Walking the Camino de Santiago
Several weeks ago, I was struck by the thought of carrying others with me on my long Camino this autumn. Now I know what you’re thinking. Sounds a little odd, yes? Perhaps the easiest way to clarify is to quote from the note to myself that I wrote back on April 3rd: I’d like to walk this Camino – all […]
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In the tiny village of Ventas de Narón, we find a door that reminds us, yet again, that Galicia is a Catholic country. The three carved images are the shell of Saint James, the Eucharist, and the Cross. Date: 29 April 2013 Place: Ventas de Narón (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain) Today started: Portomarín (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)
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Three years ago, Francine and I took our Hospitalero training at the annual Gathering of American Pilgrims on the Camino in South Lake Tahoe. It was quite the adventure, what with a blizzard, driving down a mountain in the snow, and finally the beginning of the Plague. When we got back home, we both had COVID, and it laid us […]
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After a bit of path-along-the-highway walking, we arrive in the tiny hamlet of Hospital de la Cruz. Much of the place was in ruins, although nowadays I understand there’s both a bar and an albergue here. We saw many such tumbledown places in Galicia on our first Camino, but as the popularity of the Way has risen to Medieval levels […]
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Many of the village churches on the Camino come with their own graveyards, often with niches stacked three or four high. This particular one contains a beautiful rose bush – rose tree? – with its fragrant springtime blossoms, carpeting the ground in pink and white. A lovely and serene spot that I photographed again, three years later. Date: 29 April […]
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I’m often delighted and sometimes confused by the various bits of graffiti along the Way. This particular bit of pro-Roman graffiti falls equally well into both camps. Date: 29 April 2013 Place: between Gonzar and Hospital de la Cruz (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain) Today started: Portomarín (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)
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After a leisurely morning, by eleven o’clock we’d reached the village of Gonzar (population 50). We popped into this outdoor café-bar for an early lunch. I note in my journal that we had been fighting gusting winds most of the day – perhaps accounting for our slower-than-usual pace – so this was a welcome respite. Date: 29 April 2013 Place: […]
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After wending through the Galician forests for a bit, the Camino returned to roadside travel, with a gravel path paralleling the highway. As on the now-distant Meseta on days passed, there’s always that one tree that sticks its head above the rest. Date: 29 April 2013 Place: between Portomarín and Gonzar (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain) Today started: Portomarín (Province […]
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From yesterday’s sublime to today’s silly. This photo was taken less than ten minutes after the previous, so it’s less than a kilometer away. What does it mean? Is this where you find chickens? Is this where the chickens cross the road? Is it something to do with Santo Domingo de la Calzada? Is this the chicken Camino route? Who […]
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This is the coat of arms of Galicia. It depicts the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, surrounded by seven crosses representing the seven historical provinces of the Kingdom of Galicia. You see this everywhere – on government buildings, on road signs, even on trash bins. Just one more reminder that Galicia is a Catholic nation. Date: 29 […]
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