Author: Thom

Happy Mothers Day! I wish I had a better photo of this. The Casa de los Escudos is between the castle and the basilica, and here in April, its famous wisteria was in its early bloom. I can only imagine what it must be like a little later in the season! I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a wisteria quite […]

As we made our way through central Ponferrada towards the basilica, our attention was drawn by two things: the gorgeous wisteria on the side of a building, and the café on the corner directly ahead. While the bees may have been drawn to the flowers, we were drawn to the café. Who would we see inside but Stijn! He was […]

The Camino runs through Ponferrada with the Castillo Templario on the left, and a series of cafés, bars, and shops on the right. Ahead we see the bell tower of the Basílica Nuestra Señora de la Encina, our next stop. Well, our next stop after lunch. Date: 23 April 2016 Place: Ponferrada (Castilla y León, Spain) Today’s maps! Since Ponferrada […]

The first clear sight of the medieval city center of Ponferrada is the Templar castle. It is revealed in dramatic fashion. The Camino winds its way through narrow streets fronted with tall buildings, then turns a corner, and this is the sudden view. Back in 2013 we took a tour through the castle and spent several hours exploring its riches. […]

The Camino crosses the Rio Boeza at this stone bridge. Beyond lay the old center of Ponferrada – you can see the tower of the basilica in the background. What you can’t quite make out (yet) is the Templar castle that dominates the town center. Date: 23 April 2016 Place: Ponferrada (Castilla y León, Spain) Today’s maps! Since Ponferrada is […]

Thanks to suburbanization, Campo bleeds seamlessly into the large town of Ponferrada. We walked with Billy for a bit, but he uncharacteristically fell behind and by the time of this photo, we had lost him. Note the various places listed on the sign include Castillo de los Templarios – that’s one of the few surviving castles of the Knights Templar […]

Lovely coat of arms on the side of a house in Campo. I love this tradition of arms on old houses, which we have seen in villages and towns throughout the Spanish Camino. I would love to have something like this on Pistachio House, but every time I raise the idea, Francine quickly changes the subject… Date: 23 April 2016 […]

After an hour’s tromp through the countryside, we come to the village of Campo. As you can see, although this village has a similar population to that of Molinaseca, it is not nearly so well preserved. On the other hand, I’m reliably informed that the building on the right is for sale. It’s what we call a fixer-upper. Date: 23 […]

You know you’ve well and truly entered into the Catholic corners of Spain when you again begin to see shrines like this. It seems like the region of Castilla is much less Catholic than, say, Navarra or Galicia – the beginning and ending of the pilgrimage. Somehow, there’s always that mushy middle, where the churches are only open on Sundays […]

Molinaseca’s medieval center is just lovely. This is, I think, a quick shot down one of the streets we crossed as we walked through town. It’s a good place to visit for those wishing to get a glimpse of what living in a medieval town might have been like. Minus the horse poop and sewage, of course. Date: 23 April […]