Author: Thom

Today was the day that we lost both Patrick and Petra. Patrick was running out of vacation time, so he was heading back home to Florida and would complete his Camino in subsequent years. Petra was on a time deadline before leaving for a teaching assignment in southeast Asia. She was grabbing a bus a bus to Burgos to shave […]

Here’s a slightly better view of the Catedral de Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The original Romanesque church on this site was consecrated in 1106, but this tower is anything but Romanesque! It was expanded and reworked a number of times, particularly during the time it became a cathedral in the thirteenth century. The tower and much of the decorative […]

This is a sign for an albergue in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. It is operated by the confraternity of the saint, an organization that he himself founded in the year 1106. While this particular building several centuries newer, know that the folks behind it have been providing hospitality for pilgrims for more than 900 years. Apologies for the gap […]

Yes. You can ride the Camino on bike rather than walk it. In 2013 when this photo was taken, roughly 20% of all Camino pilgrims were on bike. An additional 1% or so were on horseback or by horse-drawn cart, and the remainder were on foot. Obviously, this particular bike isn’t going anywhere, but we did meet several biking pilgrims […]

This. This building in Santo Domingo de la Calzada is clearly new construction, using new materials not typical of this region of Spain. If I had to guess, it was built within the last twenty years. But just as clearly, it’s built in a traditional style and to the expectations of the Spaniards likely to live in the town. Is […]

While Eamon and Petra surged ahead, propelled by youth and long legs, Patrick, Viola, and I struggled, exhorting and encouraging each other, occasionally shouting and swearing at the wind. When we crested the (almost) last hill and saw the town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada in the valley below us, we shouted and wept for joy. It was, we […]

This art is right outside of of Cirueña, and it is the rest of the art which one finds coming into the town. Pretty neat. Is the subject Santiago himself or a pilgrim? Who can tell? Date: 09 April 2013Place: leaving Cirueña (La Rioja, Spain)Today started: in Ventosa (La Rioja, Spain)