Pilgrims on the Way

Just yikes! And in the heat under a merciless sun, no less. This climb was no fun. Three years later it was raining when Francine and I climbed here, and it was still no fun. My journal notes large amounts of water consumed, as well as copious amounts of sunscreen applied. Date: 14 April 2013Place: Colina de Mostalares – between […]

That afternoon, we left Castrojeriz and headed out into the Meseta. This region has a reputation for being monotonously flat, but as you can see that isn’t quite true. Long ridges cut across the Meseta, like wrinkles in a sheet. You can’t go around without sometimes going many kilometers out of the way, so the only option is up and […]

The town of Castrojeriz wraps around a great hill, atop which sits the ruins of a Visigothic castle. The town itself isn’t quite at the base of the hill. There are plazas with wide, stunning views of the surrounding countryside, as you can see. I can only imagine what the view from the top must be like. I hope to […]

I found Castrojeriz a lovely little town. So much so, that three years after I took this photo, Francine and I stayed here. In 2013, it was beastly hot, whereas in 2016 it rained the entire time we were there. And somehow, I still haven’t managed to climb the hill to visit the ruined Visigothic castle at the top. Maybe […]

As we walked through Castrojeriz that Sunday, we passed no less than five churches. None were open. One, in fact, was under reconstruction. Another appeared to have been converted into some sort of government building. On one of these closed churches, we found this reminder of our mortality. Remember, you will die. The carving faces the main street where the […]

Although I took many photos of the exterior of the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano in Castrojeriz, this is the last I shall post for now. I don’t know the identity of this female saint, but I thought it appropriate to post for the feast of one of the Church’s greatest female saints, Mary Magdalene. Whoever this saint is, she’s neither […]

While they walk, some pilgrims carry a small mascot with them. Why? I don’t know – and both Francine and I carried one in 2016. This is the rooster I picked up in Santo Domingo de la Calzada hobnobbing with a rodent that was traveling with its owner from (I think) the Netherlands. I took several photos of my rooster […]

The plan had been to try to make an 11AM Mass in Castrojeriz. Well, we didn’t arrive in town until almost 11:30, and the church we had arrived at turned out to be a museum, which at any rate was closed. I did a quick reconnoiter to see if I could find the correct church, but came up empty. So […]

Castrojeriz is definitely one of the more stunning village vistas encountered while walking the Camino. That large church on the right is the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano, dating to the early 13th century, with extensive renovations up through the 18th century. There has been a church on this site since at least the 10th century. Looking for Sunday Mass, […]