Author: Thom

The interior of the Iglesia Parroquia de San Tirso de Palas de Rei reveals the true extent of the restorations and modernizations suffered by this church. Most of the building dates from the 20th century, though there are various bits and bobs dating all the way back to the original founding in the 12th century. The result is less a […]

In the center of the the town of Palas de Rei sits the Parroquia de San Tirso de Palas de Rei. While this church was originally built in the 12th century, it has considerably suffered from extensive modern restorations. In fact, only the main portal is original. The interior (which we’ll take a look at in the next few days) […]

This statue is found in the “Catskills” area just before Palas de Rei. This is how I imagine my Guardian Angel looks most of the time. Date: 29 April 2016 Place: Approaching Palas de Rei (Galicia, Spain) Maps of the Day:

As you approach the large town of Palas de Rei, you pass through a long series of hostels and holiday camps. It’s like the Spanish version of the Catskills. This might be why this is generally considered a stopping place on the Camino for pilgrims. Unfortunately, this area is quite a way from the urban center, and in a town […]

The gravel sidewalk continued for some time, only becoming a proper trail again briefly as the Camino diverged from the road, which at the same time merged with the N-547 highway. Unfortunately, after too short a distance, the Camino was about to head back to the highway and become a sidewalk again. Date: 29 April 2016 Place: Between Brea and […]

Just past the tiny village of Lestedo, we come to another Galician church surrounded by a graveyard. This is the Iglesia Parroquial de Santiago de Lestedo. I took a brief look around, but unfortunately the church was locked up tight. I think we’re 0 for 3 on this church now, which is too bad. From the outside, at least, this […]

Because sometimes, you just need a group photo. I didn’t take nearly enough of these on any of our Caminos. That’s Alicia and Rebecca on the left, and Francine and I on the right. Date: 29 April 2016 Place: Portos (Galicia, Spain) Map of the Day:

Francine is taking no guff from the giant ants of Portos. This place, A Paso de Formiga, is famous all along the Camino. It always reminds me of that 50s monster movie, Them! There are several of these giant ants here, which really gets the place noticed. The food here is great, the proprietor friendly and garrulous, and there’s an […]

After a 19 kilometer “morning”, we finally grabbed a much-needed lunch at “the place with the ants”. We’re barely tucked in to lunch here, and it’s about two o’clock in the afternoon. In the background, you can see one of the giant ants that give this place its peculiar charm. More on them tomorrow. Date: 29 April 2016Place: Portos (Galicia, […]

Ligonde is actually two villages, separated by the better part of a kilometer. The “second half” of the village is properly named Airexe de Ligonde, as this is the bit with the church in it. Even the modern Galician word for “church” is “irexia”, so in this place name you can see a little bit of the word’s evolution. It’s […]