Pilgrims on the Way

It’s just after eight in the morning, and we’re on the road. This is, for my money, one of the most fun signs pointing the Way to Santiago. Let’s get going! Date: 18 April 2013Place: Bercianos del Real Camino (Province of León, Castilla y León, Spain)Today started: Bercianos del Real Camino (Province of León, Castilla y León, Spain)

I took entirely too many photos during the long dusk of that day in Bercianos of shepherds, sheep, and goats. At some point, the goat was fed up. It walked up to me – it did not run, praise God – and gently head-butted me as if to say, “enough! Go to bed!” Date: 17 April 2013Place: Bercianos del Real […]

Many of the folks in Bercianos are shepherds. I was particularly taken with this old-timer who was kind enough to speak with us pilgrims about his flock, his life, and the changes that had taken place in his village over his life. He was a fascinating character. Mind you, he only spoke to us in Spanish, so one of the […]

Many of the folks in Bercianos are shepherds. We went with our hospitalero up to one of the nearby meadows where the goats and the sheep were grazing as the sun went down. This goat apparently has the run of the village. Despite appearances, he was friendly and nuzzled up to a number of the pilgrims. Apologies for not posting […]

As I mentioned before, the little village of Bercianos doesn’t have much in the way of pilgrim amenities, other than the albergue. Fortunately, the hospitaleros organize a proper communal meal. We all helped put it on, with some of us helping to prepare the food, setting the tables, and cleaning up afterwards. I love these types of communal meals; they […]

There are a wide variety of albergues on the Camino. Some are cool, crisp, and modern. My favourite ones, though are like this one in the village of Bercianos: warm, worn, and positively mediaeval. No Ikea furniture in this albergue! Apologies for the fuzzy photo: that’s pretty typical for dark interiors with my old iPhone 4. Date: 17 April 2013Place: […]

Like much of rural Spain, the village of Bercianos is a shadow of its past. Once a large village with over a thousand inhabitants, it now boasts a population of less than 200. The village is filled with buildings like these, some falling to ruin and some looking as though a little TLC would bring them back to life. Eamon, […]

This somber monument, located just before the village of Bercianos, is a reminder that not all pilgrims make it. It is a tribute to Manfred Kress Friedrich, a German pilgrim who died here on June 9th, 1998. Although he never reached Santiago, he has found rest on the Camino. Requiem æternam dona eis, DomineEt lux perpetua luceat eis:Requiescant in pace. Amen. […]

As you approach Bercianos, you will see this little church just off the Camino in a field of grass and wildflowers. I wish it had been open, because the interior is said to be quite beautiful. As it was, what with the heat and all, it was perhaps enough to simply see the outside and be reminded of the presence […]