Pilgrims on the Way

We stopped in a village bar at about 3:30 for a snack and drink. In the restroom, I saw this window and was immediately struck with the idea that it looked like the work of one of the Dutch Masters. There was just something about the quality of the light and the jug and basket set on the will. We’re […]

Somewhere along the Camino near the village of As Rozas we came upon this roadside shrine. Calling it a building is perhaps a trifle optimistic, since it had only three walls. Inside, we found a niche that might have once held a centuries-old stone statue, but now held what I can only describe as an action-figure-sized saint, who may or […]

Here we see Francine hiking along a Galician holloway, a path worn into the ground by centuries of local use and passing pilgrims. We walked this type of path both on the Camino Francés and the Camino Primitivo throughout Galicia. The closer the various Camino paths funnel towards Santiago, the more pilgrims trod any given specific path, so of course […]

My apologies for the sporadic posting; I’ve been ill with a touch of the flu, and the old brain hasn’t been firing properly on all cylinders. This is a Galician holloway, a path worn into the ground by centuries of local use and passing pilgrims. This particular one was reinforced with stonework at some point in its history – stonework […]

Although the storm had been threatening all morning, thus far we’d had a cold wind, but no rain. And that blue on the horizon promised better days ahead. Date: 28 April 2013Place: somewhere near As Rozas (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)Today started: Sarria (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)

Francine wanted to pose by this sign, as her late father’s name is Franco. The town of Francos is not actually on the Camino, but it’s the center of the civil parish we’re entering. We’ve walked past this sign twice now, and it’s always been defaced in some way. Apparently Franco is not so popular amongst some in Spain. Date: […]

This is the church of Santa María de Ferreiros, which despite the name is not located in the village of Ferreiros, but in the nearby village of Mirallos. Like many churches in Spain, it is surrounded by the parish graveyard, which you can see here with tombs sometimes layered two or three high. Unlike most churches in Spain, however, this […]

Over its long course, the Camino wends its way through many rural landscapes. As we walked past a farmstead near the village of Mirallos, Francine was mobbed by a flock of chickens. I was a little slow to pull out my camera. Though I took several photos, none of them really captured the event properly. Francine and the flock had […]

Tell me brother, have you found the Yellow Sign? Date: 28 April 2013Place: between Ferreiros and Portomarín (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)Today started: Sarria (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)

The stretch of the Camino between Sarria and Portomarin is absolutely beautiful and serene. For many, many pilgrims this is the first part of the Camino they see, and it’s certainly a great introduction. This section of the country is beautiful… particularly if it isn’t raining and overcast. It’s very much like western Washington State that way. Date: 28 April […]