Walking the Camino de Santiago
Every pilgrim carries a credencial – a pilgrim’s passport – which must be stamped twice a day during your walk. This is to verify both to albergues and to the Cathedral in Santiago that you are a legitimate pilgrim. Usually, you get these stamps at albergues, churches, or bars. Some folks like this enterprising woman have set up snack or […]
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You will see these little monuments all over the Camino. I’m not talking about the random plinth – though those are everywhere as well – but rather of the abandoned footwear. I’m not really sure how this happens. Shoes blowing out is common enough; I had to replace mine in León. But who, having replaced their shoes, thinks to carry […]
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Camino graffiti continues to provide the best advice. Particularly on this long, windy day. Date: 07 April 2013Place: approaching Logroño (La Rioja, Spain)Today started: in Los Arcos Maps!
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After a short bit of highway walking, we leave the Kingdom of Navarra behind and enter the region of La Rioja. Well, sort of. Until the 20th century, La Rioja was actually part of Navarra, and Navarra’s medieval kings are buried here. I’m sure there’s some modern political reason why these regions were separated, but in my heart La Rioja […]
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The Camino crosses various highways during its long run across Spain. While most of these are through passages underneath, this is a rare example of a bridge, which in this case crosses over N-111 highway near the city of Logroño, which you can see in the background. Date: 07 April 2013Place: approaching Logroño (Navarra, Spain) Maps!
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The isolation of quarantine has been wearing on me the past few days, particularly since Easter, and particularly when I see photos like this from the Camino. As a result, my posting has been sporadic. How I long to return to Navarra and La Rioja! To walk the long kilometers of the meseta. To bask in the friendship of those […]
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In 2013 and 2016, I began my Caminos with a flight to Madrid on Easter Sunday. In the best of worlds, we would be flying to Spain today, right now perhaps. Or Tuesday at the latest. But we are not. The Camino is closed down. Indeed, most of the world is closed down at this point thanks to the Coronavirus. […]
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This is perhaps one of the most famous bits of graffiti to be found on the whole of the Camino de Santiago. It’s located at the end of a short tunnel where the Camino passes under the N-111 highway just after Viana. I don’t know how long it’s been there, but I’ve seen photos taken this year that show it’s […]
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We bid farewell to San Pedro and walk through the old town to make our escape. Note the statue in the old city gates. Ahead lies the rolling hills of Navarra, giving way at eventually to the rolling hills of La Rioja. Date: 07 April 2013Place: Viana (Navarra, Spain) Maps!
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And here’s the outside view of San Pedro. You can kind of see that it’s right in the center of the old town of Viana, despite being part of the town defenses in the Medieval era. There’s something haunting about this place, and both times I’ve been in Viana, I spent quite some time wandering about these ruins before pressing […]
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