Author: Thom

Here you can see the high altar, a stark and colourful contrast to the white kitchen tile that covers the interior of the church. Now might be a good time to mention the “Mystery of Obanos”. This story is told in the form of a mystery play performed by the whole town every other year. This is the (very) brief […]

As we walked through Obanos, we passed by the parish church of San Juan Bautista. It was locked up, as it was on my last Camino. But then – wonder of wonders! – the sacristan came by and opened the church for us. Although it looks medieval – and indeed the portico arches and some of the decorative stonework are […]

After walking downhill for a bit, there’s a uphill climb and then Obanos begins abruptly, rather like Muruzábal. You can see the ramparts of the town to the right and a rather bizarre modernist house to the left. And, of course, that one lamppost where the sidewalk begins. Date: 03 April 2016 Place: Obanos (Navarra, Spain) Our current position may […]

On my previous Camino, one of the most intensely spiritual moments of my life occurred in the tiny Templar Church of Santa María de Eunate. This church is located in the middle of an agricultural field, and getting there is a detour of about two kilometers from the Camino. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the start of the detour in […]

Technically, this is where the sidewalk begins in the village of Muruzábal. There were numerous places like this, where after walking a dirt or gravel path, it suddenly ended in a beginning of a sidewalk or paved road, typically with a lone lamppost standing forlorn against the dark. Date: 03 April 2016 Place: Muruzábal (Navarra, Spain) Our current position may […]

After Uterga, the Camino wanders through hilly farmland. Here we see Francine and Emilio chatting away after second breakfast in Uterga. The Camino has times and places of quiet and solitude, and also times of fellowship and talk. The trick sometimes is to know which is which. Notice the clouds moving in. Nothing ominous, there. Date: 03 April 2016 Place: […]

While the Parroquia de La Asunción in Uterga might not look like much on the outside, the inside is a different story. This, for example, is the retablo of the high altar. Although the central event depicted is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the event for which this church is named, there are numerous other saints here, as […]

Typical of many local churches in Spain, the Parroquia de La Asunción (parish church of the Assumption) in Uterga is not a lot to look at on the outside. This is no doubt the result of a hard lesson learned by the people of Northern Spain, who in the Medieval era had to deal with bandits, Moorish raiders, and the […]

This beautiful statue of Our Lady stands at the bottom of the Alto de Perdón, just before the village of Uterga. She is in a small garden amid a handful of memorial markers. She is a poignant reminder that sometimes, pilgrims don’t make it to Santiago. Indeed, a reminder perhaps that we are on a larger pilgrimage on earth, from […]