Pilgrims on the Way

This particular stretch of the Camino is a gently undulating terrain, but just a little further on there’s a bit called Alto do Poio, which I think might translate into something like “lousy hill”. This was a crazy bit of hill, so steep and full of boulders that at some points I was on all fours scrambling up the slope. […]

While much of Galicia is forested, quite a bit is given over to pastureland and farms as well. This should give you a pretty good idea of what much of this looks like from the Camino. Date: 25 April 2013Place: between Hospital da Condesa and Padornelo (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)Today started: Vega de Valcarce (Region of El Bierzo, Province […]

Back in 2013, these markers could be found throughout Galicia. I don’t recall seeing them since, and I suspect they were all replaced with more modern signs and markers. I hope I’m wrong about that, and there are still some of these kicking around. To see what the modern markers look like, check here. Date: 25 April 2013Place: entering Hospital […]

Despite the the well-worn and oft repeated joke in Spain that “no hay vacas en Galicia”, there are, in fact, a whole lot of cows. Perhaps a majority of the mammal population. On our way to the next village, we were passed by a cowherd and perhaps two dozen cows on the Camino path. This photo is of the last […]

This was the best photo I could get of the face of the titanic bronze pilgrim statue atop Alto do San Roque. While there are many statues and other pieces of public art along the Camino, this is certainly one of the most loved. From the determination in his eyes to the little details, such as the scapular of Santiago […]

This  titanic bronze statue of a windswept pilgrim stands atop the hill known as Alto do San Roque. It’s difficult from photos to get an idea of the actual scale of this thing, but if you were standing next to the plinth, you could rest your arms on the stone. Well, I could – don’t know about Francine. Date: 25 […]

The next village after O Cebreiro is Liñares. As you can see, from this angle it looks more like a truck stop than a proper village, but the bit around the church is actually quite bucolic. The large building closest to us contains a café and albergue. Although I’ve walked past this spot three times over the years, I’m not […]

After climbing the long hill to O Cebreiro, you are rewarded with views of the valleys below. The highway seen here is actually some distance below the town, and beyond you can see another village that looks like doll houses. Farther off, you can see one of those valley-spanning flying bridges similar to the ones we walked under earlier in […]

This marker in O Cebreiro celebrates the former pastor of the village church of Santa María la Real, Don Elías Valiña Sampedro (1929-1989). He almost single-handedly revived devotion to the Camino, after it had fallen into relative obscurity in the XIXth and XXth centuries. He organized the clearance of parts of the route that had become impassable, and it was […]

O Cebreiro is one of my favourite little villages on the Camino, although it does have something of a Disneyland-esque vibe – everything is just a bit too tidy. Our little group grabbed a late lunch in the café you see here to the left. Francine and I walked our Autumn 2018 Camino from this village. Date: 25 April 2013Place: […]