Pilgrims on the Way

The kilometers flew by, and before we knew it, we were at the town of Sansol. It’s 9:30am, and we’re all feeling strong. Might be time for second breakfast! Date: 07 April 2013Place: approaching Sansol (Navarra, Spain) Maps!

Our morning began with what I called in my journal “a delightfully easy 7km to Sansol”. It was long and flat farm and pasture land, with some rolling hills just to keep it all interesting. The sky was clear and the air was cool. Occasionally in the distance beyond the hills, we would catch glimpses of snow-covered mountains to the […]

A portion of our Camino family poses outside the Albergue la Fuenta Casa de Austria, as we make ready for our long day. From left to right: Charlie from the UK, Ali from UK (and France), Cliff from Massachusetts, Petra from Bavaria, Eamon from New Zealand, and Kristof from Bruges. It’s about 8 in the morning. As a warning, the […]

Petra and Claus enjoy a laugh over a breakfast of solid brown bread and strong German coffee in one of my favourite albergues, the charming Albergue la Fuenta Casa de Austria. Our plan today is to walk almost 30km, to the city of Logroño, so we need all the fortification we can get! Not a great photo in terms of […]

After church, we headed back to our albergue. Los Arcos has no small number of well-regarded albergues. Yet, both times I’ve been through, this is where I’ve ended up. This is the cozy and wonderful Albergue la Fuenta Casa de Austria. There’s a charming, if tiny, courtyard just past those doors. There’s a fireplace in the common room, and breakfast […]

In the cloisters behind the Iglesia de Santa María de Los Arcos we find life-sized floats, stored for Holy Week. Many Spanish towns and villages have processions through the streets and even between towns during the days leading up to Easter. The men who maintain and carry these floats are members of confraternities, which are sometimes centuries old. I’ve heard […]

Among the many altars and statues found in the Iglesia de Santa María de Los Arcos is this striking Santiago. There’s just something about the eyes, particularly in the gloom of the church at night. If you spent some days photographing every square inch of this church, you could probably put together a book. Date: 06 April 2013Place: Los Arcos […]

The reredos of the high altar of the Iglesia de Santa María de Los Arcos are a cavalcade of baroque gold three stories tall. It was practically impossible to get the whole thing in the frame of a photo. I counted nine altars in the church, but I certainly missed some. Following Mass, the priest gave us the pilgrims’ blessing. […]

Once we had checked into our albergue and showered, we do what all good pilgrims do: we head to the local and grab some dinner. Here, Petra the Bavarian is well pleased with her Spanish beer. In truth, the Spanish make some fantastic wine. Beer? Not so much. Serviceable, clearly, after a full day’s walk, but not something I’d seek […]