Category Archives: Spain

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Camino de Santiago: Reliegos to Leon

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September 21, 2016:

Why does it seem to take so long to get to the historic part of Leon? A population of 130,000 may have something to do with it as well as getting off the Camino path. Where are those yellow arrows?

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We fumble our way to the cathedral and are happy to find beds for tonight close to the cathedral.

Leon was a Roman military garrison and base for its VIIth Legion, hence the name derived from Legion. Later it became the capital of the old kingdoms of Asturias and Leon conquered and re-conquered by Visigoth, Moor and finally Christian forces.  ~John Brierly Guide

The Latin name (Legio) converged with the word for lion (leo) over the centuries as Latin grew up and became Spanish, ending with the city name of Leon.  ~A Texan in Spaincamino-1030144eThanks to Blair from Australia/Ireland we are made aware of a significant building in the historic city center. Above you see a Neo-Gothic style building designed at the turn of the century by famous Spanish architect, Antoni Gaudi .

camino-1030147eLooking closer, we see a stone sculpture of Saint George as he is slaying a dragon above the principal entrance. During the restoration of the building in 1950, workers discovered a tube of lead under the sculpture containing the original plans signed by Gaudí and press clippings from the era. ~Wikipedia

Top three photo picks of the day:

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Camino de Santiago: El Rancho Burgo to Reliegos

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September 20, 2016:  
el-burgos-raneros-to-mansilla-de-las-mulas-elevation-map

camino-1030028eAs we leave town on this chilly, dreary day we are joined by a few fellow pilgrims so conversation flows freely.
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camino-1030035ecrDorothy and Ruby, along with Joan, enjoy a Kodak moment in front of Bar Elvis. Unfortunately,  Elvis has left the building… it’s closed.
 camino-1030047cr Reliegos, Spain is our stopping point for the day and we find parts of the medieval walls still intact.camino-1030056e18th century St. Mary’s church in Reliegos is built on top of the previous 12th century church.camino-1030049ecrMany artifacts from the 12th century church can be found inside.

camino-1030051dmv Altar is fine baroque 18th century.

 No reservations and bunkbeds are already spoken for at Albergue El Jardin del Camino…

jardin-del-camino…but we are happy they allowed us to stay anyway. Mattresses on the floor near the albergue bathroom are just perfect.

camino-1030044eThe local hangout cafe for the community and pilgrims is directly below us and the spacious yard includes laundry tubs along with clotheslines.  Doesn’t get much better than that, right?

Top three photo picks of the day:camino-1030043cr camino-1030037e camino-1030053ecr

 

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Camino de Santiago: Sahagun to El Rancho Burgo

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9-19-2016:  The albergue is freezing and upon rising for the day we discover why. The big wooden doors were never closed last night so the outside temps are pretty much the same as inside. Plus, our bunk beds were very near the door. Oh well, at least this kept the urine smell in the bathroom aired out.sahagun-to-el-burgo-raneros-elevation-mapcamino-1020978Foggy morning as we leave Sahagun.

camino-1020986As we trudge along we start chatting with this fascinating woman from New Jersey traveling alone.  Her t-shirt is a display of her walks including her 14,000 kilometer walk across Russia in 1971. (Visiting and not paying attention, we took the wrong road and had to backtrack and get back on the correct path.)camino-1020987 Ludmila Prakhina established the Prakhin Foundation with her two sons, Boris and Michael, to provide financial and moral support to authors who educate the public about the Stalinist regime under which her parents were arrested and exiled in a 1941 mass deportation from Moldova. The literary award honors the memory of those murdered under Stalinism and Nazism by recognizing works of prose, poetry, journalism, or scholarship about that tragic period of European history.  http://www.prakhin.org

More information about the Moldova deportation can be found at this link:   Moldova.orgcamino-1020984Along with Ludmila, we enjoy conversation today with an interesting gentleman from Winnipeg. I’ve never been to Winnipeg, but it sounds like a great place to visit.

camino-1030009Home sweet home tonight is Albergue La Laguna with its flamboyant manager (owner?) in El Rancho Burgo, Spain. Fairly spacious green lawn complete with lawn chairs. No kitchen or bar facilities here, so the day includes a short hike to the grocery store.

Top three photo picks of the day:camino-1030017hdrcamino-1030008 camino-1030023

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Camino de Santiago: Ledigos to Sahagun

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September 18, 2016:  Word of the day is bodega as we view many along the way today. Some quite plain, while others feature unique designs.

carrion-de-los-condes-to-sahagun-elevation-map1

camino-1020933I guess if I ever find myself with too much time on my hands I could knit tree wraps.  Or not.

camino-1020955Joan gets her Pilgrim Credentials stamped at the Camino Frances half way point, Our Lady of the Bridge sanctuary near Sahagun, Spain. This structure has XIIth Century Romanesque foundations but the original pilgrim hospic has long gone. Interesting flooring design that seems to have a Moorish influence.

camino-1020975A-h-h-h… home sweet home for tonight with half the beds empty. Seems as though the bed race has eased up for this stretch so we can snuggle in with a little privacy. Hmmm… do I feel a draft?

Top three photo picks of the day:

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Camino de Santiago: Boadilla to Carrion de los Condes

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September 16, 2016:  The way is dark as we slip out of the village of Boadilla. The Camino follows a path along a dike that separates the Canal de Castilla from farmland on the left. Constructed between the last half of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century, it runs 207 km and parts of it are still used for irrigation. ~Wikipedia

elevation-fromista-to-carrion-de-los-condesThe last stretch of this approximately 25 K day is quite easy and level but seems to take forever. That is, until we start walking with an Australian named Blair (Taught in Spain and Ireland.) and the conversation takes my mind off of the distance. Thank you, Blair!camino-1020819We meet our goal of arriving in Carrion de los Condes in time to get beds at the former convent called Albergue Espiritu Santo run by Spanish nuns. Just make sure you use this front door and don’t try to enter, for the first time, through the back courtyard.camino-1020820Nice clean rooms, clean bathrooms/showers and no bunk beds.

camino-1020847The nuns inform us of a free concert tonight in a nearby church which sounds quite interesting. After running into our Irish friend Sinead in the courtyard, the three of us decide to pursue this opportunity together. The featured musician, James Kline, designed a fascinating instrument that has 2 necks, 11 strings on one and a lute and dulcimer on the other.  Enjoyable, relaxing music.

Top three photo picks of the day:

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Camino Day 11: Ages to Burgos

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September 11, 2016:  We leave the quaint little town of Ages, Spain with anticipation of reaching the large town of Burgos along with a little dread.  The last stretch will be along busy roads, but we continue to simply follow the yellow arrows. san-juan-ortega-to-burgos-elevation-map

This is Randy’s last day of hiking the Camino as he will be returning to the life of a farmer in Minnesota. Harvest awaits…

Top three photo picks of the day:

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Camino Day 10: Belorado to Ages

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September 10, 2016:  Belorado to Ages ~ 28 kilometersbelorado-to-san-juan-de-ortega-elevation-mapOver-achievers today as we go a few kilometers past the elevation map above.

We find beds in the Ages Municipal Albergue and wander the streets exploring the village.camino-1020241eWhile exploring Ages we stumble upon a small museum of miniatures that Marcial Palacios creates of regional sites, as well as historical methods of labor in the village and on the farm.camino-1020239e The passion that Marcial puts into his works and animated explanation of each miniature  is  interesting as I try to comprehend with my limited Spanish skills along with gestures. Best salesman ever as we purchase a small, lightweight toy.camino-1020229eJunk sculptures line stone fences and fill the yards of this unique street in Ages. I couldn’t find info about these displays so your guess is as good as mine.camino-1020253eShout out and buen camino to Jim and MaryAnne Leas of leascomadventures.com.

Top three photo picks of the day:

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Camino Day 9: Santo Domingo to Belorado

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September 9, 2016:  As we put our boots on this morning we share a moment with a forlorn Damion from the UK as he contemplates whether to continue his Camino with very sore blisters or call it quits. We’ve enjoyed his wit, humor and banter, so are hoping he continues. Final answer…?  A very somber ending as he makes plans for catching a flight back home.  Camino hearts are breaking for this well liked and kind gentleman as we all know how hard it is to accept defeat.  Safe journeys, Damion.

Today should be close to a 25 kilometer day so we leave the albergue early, making our way down the dark streets of Santo Domingo.
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We enjoy the company of Roger and Nancy from Colorado and interesting conversation makes the day click by so much faster. Thank you for sharing your day with us and we are curious as to your Camino experiences after we parted ways.

What… am I hallucinating?  A huge stuffed animal is hiking towards me!
camino-1020148ecr Following is a link to a short video explaining their project:  osoperigroso

camino-1020147eSmiles on the Way is a site that has information about these two and their walk.

We arrive in Belorado finding only top bunks with no bed rails available, so Joan will face her ultimate challenge tonight. The room is very tiny and there is no room to throw her mattress on the floor for sleeping. Will she sleep walk and fall out of bed or not sleep at all? We will see…

A bonus tonight is meeting and spending meal time with charming Alexandra who lives and works in Malega. I am so tired that I can hardly speak, but the table conversation still flows freely.  Buen Camino, Alexandra!

Top three photo picks of the day:

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Camino Day 6: Torres del Rio to Logrono

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September 6, 2016:  Scroll down for a short video with some Creedence Clearwater Revival plus proof that Joan can still stop traffic!

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As you can see by the elevation map, we start the day with a hill work-out while the rest of the day appears to level out a little. However, the heat continues to sap our energy as we plod down the path.
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We meet a friendly, interesting young man named Julio from California  sitting by the side of the road switching out socks due to blisters. Conversations flow throughout the day about observations and plans while on the Camino, as well as life, taking our minds off the heat. We often wonder about the rest of his journey to Santiago as we lose track due to a different pace as we do with many people we meet. A good lesson learned:   Live in the moment and make the best of it while you can.

We also meet a new friend, Julius, today and have been in touch with this talented photographer/animation artist from Poland living in Dublin. It was great to talk about photography with someone who understands me.
camino-1010918ecrGraffiti in the tunnels plus the shade provide a little respite from the heat.

20160906_083733rWe find beds tonight in the Apostol Hostel in Logrono with a familiar scene on the wall of our room. I don’t think this means I can cross the Statue of Liberty off of my Bucket List.

Top three photo picks of the day:camino-1010878ecamino-1010915ecamino-1010929e

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Day 4 ~ Camino de Santiago…Estella to Los Arcos

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Sunday, September 4, 2016:

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Rats!! Apparently we missed a huge party last night in Estella as at 6:00 a.m. this dark, Sunday morning we hear the revelers still going strong from the downtown area of Estella, Spain. We did enjoy our Pilgrim meal last night in Oceana Youth Hostel (Ignore the name – they take in old people like us, too!) as recommended by a colorful character from Amsterdam. Our table included people from France, Germany, Brazil, Australia and ourselves from the United States so the air was peppered with the sounds of these  languages and accents. Our stay also included a nice visit with a brother and sister from Israel as they shared some insight to their culture and way of life. The hostel is in an old school turned dormitory and serves us well for a good night’s stay, especially when we weren’t sure we’d even get a bed.

camino-1010723eTwo choices of routes leaving Estella – Go left to experience the wine fountain “Fuente del Vino” beside the Monastery of Nuestra Senora la Real de Irache... that is the route we choose. Free wine? Can’t pass that up! A community of monks served pilgrims here since the 10th century but were forced to vacate in 1985 and it is now a museum.  ~A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino de Santiago by Brierley.

camino-1010738eThe ruins of 10th Century St. Stephen’s Castle are at the top of the mountain and can be seen from Villamayor de Monjardin.

camino-1010808ecrAnother incredibly hot day of hiking and Joan may have sucked her bladder (water supply in her backpack) dry. Interesting conversations with other pilgrims help take our minds off of the heat today.

Short video of our day:

Top three photo picks of the day:camino-1010770e camino-1010741e

camino-1010815ecrCeiling view of Iglesia de Santa Maria de los Arcos XIIth C in Los Arcos, Spain