Author: Thom

No map, no guidebook, and no sign on the Camino give the same distance between points. I remember comparing the distance between two towns in three different sources – two books and a map – and getting three different numbers. And the signs on the Camino are different again. Apparently, I’m not the only person who has noticed this. At […]

The giant Ferragut and the paladin Roland (or Roldán) loom large in the legends along this stretch of the Camino. The story goes that Ferragut, a Syrian giant descended from Goliath and stronger than him, fought and overcame the best warriors of Charlemagne. Then came Roland, who fought him in an epic battle that ranged from Roncesvalles to this very […]

Just past Ventosa, in the vast rolling vineyards of La Rioja, you will find this memorial marker. Markers of this type, commemorating pilgrims who had died on Camino, will be found up and down the length of the route in Spain. Often, passing pilgrims will pile stones around (or on top of) these markers as a way of remembrance. Date: […]

This is the rather whimsical but oddly specific and detailed sign for the place we ended up having our second breakfast. This metal pilgrim cut-out technique is not uncommon on the Camino, becoming more and more prevalent as we approach the Meseta. I’m reasonably certain that we ate dinner at the same place three years ago. Date: 08 April 2016 […]

Second breakfast awaits us in the village of Ventosa! It is built up the side of the hill, with the village church at the very top. This time, we didn’t climb the hill, but three years ago Eamon and I spent some time exploring the tiny and rustic church. The village lives up to its name – both times I’ve […]

Some signs on the Camino are more obvious than others. In my first Camino, we stopped for the night in Ventosa and had a memorable experience with good friends and much wine. Dirt cheap (the people who run the albergue own a winery) and so very tasty. This time around, Francine and I had our second breakfast in the village. […]

This particular morning was by far the coldest part of this Camino. I mean, we’d seen snow when we were crossing the Pyrenees, and it was nowhere near this cold. I took this selfie shortly after we left the cementario. Here’s a pair of maps of the day, as we walk from Navarrete to Azofra: Date: 08 April 2016 Place: […]

This is a closeup of one of the columns at the cementerio I posted yesterday. Very Romanesque. Also, very damaged. Some of this might be due to the simple passage of centuries, or damage incurred when the edifice was moved. However, anti-Catholicism and anti-clericalism is a feature of some of the factions of the several civil wars in Spain, and […]

The towns in Spain seem to use their coats of arms on everything. These are the arms of the Ayuntamiento (town council) of Navarrete, found on a lamp post near the town center. I particularly enjoy the cannons. They make sense, since the town was formed when King Alfonso VIII of Castile moved the people of the nearby villages to […]