Walking the Camino de Santiago
Here’s the interior of the church looking towards the nave past the pulpit. You can see the organ pipes on the far wall. Yes, the whole interior of the church really is like that. We ran into Emilio here, but he and Katy were staying at a different albergue than we were. We had to leave the church before Mass, […]
» Read more
Santa María de Los Arcos is one of the largest churches in all Navarra. And it is simply stunning. The photo, as usual, doesn’t even begin to convey the artistic and spiritual depths of this place. Stylistically, I suppose we must say that it is Romanesque, overlaid with Renaissance, and then slathered with a rich Baroque frosting. I remember it […]
» Read more
Just off the plaza, the Portal del Castilla faces into the setting sun and towards Santiago. In fact, the Camino itself goes through this gate on its way out of town. We were hanging around the plaza waiting for the church to open when I wandered out the gate and snapped this photo. Date: 05 April 2016 Place: Los Arcos […]
» Read more
And here is what was through the arcade in yesterday’s photo! Several cafés and restaurants front on the plaza, and many folks took their food and drinks outside. Dominating this space is the Iglesia de Santa María de Los Arcos. This church is a mish-mash of styles, from Romanesque to Renaissance to Baroque, which somehow all sort of work together. […]
» Read more
After a dodgy beginning, the streets of Los Arcos settle down into a narrow maze of medieval streets which sometimes go through buildings or end in arcades facing out onto small courtyards, such as here. Our albergue tonight will be the fantastic Albergue La fuente Casa Austria. Date: 05 April 2016 Place: Los Arcos (Navarra, Spain)
» Read more
The entrance to Los Arcos is not particularly encouraging. But looks can be deceiving! The further you get in, the prettier (and more medieval) it gets. From this photo, you’d be forgiven for thinking it a frontier town in the American west! Shortly after this photo was taken, we ran into Billy. He was waiting for a Farmacia to open, […]
» Read more
Have I mentioned how beautiful Navarra is? As you can see, the storm has passed for the moment. The sun shines above, and the clouds are retreating to the horizon. To the left, we see a vineyard, with its ancient vines, gnarled like zombie hands reaching up through the soil. Wait, what? Date: 05 April 2016 Place: between Villamayor de […]
» Read more
Today’s photo requires some backstory. One year ago today, I sent my application to the Archdiocese of Seattle to discern for the diaconate. I felt that God was calling me to be a deacon. Ultimately, the Archdiocese rejected my application. This was a heart-breaking moment for me. I still felt God calling me to serve Him, but now I was […]
» Read more
The land between Villamayor and Los Arcos is just beautiful. The weather was cool and breezy – you can see Francine’s skirt and pack cover are trying to run away. Although it’s not raining in this photo, the looming storm clouds above and the mud below warn us that this is but a lull in the storm. The constant winding […]
» Read more
Found this building just sort of in the middle of nowhere. It appears to be a cistern of some sort. It roughly corresponds to a place marked “Corral del Santo” on the map, but who knows? There were definite signs that some person or persons had used this as a habitation recently. Date: 05 April 2016 Place: between Villamayor de […]
» Read more