Author: Thom

This is the entrance to the village of Rabanal del Camino. Or, as I like to call it, “the Disneyland of the Camino”. The village is impossibly orderly and clean, as if the Imagineers set out to create a “typical Camino village”. For all that, it’s a lovely place to spend the night. There are several churches, including a small […]

We met these folks as we approached the entrance to the village of Rabanal del Camino. The seemed content, and they certainly didn’t appear to have walked nearly as far as we had today. Since most of the Camino is rural, hardly a day went by without meeting cows or sheep or chickens or horses or all of the above. […]

On our approach to Rabanal, there are a couple of places where the path sort of vanished, and we were forced to walk on the road. This is not ideal, but at least there were signs to warn the motorists. On the far right, you can see the sign for Rabanal as well. Note the undulating terrain. We are walking […]

This photo tells the tale of the afternoon. Walking beside the motorway under sudden rain squalls, followed by sunny breaks. By mid-afternoon, the storm clouds had left for good. The terrain, while not steep or rough, was a constant up, up, up into the hills. Here Francine and Stijn chat as we make our way up to Rabanal. Date: 21 […]

The village of El Ganso dates back to at least the 11th century, when it had a hostel (which the town is probably named after) and a Premonstratensian monastery. Today, it has perhaps 25 inhabitants. This is the entrance to the parish church, dedicated to Santiago. Atop the bell tower, you will note a stork nest, a common feature of […]

The Cowboy Bar in El Ganso is one of a kind on the Camino. The outside is distinctive, and the interior as you can see is crowded and… memorable. We stopped here just after noon and had our lunch here, including ice cream as I recall. Thus fortified, we would set out for Rabanal. Date: 21 April 2016 Place: El […]

When you walk the Camino, be sure to stop in at the Cowboy Bar in the village of El Ganso. While it’s not got the greatest selection (or prices, come to that), the ambiance can’t be beat. I’ll post a photo of the interior tomorrow. It was here that we ran into our old friend Rebecca again, whom we hadn’t […]

The roadside Cross exists all over the Camino, of course. They were often used in the Medieval era as boundary markers or as commemorations. This one is just past Santa Catalina de Somoza, and this particular design seems peculiar to the region of Tierra de Maragatos. This is a small ethnic and cultural region within the Kingdom of León with […]

Somehow, Francine lost her shell – the badge of the pilgrim. It probably came off her pack somewhere before Astorga, during the slip-sliding days of mud and flood. In any case, she purchased a new one in Santa Catalina de Somoza at the shop you see here. Everything the discerning pilgrim could need. Date: 21 April 2016 Place: Santa Catalina […]