Pilgrims on the Way

Provided without comment. Date: 30 April 2016 Place: Ribadiso (Galicia, Spain) Maps of the Day:

There seems to be some sort of contest in and around Castañeda and Río for the creepiest garden statuary. This one has my vote. For most of the afternoon, the Camino wound through various small towns and villages and even suburban landscapes, paralleling the C-547 highway. Date: 30 April 2016 Place: approaching Castañeda (Galicia, Spain) Maps of the Day:

This rustic statue of Santiago resides in the high altar of the Igrexa Parroquial de Santiago de Boente. While it’s no work of high art, it has a certain primitive charm that has made it iconic on this part of the Camino. Holy cards featuring the image and a passport stamp are always cheerfully given, which last long after you’ve […]

Just across from yesterday’s plaza, we come to the nondescript whitewashed structure of the parish church of Santiago. The Camino takes a hard right turn here in front of the church, which always seems to have somebody here to invite you inside to spend a moment in prayer. We’ve stopped inside every Camino. Date: 30 April 2016 Place: Boente (Galicia, […]

As you enter the town of Boente, just before you cross the street to the church, there’s a small plaza with a crucero and a fountain. It’s exactly like the small plazas found in villages and small towns all over Galicia, but for some reason it always makes me smile. Both on our 2016 and 2018 Caminos, I had a […]

After our excursion to Santa María de Melide, Alicia and I caught up with Francine and Rebecca fairly quickly. I took this photo of the three of them in the woods at about two in the afternoon in the forests beyond Raida. This reminds me of an important bit of Camino wisdom: always take the alternate path. Date: 30 April […]

Alicia stands near the Baptismal font, which dates to the 13th century, probably a generation removed from the original dedication of the church in 1180. The baptistry doubles as a sacristy and storage room, which strikes me as not atypical in Spain, where more than 80% of the population identify as Catholic, but less than 15% actually practice their faith. […]

This altar in Igrexa Santa María de Melide is a Romanesque jewel. The guide claimed it was the original 12th century altar, when this was a monastic church. Based on the arrangement of the apse seating – which is built into the building itself – it would appear that the altar must be in more or less its original position. […]