Walking the Camino de Santiago
This charming little statue of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary stands behind the Iglesia Santa María de Compostilla. It was a lovely little reminder of home in a land far away. Now to some more suburban trekking through the afternoon to get to our evening’s stopping point. We intended to stay in Fuentas Nuevas… Date: 23 April 2016 Place: […]
» Read more
Another bit of wall art from the Iglesia Santa María de Compostilla. This is a lovely image of the Nativity, with the Blessed Virgin, Saint Joseph dressed as a friar, and the traditional ox and ass. I’m not entirely certain why Jesus is on the ground, rather than in the manger, but there you go. The music appears to be […]
» Read more
The sides of this little church are painted with bright images, including this calendar around the side door under the awning. I suspect this is the door normally used to enter this little church. I will be posting a number of photos of this lovely little church over the next days. Why? Because I found it utterly charming. And how […]
» Read more
We spent some time looking for a cash machine for Rebecca. The Camino outside of the cities and some of the larger towns is purely a cash economy. When you start running short on cash, it can be a serious problem, so you have to stock up when you can. Afterwards, we rejoined the Camino and walked through the village […]
» Read more
Walking the Camino is pretty easy. You follow the markers. Usually, these are painted yellow arrows. Some localities have special Camino logos on signs that mark the Way through their territory. Usually, they’re pretty hard to miss. But even when they are, you become an expert at finding them, no matter how small or obscure or out-of-the-way they are. This […]
» Read more
As we exit the bustling town of Ponferrada, and on the verge of the farmlands to the north, we turn back towards the town for one last farewell. From here, it’s easy to see how this place dominated the surrounding countryside. Date: 23 April 2016 Place: leaving Ponferrada (Castilla y León, Spain) Today’s maps! Since Ponferrada is not our stopping […]
» Read more
The Camino through Ponferrada takes us through some serious modern urbanization. Even for all of that, however, this fountain with its statues of king and bishop reminds us that we are, after all, still walking through Spain – even if the street behind them is the Avenida de América. History is ever-present and living. Date: 23 April 2016 Place: Ponferrada […]
» Read more
The interior of the basilica in Ponferrada is actually quite lovely, though it’s difficult to tell from this dark and slightly blurry photo. The attention to detail is evident, from the images hung throughout the church to the medallions in the vaulting to the low altar – which unlike many I’ve seen, actually matches and complements the high altar behind […]
» Read more
When we walked in 2016, it was a jubilee year. Many of the larger (and sometimes not so large) churches had holy doors. The Basílica Nuestra Señora de la Encina was one of these, and it was one of the more obvious and well-marked ones of the whole Camino. Nicely done! Here Francine leads Rebecca and I through. Date: 23 […]
» Read more
After a lunch that included a cup of goopy chocolate and some churros, we proceeded to the basilica. Enshrined within is an image of Virgin and Child that reportedly came from Jerusalem in the fifth century and is now honoured throughout El Bierzo. It was hidden during the Islamic conquest – so well, in fact, that it was lost for […]
» Read more