Author: Thom

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 […]

Here you see Francine, along with our new friends Katy and Emilio, descending the Alto de Perdón. As you can see, this was not a smooth road by any stretch of the imagination. It was a long, slow slog. Occasionally, there were sets of steps formed by timbers set into the slope. It was almost faster to walk around them. […]

A couple of days ago, I posted a photo of the valley we left climbing up to the Alto de Perdón. Here we see Francine beginning the descent on the other side. You can see that the terrain is a little bumpier – this is wine country we’re walking down into. Date: 03 April 2016 Place: Alto de Perdón (Navarra, […]

Here I am with a pilgrim statue on the Alto de Perdón. While we’re both wearing hats, his is a tricorn, and you can see his pony-tail sticking out the back. Mine is a Tilley. We’re both bent over under our heavy burdens, but he seems to be carrying a lot less than me! Date: 03 April 2016 Place: Alto […]

This is a photo of my favourite person with my favourite pilgrim statue on the Alto de Perdón. The statue is depicted wearing a single scallop shell and the deep medieval hood favoured by travellers and monks of the time. Both of these pilgrims seem to be walking into the wind! Date: 03 April 2016 Place: Alto de Perdón (Navarra, […]