Category: Photo of the Day 2016

The roadside Cross exists all over the Camino, of course. They were often used in the Medieval era as boundary markers or as commemorations. This one is just past Santa Catalina de Somoza, and this particular design seems peculiar to the region of Tierra de Maragatos. This is a small ethnic and cultural region within the Kingdom of León with […]

Somehow, Francine lost her shell – the badge of the pilgrim. It probably came off her pack somewhere before Astorga, during the slip-sliding days of mud and flood. In any case, she purchased a new one in Santa Catalina de Somoza at the shop you see here. Everything the discerning pilgrim could need. Date: 21 April 2016 Place: Santa Catalina […]

This is our first view of the charming village of Santa Catalina de Somoza. I don’t use that adjective lightly. With a population approaching sixty, it nevertheless appears more “alive” than villages of double the population. It has two albergues, a restaurant, and a parish church, as well as a shop – more on that later. It also has the […]

Much of the route beyond Murias de Rechivaldo is this weird double-path. I think one is meant for walkers and the other for vehicles (which ostensibly includes bicycles and horses). Although we didn’t see any horses this time, this stretch was the first place that we saw mounted peregrinos back in 2013. Date: 21 April 2016 Place: Between Murias de […]

We enter a rather typical Leonese village (population 113) with our new friend, Stijn from Holland. A pleasant walk, with much less mud than yesterday. Date: 21 April 2016 Place: Murias de Rechivaldo (Castilla y León, Spain) Today’s map:

This little chapel is named for Pontius Pilate’s presentation of the scourged and humiliated Jesus to the gathering crowd: “ecce homo! – behold, the man!” It is a lovely rest spot with fresh water available to pilgrims. I’m including both exterior and interior photos in this post – bonus! Date: 21 April 2016 Place: Between Valdeviejas and Murias de Rechivaldo […]

After we pass out of urban Astorga, the Camino runs overland through some suburban-style villages. A number of the houses here have these colourful carts out front. I presume they are a cultural tradition of some sort, and I’m curious to know what they signify. And yes, I know that this is a cart rather than a wagon, but I […]

The Camino route out through Astorga is not nearly so pretty and picturesque as the route into town. However, there is one weirdly Nordic-looking church, as well as cafés and shops – few of which were open at the early hour we began our walk. And then there is this reflection, this sign of the times. Date: 21 April 2016 […]

Stepping outside our albergue in the morning, we were treated to a final view of the lovely Catedral de Santa María de Astorga. You can clearly see from this angle how small the plaza in front is, and why it’s so difficult to get a decent photo of it. We grabbed a quick breakfast in the same local place we […]