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Camino de Santiago: Reliegos to Leon

February 8, 2017 Randy & Joyce Meyer 1 Comment

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?

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 SpainThanks 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 .

Looking 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

February 1, 2017 Randy & Joyce Meyer 1 Comment

September 20, 2016:

As we leave town on this chilly, dreary day we are joined by a few fellow pilgrims so conversation flows freely.

Dorothy and Ruby, along with Joan, enjoy a Kodak moment in front of Bar Elvis. Unfortunately, Elvis has left the building… it’s closed.
Reliegos, Spain is our stopping point for the day and we find parts of the medieval walls still intact.18th century St. Mary’s church in Reliegos is built on top of the previous 12th century church.Many artifacts from the 12th century church can be found inside.

Altar is fine baroque 18th century.

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

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

The 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:

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Camino de Santiago: Sahagun to El Rancho Burgo

January 27, 2017 Randy & Joyce Meyer 1 Comment

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.Foggy morning as we leave Sahagun.

As 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.) 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.org Along 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.

Home 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:

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Camino de Santiago: Boadilla to Carrion de los Condes

January 12, 2017 Randy & Joyce Meyer 1 Comment

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

The 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!We 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.Nice clean rooms, clean bathrooms/showers and no bunk beds.

The 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

January 10, 2017 Randy & Joyce Meyer 4 Comments

9-15-2016:

We 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!

Once 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.
Our 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.

The 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:

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Camino Day 10: Belorado to Ages

December 29, 2016 Randy & Joyce Meyer 1 Comment

September 10, 2016: Belorado to Ages ~ 28 kilometersOver-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.While 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. 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.Junk 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.Shout 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 6: Torres del Rio to Logrono

December 6, 2016 Randy & Joyce Meyer Leave a comment

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

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.

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.
Graffiti in the tunnels plus the shade provide a little respite from the heat.

We 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:

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The Magic of Snow

December 5, 2016 Randy & Joyce Meyer Leave a comment

Make your own kind of magic this holiday season.

knock-2809esnowr2web — Image by Joyce Meyer ~ Santaland located in Madison, MN

(Click on image for a larger viewing window.)

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Day 4 ~ Camino de Santiago…Estella to Los Arcos

November 19, 2016 Randy & Joyce Meyer 1 Comment

Sunday, September 4, 2016:

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.

Two 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.

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

Another 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.