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On the Camino: One Day at a Time, one Photo at a Time 9.0

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Join the Camino cleanup. Logroño to Burgos May 2025 & Astorga to OCebreiro in June
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
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.
In July 2006, these figures were being stored in an alcove within the Cathedral. In Pamplona and Tudela, which is where I have seen them in action, they are called Los Gigantes.


These are the Gigantes that are stored in the alcove in the Cathedral. Seen when I took the Cathedral rooftop/ museumtour years ago.
They do not look the same as the ones @FourSeasons posted?
The ones @FourSeasons posted are from people wearing a mask ( papier maché ? ) whereas the ones in my pic are from wood and other material.

Gigantes Catedral.jpg
 
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A selection of Camino Jewellery
Camino Magdellena /Frances
east of Granon
marker

photo taken February 20, 2007

east of Granon, marker.jpg

This marker which depicts the route of the Camino de Santiago crossing Rioja
is actually located on the Camino Magdellena which branches off the Camino Frances to arrive at Granon from the SE via the cemetery.
 
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
Camino Invierno
Las Médulas
gold mine interior

photo taken November 26, 2014

Las Médulas tunnel.jpg

Although, then trepidacious, in retrospect I am glad I followed the lights into the curved tunnel and took this interior shot as a permanent memento...Ouf!
 
Along the Ruta do Mar
Beautiful, @Peregrina 2013 ! I have thought of walking this way someday via San Andres de Teixido, then to Santiago via the Ingles.

And please do pace yourself, because we want to see all your pics! The thread is meant to be one photo per day, so you can take your time.
 
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Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
On Ruta do Mar in April, 2022. After enjoying lunch in Rinlo - a fishing town with the second oldest fishermen's brotherhood in Spain I came upon this incredible and very old cetárea - where the ocean waters come in and allow for the raising of shellfish.

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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.
Camino Frances
Villatuerta
Casa Magica

photo taken October 20, 2011

Villatuerta, albergue, hammocks .jpg

The loggia of the Casa Magica, a private albergue in Villatuerta on the CF, was strung with colorful hammocks for shady siestas; these might be very appealing during summer heat, but were not quite as inviting in late October chill.
 
On the Ruta do Mar in April 2022 I was able to visit the XI century romanesque architecture style Basilica of San Martiño de Mondoñedo in Foz. It was reinforced in the XVIII century and it is considered the oldest cathedral in Spain. My apologies for not adhering to one photo - it is an amazing historical structure.




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...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
On the Ruta do Mar in April 2022 I was able to visit the XI century romanesque architecture style Basilica of San Martiño de Mondoñedo in Foz. It was reinforced in the XVIII century and it is considered the oldest cathedral in Spain. My apologies for not adhering to one photo - it is an amazing historical structure.




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Thanks for your photo contributions, very welcome. Thereare times when we all cheat by sneaking in one or two because they tell a story... so no worries. Isn't it truly something to marvel at, the heritage of the Camino...
 
Camino Frances
Puente La Reina-Gares
calle del Crucifijo
night

photo taken October 23, 2013

Puente La Reina, night.jpg

Calle del Crucifijo is named for the Iglesia del Crucifijo which is named for a German crucifix displayed inside. In this view the curve of the church apse is visible on the right side of the calle. A lighted covered passage links the church to the Convento del Crucifijo on the left side of the calle; a private school, the Colegio de los Padres Reparadores, occupies that space.
 
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
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.
Trainstation Oviedo. Two today.

I flew from Brussels to Santander.Stayed the night there and then on the FEVE train from Santander to Oviedo and then Oviedo to Ferrol. Total of ten hours slow train with lots and lots of stops ( parallel to the Camino del Norte ).

Camino Ingles 2014.

Oviedo.jpg
Jabon.jpg
 
June 16, 2019. Resting on a bench in front of the Iglesia San Salvador de Moreda on the Invierno, I met the priest as he arrived to open the church doors and ring the bell. We had a brief chat and he invited me to stay for mass. I declined and said that I needed to keep walking. Continuing on, I looked back at a view of the church.

Moreda.jpeg Moreda church.jpeg
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Trainstation Oviedo. Two today.

I flew from Brussels to Santander.Stayed the night there and then on the FEVE train from Santander to Oviedo and then Oviedo to Ferrol. Total of ten hours slow train with lots and lots of stops ( parallel to the Camino del Norte ).

Camino Ingles 2014.

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That is the kind of soap I stuff into my bag on the way home from Spain!
Soap and large tubs of parsley, my friends love getting them. I also took a slow train after the CF - from Santiago to Bilbao. Quite beautiful, and offering plenty of time to say goodbye to the experience. When I find it, I will post the photo of our rucksacks in Bilbao station as we waited for a friend to meet us.
 
Asking a local gentleman near Sargadelos where the Ruta do Mar trail was, and he had absolutely no idea just like many others we asked in Cervo as well. Up to this point we had been following the Camino Natural de la Ruta del Cantábrico - which is very well marked all the way to Ladrido. So, needless to say, that is exactly what we continued doing:-)

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Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
Camino Frances
Saint Jean Pied de Port
49 rue de La Citadelle

photo taken October 14, 2014

49 rue de La Citadelle .jpg

This handsome door knocker adorns a private house on the street of pilgrim hope and memory in Saint Jean Pied de Port, the picturesque Basque mountain town in the French Pyrenees.
 
Camino Frances
Granon
parish albergue San Juan Bautista
door knocker

photo taken October 28, 2010

Granon albergue door knocker.jpg

I have stayed in the parish albergue San Juan Bautista in Granon on the CF 10 times. Upon arrival seeing this door knocker adorned with shell, staff and gourd was always a thrill.
 
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,-
Ruta do Mar, April 26, 2022. The Ruins of San Tirso is one of the best preserved vestiges of the first settlements in the Lugo municipality of Xove. Although today only the ruins of what was the chapel of San Tirso are preserved, this environment has an important history, since the first inhabitants of the area on the shores of the Mar Cantábrico settled here, with their primitive celt settlements, known as castros in Galicia. In fact, it is believed that this area in the province of Lugo could have been inhabited since 1200 BC.


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Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
Invierno. June 19, 2019. Descending from Monte Faro on a humid, drizzly overcast day, with the constant drone of a long stretch of windmills, waving my poles to keep large black flies from my face. After a few km's though, the sky cleared, I left the windmills and flies behind and enjoyed the last stretch into Rodeiro and the welcoming Hostal Carpinteiras.

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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Camino Frances
Burgos
cathedral
interior detail

photo taken November 8, 2012

Burgos, cathedral, detail 08.11.2012.jpg

Within the magnificent riches and richness of Burgos Cathedral is this simple, almost charming memento mori featuring a child/putto holding a skull. Thus the themes of this infantile combo are not playfulness and childhood but life's fleetingness and the universality of death.
 
The morning mist clearing off Pico Sacro, on the last day of the Invierno. Next time I'd like to stay nearby and walk up there. View media item 9724
it is an amazing historical structure
Your wonderful photos have moved the RdM way up on my list.

They're swallows. Hence the aerodynamics - they are astonishing fliers.

life's fleetingness and the universality of death
This particular memento mori is so different! So true, these reflections.
 
The morning mist clearing off Pico Sacro, on the last day of the Invierno. Next time I'd like to stay nearby and walk up there. View media item 9724

Your wonderful photos have moved the RdM way up on my list.


They're swallows. Hence the aerodynamics - they are astonishing fliers.


This particular memento mori is so different! So true, these reflections.
You would not regret it! It truly is breathtaking and awesome at every turn!
 
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They're swallows. Hence the aerodynamics - they are astonishing fliers.
I stand corrected even though I knew they are swallows, sparrows are much smaller. I hope you enjoyed the video non the less.

As a child I remember seeing the annual return of the "swallows" in San Juan Capistrano, CA. What a lovely sight to behold.
 
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CF July 20, 2019 Carrion de los Condes. As I hung out my laundry to dry and started to relax in the back courtyard at the Albergue de Santa Maria. I couldn't help but marvel at the show these lively sparrows were giving me. What a lovely sight and sound. 🥰
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Every time I see swallows, the first verses of Rima LIII - a poem, by Spanish poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer come to mind:)

Volverán las oscuras golondrinas
en tu balcón sus nidos a colgar,
y otra vez con el ala a sus cristales
jugando llamarán.

Pero aquellas que el vuelo refrenaban
tu hermosura y mi dicha a contemplar,
aquellas que aprendieron nuestros nombres...
¡ésas... no volverán!
 
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
Every time I see swallows, the first verses of Rima LIII - a poem, by Spanish poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer come to mind:)

Volverán las oscuras golondrinas
en tu balcón sus nidos a colgar,
y otra vez con el ala a sus cristales
jugando llamarán.

Pero aquellas que el vuelo refrenaban
tu hermosura y mi dicha a contemplar,
aquellas que aprendieron nuestros nombres...
¡ésas... no volverán!
The dark swallows will return
on your balcony their nests to hang,
and again with the wing to its crystals
playing they will call.

But those that the flight restrained
your beauty and my joy to contemplate,
those who learned our names...
those... won't come back!

I'm not sure if it translated correctly. I had to use google translate to read your post. Lovely.
When I think of Sparrows I think of the words from an American song.

If He can hold the world He can hold this moment
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow

There's not a single star that's out of place
There's nothing broken He can't remake
If you long for hope when you're afraid
Oh look at the sparrow
Look at the sparrow

If He can hold the world He can hold this moment
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow
Even the sparrow knows
He holds tomorrow
 
The dark swallows will return
on your balcony their nests to hang,
and again with the wing to its crystals
playing they will call.

But those that the flight restrained
your beauty and my joy to contemplate,
those who learned our names...
those... won't come back!

I'm not sure if it translated correctly. I had to use google translate to read your post. Lovely.
When I think of Sparrows I think of the words from an American song.

If He can hold the world He can hold this moment
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow

There's not a single star that's out of place
There's nothing broken He can't remake
If you long for hope when you're afraid
Oh look at the sparrow
Look at the sparrow

If He can hold the world He can hold this moment
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow
Even the sparrow knows
He holds tomorrow
Translation is pretty good:-) Here is where a little interpretation comes in handy to understand it better:

and again with their wings to your windows (swiftly touching them)
playfully they will call.

But those that refrained their flight (stopped on their tracks - so to speak)
to contemplate your beauty and my joy


What a lovely and insightful song! Thank you!
 
Camino Frances
O Cebreiro
stele

photo taken March 11, 2009

O Cebreiro, Don Elias Valinas Sampedro stele.jpg

This stele commemorates the visionary work of local priest Don Elias Valiñas Sampiedro who mid-20th c. intently studied Galician history thus helping recreate a modern camino within a network of supporting albergues. Additionally with yellow paint begged from the Road Department he painted the first arrows to mark the pilgrim path; such yellow arrows have now become iconic.

I wonder what Don Elias Valiñas Sampiedro might feel if he could see the current hordes tramping carelessly on the path.
 
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A selection of Camino Jewellery
Dough,
What an unhappy spot this was for that birthday. All best wishes for this year and the future!
Carpe diem,
Margaret
By the 22nd I was mobile and a lot happier than I was a couple of days earlier. @SYates came to visit me and brought chocolate cake in the form of a muffin.

Thanks for the good wishes!
 
Join the Camino cleanup. Logroño to Burgos May 2025 & Astorga to OCebreiro in June
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.
Join the Camino cleanup. Logroño to Burgos May 2025 & Astorga to OCebreiro in June
Camino Frances
Irache
Santa Maria de Irache monastery
interior

photo taken February 13, 2007

Monastery of Santa Maria de Irache.jpg

After circumscribing the vast exterior on an icy winter morning I entered the monastery church. Unadorned stone walls and imposing pillars were illuminated by a few slender windows. Peace reigned. It was a privilege to experience such a special place.
 
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Santiago de Compostela. Celebrating the summer solstice and the eve of San Juan on this day, June 23rd in 2019. This was a wonderful, memorable day and night in Santiago.

san juan 2 (1).jpeg san juan 3 (1).jpeg san juan (1).jpeg

From: santiagoturismo.com

June 23rd, the summer solstice, is the magical eve of “San Juan” (St. John’s Day), an ancient fiesta that is present in all cultures, marking the beginning of the summer, the time of greatest sunlight, the longest day in the year.

Compostela’s “Noche de San Juan” is similar to that of the rest of Galicia, except for the enthusiasm contributed to this magical night by the city’s inhabitants, especially the university students. During this night the city is full of bonfires (which are given the specific name of “cacharelas” on this occasion), which Compostela’s residents jump over in order to protect themselves from the witchcraft and spells of the “meigas” (typical name for Galicia’s evil spirits).

During this night, the city’s streets and squares are filled with the smell of fire but also of sardines, which taste best during the month of June; they are grilled outdoors, over the “cacharelas”, and are served with red wine and Galician pie. There is also a lot of music, mostly traditional but also modern music, which, around some bonfires such as the one in Plaza de Irmán Gómez, makes for a lively party.

The purifying rite of the bonfires is accompanied by another rite with water and magical plants, which are left all night in water that is used for washing in the morning. That is why, on June 23rd, there is a smell of wild flowers in the food market (rosemary, mint, camomile, roses…), which are sold by the bunch at temporary stalls only during this day.
 
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I know that the members who frequent this thread like a story, so here goes. Indulge me.
I have a friend in my home town here, (7000 inhabitants) called Paquita. No, not Spanish, Australian. But she had a Spanish-born grandmother, her namesake, the daughter of a Dutch mining engineer who was appointed the manager of various mines in the Rio Tinto mining district in the late 1800’s. His name was Guillaume Delprat, and because of his extensive experience in Spain he was offered the job as general manager of BHP (Broken Hill Pty), maybe the biggest corporation now in Australia. Delprat’s daughter, Paquita, was born in Tharsis, Andalusia, and was still a little girl when she arrived in Australia. The Delprats became Melbourne aristocracy, and young Paquita married Australia’s most famous geologist and Antarctic explorer, Douglas Mawson, who used to appear on our $50 banknote. Paquita 2 has her childhood diary, and after one of my caminos I made a special visit to the area to check out locations. I found the house that she was born in, in Tharsis, and also the ruins of the manager’s house at the Cabeza del Paso mine, where she spent a few years of her childhood.
738EC596-BC86-4F91-89C8-55C2ADBB3C58.jpeg
on the right of the picture is an arch structure which used to house the mine “shift” bell, described in the diary.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
In O Vicedo enjoying a shared dinner with my lovely group - my husband (his first Camino), my sister-in-law, and my 2 dearest friends and former colleagues. The other three love to partake in adventures with me and have always been willing to trust my judgement when it comes to planning a Camino itinerary:-)

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Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
Evening in Santiago and a view of the Convento de San Franciso from my room at the Hospederia San Martin Pinario. June 24, 2019. I have stayed at San Martin several times now - it feels like home as I walk down the stone floor corridor to the reception desk where there is always a warm welcome.

Francisco (1).jpeg
 
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3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Camino Frances
Ponferrada
Capilla de Nuestra Señora del Carmen

photo taken March 13, 2007,

Capilla de Nuestra Señora del Carmen.jpg

This partial view was shot while waiting for the adjacent San Nicolas de Flüe albergue to open.
These archives discuss the history of the site and the complex iconography of this vibrant 1999 painting.
 
Just gorgeous. I'm curious about the meaning of Mar Chica.
Peregrinopaul,

Indeed, there is much to investigate in this painting. Mar Chica is the name of a seaside lagoon in Morocco.

I regret that my 2007 photo is only a partial view of the dome. The archival in-depth description of the symbolic iconography was published recently. It would have been most helpful to have read it on site in the chapel while pondering the images.
...Nevertheless actually seeing/experiencing the dome was splendid.
 
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Camino Frances
Samos
Monastery of San Julian
mural detail

photo taken November 10, 2004

Samos, Monastery of San Julian.jpg

Painted c.1955 these fantastic and historic figures surround an Oratorium door. Seen during a guided tour this new mural was most impressive and rather frightening.

Parts of the Benedictine monastery complex are 9th century, but the majority was built in the 16th /17th centuries. Much, however, was rebuilt after a 1951 fire.
 
We had to stop here on the the Loiba coast in the municipality of Ortigueira in Gaicia to sit here, on what is known to be the most beautiful bench in the world! The bench is nothing out of the ordinary but with the breathtaking cliffs, the beaches and the surrounding fields, the views that stretch out before you are indeed very impressive!


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I've been busy, and got a new computer. An unfortunate consequence of trying to circumvent Microsoft's intrusive cloud drive on the latter is that I accidently trashed my photo files. Bothersome.

So for a time I'll need to depend on Ivar.
Here is a detail of the portico of the lovely hermitage just after Monasterio de Rodilla on the Via de Bayona. @mspath could say much more than I about what I was seeing, but it was marvelous, even knowing just a bit.
View media item 9814
 
Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
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