men bearing gifts at birth, angels and three women bringing perfumed oils and spices at death.
😮 I’m supposed to be asleep but I don’t think my mind is going to shut off anytime soon.
thank you!!
"In the end is my beginning" If you are that wide awake, have a look at Eliot's 'The Journey of the Magi'. For me, the poem says a lot about the camino.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
"In the end is my beginning" If you are that wide awake, have a look at Eliot's 'The Journey of the Magi'. For me, the poem says a lot about the camino.
Eliot was one of my father’s favorite poets; he read poetry to me when I was very little, then we read together as I grew. I agree with what it says about the Camino, and about our lives in general
 
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
11 JUN 2012 somewhere between Arzua and Monte do Gozo

...yes, I was aware I only had 5k more, but I wanted to arrive in SdC at dawn, not in the afternoon :)
had the cathedral to myself for a while....
IMG_3746.webp
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
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.
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
A glorious day and a favourite stretch through the beautiful open countryside between Oncina de la Valdocina and Villar de Mazarife.

View attachment 106861
In the spring of 2012, on a day just like this in the photo, and on this part of the trail, I had a brief 'visitation' by a friend who had died four years earlier; he had walked the CF in 2004. The experience was very strange, but reassuring.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
B5AA86F0-6032-4E2D-887C-DDD3EC01E343.jpeg June 2, Berducedo to Castro. Pretty sure that’s the Navia River or the Salime reservoir below but not sure which). Primitivo

edit: see the arrow bottom left…classic Primitivo trail marking
 
Last edited:
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Pilgrims' laundry in Villafranca Montes de Oca.
Camino Francés, May 29, 2017

View attachment 107130

We tend to pick the best photos, but I love these everyday images - takes me right back into the moment. What I would give to be doing laundry on the camino right now!
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Grill.webpbar Chamonix.webp

Two today.Preparation and finished product: grilled mushrooms.
Camino Vasco Interior 2019.
In the town of Haro.
The Bar is named " Chamonix ". Always wondered if the owner is an avid ski-fan who loves the skiresort in France or a kind of reference to his signature dish " champiñones "... ;) .
Anyway...grilled mushrooms made to perfection. The simplicity of bread, mushrooms and garlic oil.
 
Walking through Mérida, on the Via de la Plata, 6 May 2018, and I was lucky enough to come across a Folklorico festival, being held at the Roman theatre. I took videos of the singing and dancing, but these young women were good enough to pose for me.

IMG_0660 (1).webp
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
August 20th, failing at sleep, I watched planes landing at Madrid airport from my garret hotel unit in Barajas. Very early on the 21st, I would head for Chamartin station, and a train to Valladolid, where I would connect for a train to Fromista, hop off, hit the ground running and arrive in Carrion de los Condes by late afternoon with my beloved Who had been walking solo to that point from SJPdP.

1629467567462.webp
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Me and Fernando. Fernando and Sabino were the representatives of the parish, and they were fantastic. They gave us all the support we needed; if the boiler started gushing water or the washing machine packed up, no matter what the time, they'd come and fix it or get the plumber (we were on first name terms before we left), took us shopping and regularly visited to make sure everything was OK, usually with a gift of fresh vegetables or home made cakes. Fernando was a real character and a part-time clown. One of his jobs was to count the money in the donativo box. This was a lengthy process involving counting how much there was of each denomination of notes and coins, twice each, then calculating the average paid by each pilgrim over the previous week. He lent me the self-published autobiography of his father who had been first a volunteer in the navy. Parts of it are very funny. When the Civil War broke out, he supported the Republican side and became a fighter pilot. After the war, he returned to Spain under the terms of the 'amnesty' and would almost certainly have been shot if a neighbour hadn't spoken up for him. Instead he was sentenced to a term in prison. From memory, the last sentence of his book read 'Mi unico crimen fue luchar contra ellos que usuparon la libertad de un pueblo soberano' - 'My only crime was to fight against those who took away the freedom of a sovereign people'. If anyone passes through Estella and stays at the San Miguel Paroquial, we'd love to hear any news of them.
DSC04296.webp
 
Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
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.
Last edited:
Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
Walking between Boo de Pielagos and Santillana del Mar with the snow covered Picos de Europa in the distance! May, 2018.
View attachment 107258
Passing Boo was when I began to question my decision to walk a “double” that day from Guemes to Santillana, thoughts not helped with intermittent rain 🙄 I think it was the dumbest decision of my three months
 
Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
A few km after Melide, early October 2012. A blurry but favourite photo. One of those beautiful fresh mornings along a quiet road. As she approaches, a woman smiles and lifts her walking stick in greeting. She stops to say hello, we exchange a few words, wish each other well and continue on our opposite ways. I remember this moment, her face and her voice clearly.

melide morning.webp
 
August 22, 2018… my train pulling to Frómista as seen by Dear Spouse… and a view from our balcony in a small hotel in Carrion de los Condes that evening.
Beloved Spouse had been very worried that my train would blow right through because the hospitalero (at the albergue that burned down the following year) had told him that no train stopped in the morning in Frómista.
But stop the train did, and I hopped off, got my first stamp at a bar in town and we were off!
The hotel room was a gift from my mother. I recall that our room was pink everything.
And a Mahou lager in the centre of town at the end of our day was really wonderful.

F2E1277E-9CC0-47B7-8CDA-F9206477B6F1.jpeg3FB311B1-6DFA-434F-8ED5-73B3B4380A38.jpeg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Me and Fernando. Fernando and Sabino were the representatives of the parish, and they were fantastic. They gave us all the support we needed; if the boiler started gushing water or the washing machine packed up, no matter what the time, they'd come and fix it or get the plumber (we were on first name terms before we left), took us shopping and regularly visited to make sure everything was OK, usually with a gift of fresh vegetables or home made cakes. Fernando was a real character and a part-time clown. One of his jobs was to count the money in the donativo box. This was a lengthy process involving counting how much there was of each denomination of notes and coins, twice each, then calculating the average paid by each pilgrim over the previous week. He lent me the self-published autobiography of his father who had been first a volunteer in the navy. Parts of it are very funny. When the Civil War broke out, he supported the Republican side and became a fighter pilot. After the war, he returned to Spain under the terms of the 'amnesty' and would almost certainly have been shot if a neighbour hadn't spoken up for him. Instead he was sentenced to a term in prison. From memory, the last sentence of his book read 'Mi unico crimen fue luchar contra ellos que usuparon la libertad de un pueblo soberano' - 'My only crime was to fight against those who took away the freedom of a sovereign people'. If anyone passes through Estella and stays at the San Miguel Paroquial, we'd love to hear any news of them.
View attachment 107247
I was a hospitalera at San Miguel in Estella in June 2015. The priest came every few days to count the donations, and your money-counting routine sounds familiar. It was a nice Albergue in an interesting town. I am sorry that I never met Fernando.
 
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.
I was a hospitalera at San Miguel in Estella in June 2015. The priest came every few days to count the donations, and your money-counting routine sounds familiar. It was a nice Albergue in an interesting town. I am sorry that I never met Fernando.
God bless all the hospitaleros, and especially those at San Miguel in Estella and Domus Dei in Foncebadon —I could spend all week talking about the kindness I saw in one evening with the hospitaleras in San Miguel (with comic interludes courtesy of us pilgrims). Those two, and the monks at ziotza were the three best nights of my Camino, followed closely by the private albergues Bodenaya and Villares di Orbigo. Thank you and @dick bird and all who care for us along the way
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Passing Boo was when I began to question my decision to walk a “double” that day from Guemes to Santillana, thoughts not helped with intermittent rain 🙄 I think it was the dumbest decision of my three months
Well we would agree re your decision ;) 50kms would have killed me (Anne)! We walked from Guemes to Santander via the ferry, it rained most of that day, had a rest day in Santander exploring, then walked to Boo and stopped for a night, then on to Santillana for another night!:) Much better decision!
 
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
Well we would agree re your decision ;) 50kms would have killed me (Anne)! We walked from Guemes to Santander via the ferry, it rained most of that day, had a rest day in Santander exploring, then walked to Boo and stopped for a night, then on to Santillana for another night!:) Much better decision!
I walked several doubles in those three months but regret this one—I did it because I didn’t enjoy guemes (yes, I know, the only pilgrim in the world who says that) and wanted to get away from some overly friendly pilgrims who all seemed to think solo women were there to hook up. So I was tired and still upset by santillana, slept, got up early and left to make sure I kept at least a day ahead—I should have stayed to enjoy santillana more, such a pretty town. You were MUCH wiser.
 
Vila do Conde.webp
Couple on a bench.

Another picture of Vila do Conde. CP 2015. End of August and there were suprisingly few pilgrims around. I only found the albergue in Redondela crowded ( a schoolgroup ) and I noticed that Ponte de Lima was a bottleneck but there I stayed in a hotel.
 
I was a hospitalera at San Miguel in Estella in June 2015. The priest came every few days to count the donations, and your money-counting routine sounds familiar. It was a nice Albergue in an interesting town. I am sorry that I never met Fernando.
We met the priest only once. He came round because the burglar alarm had gone off. Otherwise he never came near the place. Probably a different priest. Was there a massive contraption for making coffee and hot water that sat on the table? We called it 'the beast'. And did an elderly Roma lady came round every few days for food? Her name was Esmerelda.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
In the garden/courtyard in Estella. The two women in red are our predecessors, Ara and Susanna. They organised a nightly 'Eurovision Song Contest' with the resident albergue guitar, and served bread cheese, red wine and lemonade. They had so much energy, a real inspiration. They would greet every pilgrim with home made lemonade and water melon (we copied them - the look on the pilgrims' faces made it ten times worth the effort) and gave everybody a welcoming and a farewell pilgrim hug. We downplayed the song contest to a 'momento comunal' where people could sing or talk or anything else they wanted to - some utterly transcending stories and performances came out of that. The three on the left are staff from another albergue in Estella staffed by people with special needs. The rest are pilgrims.

View attachment 107371
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Most read last week in this forum

Looking for advice for a friend who is currently on the Frances. He has some dollars that he did not exchange because he was keeping it in reserve but now he needs it and is having trouble...
Why in the world am I planning another camino? Isnt twice enough?
I was browsing german jakobswege and happened upon this list of (probably) current albergues on the market: https://www.jakobsweg.de/pilgerherberge-kaufen/. In typical german fashion, all the...
I AM A PLANNER... I was 10 days in on my last camino before I was able to "relax" - that was when I finally had all of my nights booked. Please, do not make this a discussion about "to book or...
My wife and I will finish our third camino next June in Santiago de Compostela. We will have approximately a week before we need to be in Lisbon. We are looking for advice for interesting places...

Featured threads

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Featured threads

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top