Category: Liminal Space

We soon arrived at the utterly charming and bustling village of Santa Catalina de Somoza. As I noted previously, this village with a population approaching sixty, nevertheless appears more “alive” than villages of double the population. It has two albergues, a restaurant, a parish church, a shop, and… this fellow. We each got photos with this life-size pilgrim in his […]

This is the magnificent central entrance to the Catedral de Santa María de Astorga. The more you look – the more you zoom into the photo! – the more detail is uncovered. Above the beautifully carved door, we see the sculpted image of Christ being taken down from the Cross. I took some better close-up photos in 2016, which you […]

The village of Santibáñez de Valdeiglesias is full of charm and warmth. Many of the doors, though old and sometimes in obvious need of repair, are painted in bright, vibrant colours. This was one of my favourites. And we all know how much I love taking photos of doors and windows! Date: 20 April 2013Place: Santibáñez de Valdeiglesias (Province of […]

This photo, taken in Hospital de Órbigo, is a good introduction to the second phase of our first Camino. Doorways are liminal spaces, and this one in particular with its Tardis-blue colour and prominent number 2 is a perfect symbol of this new phase, for this is part 2, wherein the lovers, having been reunited across space and time, now […]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, while most Gothic cathedrals took centuries to complete, sometimes in the process becoming a muddled mess, this is emphatically not true of León’s Santa María de la Regla. Here we see a sliver of the genius of Enrique the architect. These windows are the original windows, installed in the 13th century. Their illumination […]

The march towards León continues! By the time we reached Arcahueja, the transition of village to suburb was noticeable. I particularly enjoyed this home, with its amazing window. There’s a stone mason nearby, with a field full of completed statues, and I suspect this may be their work. Date: 19 April 2013Place: Arcahueja (Province of León, Castilla y León, Spain)Today […]

I spent some time exploring in the Meseta town of Mansilla de las Mulas, taking innumerable photos. Several of the buildings caught my eye, including this doorway. I’m particularly intrigued by the fact that the power lines run across the facade of the building, as they seem to in many older Spanish buildings. And, of course, I just love photographing […]

Our albergue in Bercianos was a delightful mix of the ancient with the merely old. As we had arrived relatively early, I had some time to wander through the building and explore its fascinating nooks and crannies. I’ll refrain from posting too many of those photos, but as an example, here’s a door handle. Date: 17 April 2013Place: Bercianos del […]

Day three of Sahagún Week! Sahagún is a city of ruins. Here I stand posing with a statue of a traditional pilgrim’s staff in front of what was once el Monasterio Real de San Benito. In 1820, the Spanish government dissolved the monasteries. The monks were turned out into the street. Moveable goods were plundered. Land and buildings were seized and […]

Just before the city of Sahagún, the Camino takes a little detour to the Ermita de la Virgen del Puente. This is said to mark the halfway point of the Camino Francés in Spain, midway between Roncesvalles and Santiago de Compostela. There’s a monument nearby stating this, and if it’s not exactly correct, it’s pretty close. I like to think that this […]