Walking the Camino de Santiago
Well, a hill town, at any rate. This is the Camino’s approach to the town of Cirauqui (or Zirauki in Basque, because… z). The way winds through hilly vineyards. It was a most pleasant walk despite the rain. I find gravel paths the easiest to walk on – not as hard on the feet as pavement or asphalt or stone, […]
» Read more
We had our second breakfast in the village of Mañeru. Here’s a photo of what my Pilgrim Passport looked like then. To stay in albergues, pilgrims are required to carry one of these passports, and to receive your compostela in Santiago, you are required to have at least two stamps per day. My motto, of course, was “gotta collect ’em […]
» Read more
We didn’t get far before we put on our ponchos, once again becoming the infamous strawberry troll! We popped into a convent church for a bit – the Iglesia y Convento de Sancti Spiritus – but it was so dark inside that my photos were fairly rubbish. Instead, here’s a photo of Francine putting a brave face on an uphill […]
» Read more
We start our day with a last look back at Puente la Reina – both the town and the bridge for which it is named. It’s a lovely little town, and worthy perhaps of some more exploration, but we’ve got to be on our way if we’re to get to Estella tonight! The rain, which started in a desultory fashion […]
» Read more
The next morning during our first breakfast, Francine very kindly darned one of my hiking socks. These Keen socks supposedly have a life-time guarantee, but I more or less constantly put holes in the toes. At some point, we’re going to need to go back to the Keen store in Portland and talk with them about that! A couple of […]
» Read more
On our way back to our albergue after dinner, Mass, and some sightseeing, I snapped this photo of the town as we crossed its eponymous bridge. I love the way the buildings just sort of glow in the light of the setting sun. They seemed so grey and lifeless earlier in the afternoon, but now they looked warm and inviting. […]
» Read more
Before and after our pincho dinner, we popped into a couple of the churches in Puente la Reina. This is the high altar of one of them. I cannot remember the name, but this is where we went to Mass that evening. Once again, I must apologize for the fuzziness of the photo. Taking decent indoor photos in low light […]
» Read more
After checking into our albergue and showering, Francine and I made our way back to town where we visited a pair of churches and had platefuls of pinchos for dinner. Both churches were dominated by enormous altar retablos, guilded and painted. This is not a photo of one those. Instead, this is a lovely, somewhat primitive statue of Santiago himself, […]
» Read more
In our search for a decent albergue with available beds, we crossed the long Romanesque bridge out of town for a large, modern facility on the opposite bank. Here Francine poses in the wind on the bridge, and behind her you can see the town. You can also see the looming storm. Date: 03 April 2016 Place: Puente La Reina […]
» Read more
Puente La Reina’s Calle Mayor ends in this little archway, which in medieval times formed part of the town’s defenses. Through this gate is the actual Puente La Reina itself – the Bridge of the Queen. There is some confusion about which queen the bridge is actually named for. The most common story is that it is named for Queen […]
» Read more