Category Archives: travel

Camino de Santiago: Virgen del Camino to Hospital Orbigo

September 23, 2016: Two options today ~ follow the highway path or take the longer alternate path. We naturally opt for the longer route since we rarely seem to do anything the easy way.camino-1030256

Short video of the day featuring the inspiration for our morning mantra ~ …Coffee Town:

camino-1030313As usual, we follow an arrow to proceed straight ahead. What’s this?  A set of large railroad tracks loom ahead and we are hesitant to cross since neither of us like to break rules. Hmmm…? Turn around and back we go to find this little arrow pointing to a road that winds us through town, up and over a pedestrian railroad crossing. Safety first and it’s a good thing we like to walk.

Image from Galicia Guide
Image from Galicia Guide

The 13th century bridge taking us into Hospital Orbigo is the longest one on the Camino at 204 metres long (approximately 670 feet) and has 20 arches. The river that it crosses doesn’t seem to appear to warrant such a lengthy bridge, but prior to a dam being built at Barrios de Luna the river was a lot wider. ~Galicia Guide

This bridge has facilitated trade since Roman times including the passage of livestock as part of the cattle trail Camino de la Canada, as well as sweaty pilgrims. ~John Brierly

I see our albergue! A  sign can be spotted from the bridge so we have finally arrived. The albergue tonight is connected to a bar/restaurant which means we have a zero kilometer walk tonight. Yes!

Top three photo picks of the day:

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Camino de Santiago: Reliegos to Leon

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?

mansilla-de-las-mulas-to-leon-elevation-map

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

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

 

Camino de Santiago: Sahagun to El Rancho Burgo

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

Camino de Santiago: Ledigos to Sahagun

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: Carrion de los Condes to Ledigos

September 17, 2016:  Pretty level day as we plod along enjoying the company of Alabama John (Hence, the video song choice) and Blair today. Poor Blair’s blisters are becoming quite a struggle, but she is one tough cookie.

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

Blair, Joan and I are staying in Ledigos tonight while Alabama John continues on to the next town meaning we, most likely, will not see him again. Thank you being a part of our journey.  Buen Camino, John!

We take a stroll around this quaint little village of Ledigos with its interesting buildings constructed with mud and straw. We walk up a hill to the church and discover a woman just finishing up preparing for Sunday service tomorrow. She allows us in and gives us a little tour.

Top three photo picks of the day:

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Camino de Santiago: Boadilla to Carrion de los Condes

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 15: Castrojeriz to Boadilla

9-15-2016:

hontanas-to-fromista-elevation-mapWe leave Castrojeriz only to see a huge, steep hill ahead of us. What’s up with that? We are in the meseta, so shouldn’t the way be relatively flat?  Trudging halfway up the hill I look back and the view is breathtaking!

camino-1020705eOnce we tackle the hill, the rest of the way is easier and I can see for miles. It’s windy and the temps are cold, so poor Joan is still suffering from Hiking Pants Envy wishing her legs were covered, too.
camino-1020743eOur bed tonight is in Boadilla and many bunk beds are crammed into a room with a ladder leading to a loft above. I feel much younger now having discovered one of our roommates is well into his 80’s and has completed over 20 caminos. He always takes the bed by the ladder in the loft when he is in this albergue, so up he goes.

camino-1020753eThe garden area includes interesting metal sculpture art and murals.
We top the night off with a delicious Pilgrim meal.

Top three photo picks of the day:camino-1020751e camino-1020747ecamino-1020745e

Camino Day 13: Burgos to Hornillos

9-14-2016:  It’s a dreary Tuesday and we bid farewell to Randy who is taking a bus from Burgos to Madrid to catch his flight home.

camino-1020484We trudge through parque El Parral which, we decided, was the park in the film, The Way.

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As you can see by the map, it isn’t totally flat terrain, yet. We are expecting much flatter terrain, but find the ups and downs to be just fine.

camino-1020503 This man reminds us of Randy as he is so proud of the hair brush he found along the way. Joan is not jealous as she already has a nice comb.

No reservations, but we have our minds set on Albergue Hornillos so we hustle along and get in line for a bed. Joan and I are lucky and snatch the 2nd and 3rd to the last beds while Alabama John (Young man with the cowboy style hat on the video) gets the very last bed. Bonus is a grocery store nearby and little old church to tour next door.The Camino did provide!

camino-1020558Our beds are near this kitchen where we drink our wine, cook supper  and visit with the other pilgrims.  These experiences are some of my favorites of the camino – listening to other perspectives and journeys in life.

unnamed Joan is in a tiny room with another lady next to this  dorm room and I enjoy this view from a top bunk near them. Nice and cozy. I listen to the conversations in the kitchen from my bed and soon I am lulled to sleep. Buenas Noches!

Top three photo picks of the day:camino-1020547e camino-1020539e2 camino-1020531dmv

 

Camino Day 12: Exploring Burgos

9-12-2016:  Today we are tourists  exploring the city of Burgos, Spain. Click on the link below for a short highlight video :

camino-1020370Construction on the Cathedral began in 1221 and was completed in 1567 which included a hiatus of nearly 200 years with the work resuming on the Burgos Cathedral towards the middle of the 15th century and would continue for more than 100 years. The work done during this time consisted of embellishments of great splendour, assuring the Cathedral’s continued world-renown status. ~unesco.org  Audio tour is full of historical facts and I find it difficult to absorb all of the grandeur and history. Truly immense and I’m in awe.

camino-1020366eshWe are seeing more beggars in the tourist areas of town.  Scam artists? Hmmm…

camino-1020464We climb the hill and explore massive fortifications of the rebuilt Castillo de Burgos. Dating from the 9th century, the castle has a turbulent history, suffering a fire in 1736 and blown up by Napoleon’s troops in 1813. There’s a small museum featuring the history of Burgos.

camino-1020466The impressive view from the castle reveals an aerial view of our hike yesterday and we can see why the Camino path into Burgos seemed endless. We also view the route we will take out-of-town tomorrow as we face the meseta.

camino-1020443A special happy hour tonight since it’s Randy’s last night with us.  We improvise by making a tablecloth from a disposable sheet Randy saved from a previous albergue. This will aid clean-up since we aren’t suppose to eat in the room.( Sh-h-h-h… don’t tell!) Add bread from a local bakery washed down with very cheap (0.62 euro?) box wine and life is good. Don’t judge…

We meet Jim and Mary Ann (Leascomadventures.com) for the evening meal. Last time we see this lovely pair as they will proceed down the path ahead of us from now on. Buen Camino!

Top three photo picks of the day:

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