Walking the Camino de Santiago
This is a close-up of the Romanesque window of the little church from yesterday. As I said yesterday, I find this little window absolutely exquisite. It seems to be the only remnant of the original decorative elements prior to the many renovations and restructurings of this church. I wonder what happened to the rest of the stonework? Date: 30 April […]
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Is it a window? A short door? An entryway for animals? Who knows? And how long has it been abandoned? It’s the sort of liminal space that makes you stop and ponder, anyway. Or is that just me? Date: 30 April 2013 Place: between Palas de Rei and San Xulián (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain) Today started: Palas de Rei […]
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Just a window we passed in one of the Galician villages on the Camino. It’s a common enough sight in Spain, but this one particularly struck me as looking like a 19th century painting. Date: 29 April 2013 Place: probably Ligonde (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain) Today started: Portomarín (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)
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In the tiny village of Ventas de Narón, we find a door that reminds us, yet again, that Galicia is a Catholic country. The three carved images are the shell of Saint James, the Eucharist, and the Cross. Date: 29 April 2013 Place: Ventas de Narón (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain) Today started: Portomarín (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)
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There’s just something about a cloister that invites contemplation – and photos. They are, after all, meant to evoke Eden. This is the cloister of the Monasterio de la Magdelena, now an albergue rather than a monastery. Spain’s government seized all Spanish churches and monasteries in the 19th century in their own version of what Henry VIII did in Britain. […]
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After circumnavigating about 75% of the great Royal Monastery of Samos, we finally arrived at the albergue! It would probably have been shorter if we’d gone the other way, although I suspect that we might have run into some trouble with the course of the river. We were so happy to finally find it! Time for a shower. Date: 26 […]
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As we continued circumnavigating the great Royal Monastery of Samos, we eventually passed the main entrance. It faces on to a long, curving road with a steep, walled embankment. Although the entrance is quite grand, it’s actually impossible to see it unless you’re right in front of it, as we are here. For the record, the small door to the […]
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Yesterday, amid a drenching rain, the Puerta Santa, or Holy Doors, of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela were closed. These doors are open only during the Jacobean Holy Year or a Jubilee Year declared by the Pope. So what is a Jacobean Holy Year? Simply, it’s any year when the Feast of Saint James, 25 July, occurs on a […]
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This Sacred Heart door sign is just a reminder that Galicia is a Catholic country. I keep meaning to get one of these when we’re in Spain, but I never seem to be able to find a place that sells them. Date: 26 April 2013Place: somewhere between Triacastela and Samos (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)Today started: Fonfría (Province of Lugo, […]
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The contrast between the gate in front and the little bridge in back could not be more stark. I leave you to decide which you prefer, but this texture of new and old, organic and geometric is one of the things I love about northern Spain. Date: 26 April 2013Place: Triacastela (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)Today started: Fonfría (Province of […]
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