Author: Thom

I awkwardly collapsed back into the pilgrim monument in Mansilla de las Mulas, and Eamon was kind enough to take my photo. I think there was a bit of a wind, which is why my hand is going to my hat. This photo underscores the reality that the pilgrim statues are larger than life, which seems about right. Date: 18 […]

The town of Mansilla de las Mulas has one of my favourite pieces of public art on the Camino. This statue as you enter the town takes the form of any of the many Crucero monuments on this section of the Way. The pilgrims resting at the foot of the Cross are clearly exhausted and taking a moment to drink […]

We arrived in Mansilla de las Mulas at about 2:30 on a beautiful afternoon, after the briefest bit of highway walking. Despite my power-walking this afternoon, I noted in my journal that I had conversations with a host of folks: Owen from Ireland, Santiago from Columbia, and of course Eamon from New Zealand, who has been my constant companion since […]

A little more graffiti, this time on the side of a viaduct. A reminder of why I do this at all. Compare and contrast with this version. Date: 18 April 2013Place: between Reliegos and Mansilla de las Mulas (Province of León, Castilla y León, Spain)Today started: Bercianos del Real Camino (Province of León, Castilla y León, Spain)

In addition to the plentiful public art on the Camino, there’s also an amazing amount of memorable graffiti. As Christmas approaches, I thought I’d share this one from just beyond Reliegos. I took this photo about 45 minutes after the one I posted yesterday. Merry Christmas, all! The Camino Photo of the Day will return after the holiday. Date: 18 […]

In the village of Reliegos, we find this wonderful statue. Is it meant to represent Santiago? Or is it an image of a medieval pilgrim? The clue might be found in the Santiago Cross on the back of the statue… or perhaps not. I know I’ve said it before – and I’ll no doubt say it many times more – […]

When we arrived in the little village of Reliegos, I took this photo because I thought the in-town bodega was kind of neat. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was actually recording a pretty fair representation of the weather and temperature as well. Hot. And. Sunny. It’s about a quarter after one in the afternoon. Date: […]

We saw numerous stands of trees like this: all arranged in rows and grids. They exist all along the Camino, from Navarra right through into Galicia. I can only presume that they are tree farms, though this one here out on the Meseta is perhaps not in the most expected place. Date: 18 April 2013Place: between El Burgo Raneros and […]

I just love these picnic areas on the Meseta. Of course, in 2016, many of them were underwater from the flooding! Now, I’m not the fastest walker, and often on Camino I fell behind my companions. But for some reason, on this particular day I was on fire. I blew past these picnic areas, often where many pilgrims were resting […]

A string of these monuments runs along the Camino between El Burgo Raneros and Reliegos. While some have been defaced or are covered in graffiti, most of them have become repositories of small stones, piled up by passing pilgrims. The cross, of course, is the Cross of Santiago, and they also feature the shell symbol. Date: 18 April 2013Place: between […]