Pilgrims on the Way

Typical of many local churches in Spain, the Parroquia de La Asunción (parish church of the Assumption) in Uterga is not a lot to look at on the outside. This is no doubt the result of a hard lesson learned by the people of Northern Spain, who in the Medieval era had to deal with bandits, Moorish raiders, and the […]

This beautiful statue of Our Lady stands at the bottom of the Alto de Perdón, just before the village of Uterga. She is in a small garden amid a handful of memorial markers. She is a poignant reminder that sometimes, pilgrims don’t make it to Santiago. Indeed, a reminder perhaps that we are on a larger pilgrimage on earth, from […]

Here you see Francine, along with our new friends Katy and Emilio, descending the Alto de Perdón. As you can see, this was not a smooth road by any stretch of the imagination. It was a long, slow slog. Occasionally, there were sets of steps formed by timbers set into the slope. It was almost faster to walk around them. […]

A couple of days ago, I posted a photo of the valley we left climbing up to the Alto de Perdón. Here we see Francine beginning the descent on the other side. You can see that the terrain is a little bumpier – this is wine country we’re walking down into. Date: 03 April 2016 Place: Alto de Perdón (Navarra, […]

Here I am with a pilgrim statue on the Alto de Perdón. While we’re both wearing hats, his is a tricorn, and you can see his pony-tail sticking out the back. Mine is a Tilley. We’re both bent over under our heavy burdens, but he seems to be carrying a lot less than me! Date: 03 April 2016 Place: Alto […]

This is a photo of my favourite person with my favourite pilgrim statue on the Alto de Perdón. The statue is depicted wearing a single scallop shell and the deep medieval hood favoured by travellers and monks of the time. Both of these pilgrims seem to be walking into the wind! Date: 03 April 2016 Place: Alto de Perdón (Navarra, […]

This bearded pilgrim on the Alto de Perdón represents an early medieval pilgrim, possibly one of the first people to walk to Santiago de Compostela in the eighth or ninth century. I particularly like the scallop shells in his cloak. He wears the same sort of brimmed hat, folded up in the front, that you will see on statues of […]

At the top of the ridge known as the Alto de Perdón is a procession of life-sized metal pilgrims. These statues – is that the right word? – represent pilgrims from every time period of the Camino. It is one of the truly inspiring pieces of public art that dot the entire length of this pilgrimage route through Spain. It’s […]

The Alto de Perdón is a sharp-ish ridge between two wide valleys, and this is the view from the top into the valley we just left. You can see the towns and villages dotting the valley, and far in the distance to the right, you can even make out the edges of Pamplona. Date: 03 April 2016 Place: Alto de […]

I‘ll spare you the uninspiring sight of us trudging up the long climb of the Alto de Perdón. Instead, here’s a photo of Francine about halfway up! The Alto de Perdón is a sharp-ish ridge between two wide valleys, and the top is crowned – as are so many ridges in northern Spain – with windmills. I just kept my […]