Walking the Camino de Santiago
Here we see Francine and I at the entrance to the Castillo de los Templarios. We waited about an hour or so for them to open the doors so we could go exploring. Normally there’s an entrance fee (discounted with a pilgrim passport), but today was a national holiday, so all of the historic sites and museums were open for […]
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So, here’s a sight you don’t often see. To the left is a Templar castle. Across the street to the right are cafés and shops. At the end of the street are some restaurants, the tourist office, and a museum, beyond which we see the spire of the Basílica de la Virgen de la Encina. Not too shabby for one […]
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Ponferrada is a beautiful city, and it’s the capital city of El Bierzo. Even so, what most pilgrims remember about this city is the Templar castle. This castle. We had the great fortune of arriving on a holiday, when entrance to the castle is free, so in coming days I’ll show off some of the interior. But first: second breakfast at […]
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As the Camino enters Ponferrada, it crosses the Río Boeza. For pilgrims, this is accomplished by crossing the Puente Mascarón, although confusingly, the name of the neighbourhood around the bridge is Puente Boeza. This photo is virtually identical to the one I took three years later. Date: 23 April 2013Place: entering Ponferrada (Region of El Bierzo, Province of León, Castilla […]
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The village of Campo straddles the line between a proper rural village and suburban sprawl. From here, there’s always a house or some sort of building in sight, pretty much all the way to Ponferrada. And here we see Ponferrada itself, nestled amongst the trees. Date: 23 April 2013Place: approaching Ponferrada (Region of El Bierzo, Province of León, Castilla y […]
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We saw these signs – Se Vende, “for sale” – all along the Camino. And while this particular building in Campo might not be optimal, there were plenty of places where I looked at the building and briefly (or not so briefly) thought, “I could make a pretty good albergue out of this place”. Date: 23 April 2013Place: Campo (Region […]
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When we walked through the village of Campo in 2013, most of the buildings there appeared to be in ruins – or at least half-ruined. When we returned three years later, the tide had definitively shifted, with quite a number of these buildings sold and refurbished, as has happened elsewhere on this stretch of the Camino. I would love to […]
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Every year some number of pilgrims die on Camino. All along the Francés route, you can find memorial markers, some grand and some very humble. This particular marker near the village of Campo commemorates the death of a 78 year-old Irish pilgrim in 2005. Date: 23 April 2013Place: approaching Campo (Region of El Bierzo, Province of León, Castilla y León, […]
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While mimosa is the name of any number of flowering shrubs, I prefer to think that this is the street in Molinaseca (or possibly Campo) dedicated to day drinking and brunch. Certainly, it was about nine in the morning when I took this photo, and I’m sure second breakfast was on my mind. I’m not entirely sure where this photo […]
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We left our albergue in Molinaseca at about a quarter past eight in the morning. One of the first photos I took that day was this – the cross of Saint James (i.e. Santiago) on an outdoor wall somewhere in the town. It looks somewhat like a sword, as this was the instrument by which his martyrdom was accomplished (Acts […]
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