Author: Thom

The Fuente de los Moros – the fountain of the Moors – is a twelfth century cistern located on the outskirts of Villamayor de Monjardin. While the construction that you see here is certainly of Christian construction, it is true that the castle on the hill above (seen on the left in the photo) was once an Islamic fortification. King […]

Seven months ago today, we entered the village of Azqueta and found no room at the inn. Well, technically, we found that the only place serving food – a dive called Bar Azketako – was entirely too busy to serve us elevenses. So we pushed on instead, hoping for lunch a bit further on. Date: 05 April 2016 Place: Azqueta […]

Somewhere after Irache, we lost Katy and Emilio. Francine and I pushed onward. Here in the background you can see Montjardin, with the ruined castle of San Esteban de Deyo perched atop. The Camino, meanwhile, wends its way through fields and small stands of trees. Eventually, of course, we would be heading at least partway uphill. I vaguely remember three […]

Between Estella and Los Arcos, there are a number of alternate routes, leading to signs like this. There are those who say that you don’t need a map to walk the Camino – just follow the yellow arrows. Well, I respectfully disagree. A good map is always valuable and well worth the weight of carrying it. Of course, not all […]

For All Souls Day, the Day of the Dead, it is perhaps appropriate that today’s photo is the entrance to the sadly defunct Irache Monastery. The structure is directly across from the wine fountain and dates to the middle ages. In addition to being a spiritual center and a pilgrim’s hostel, it was once an important center of learning, containing […]

Legend has it that at one point in the Middle Ages, an Italian noblewoman endowed a series of fountains on the Camino in Spain with one spigot for water and one spigot for wine. This is the only remaining one, at the Bodegas Irache. It was once operated by the nearby (but sadly defunct) monastery, but now is part of […]

The most usual sign for the Camino is the ubiquitous yellow arrow. In some places, the local government has set up signage, ranging from stone markers to street signs. And of course, sometimes a private organization or citizen will put up their own. This person covers all the bases. Date: 05 April 2016 Place: Estella or possibly Irache (Navarra, Spain) […]

So here I am, having climbed the steps, standing frustrated at the locked door of the church of San Pedro de la Rúa in Estella. This photo is looking vaguely towards the Río Ega. I note that none of my companions were dumb enough to climb up with me. If you look carefully, you can see the three of them […]

The Iglesia de San Pedro de la Rúa is a fortified medieval church in Estella. Weirdly, it houses the tomb of a thirteenth century Bishop of Patras in Greece. Apparently he was walking the Camino incognito and died in his sleep at the nearby albergue of San Nicolás. When he was buried in the pilgrim cemetery in San Pedro’s cloister, […]