Author: Thom

A rare double-photo! The climb up the hill into the city center of Astorga is not an easy one, as you can see. After a day’s walk and clambering up and down the railroad bridge, it almost feels like gratuitous suffering. You better believe I leaned on that rail as I climbed. At the top, you are greeted by this […]

The history of settlement on this site dates back to at least the Iron Age, though there were Paleolithic settlements in the area more than 100,000 years ago. The Roman city of Asturica Augusta was founded here in 14 BC. I love that this is the name posted here where the Camino enters the city proper. You can see the […]

The Camino arrives in the city of Astorga by means of an enormous, multi-level metal bridge over railroad tracks. It involves climbing several zig-zag stories up and then down. It’s my understanding that the bridge was briefly labeled as the “Peregrino Torture Tower” on Google Maps. Although I’ve crossed this bridge twice now, I don’t appear to have any actual […]

There are almost as many different kinds of signs on the Camino as there are pilgrims. Here are two of them, set in the rough ruins of a village that has clearly seen better days. Date: 20 April 2013Place: San Justo de la Vega (Province of León, Castilla y León, Spain)Today started: León → Hospital de Órbigo (Province of León, […]

Here we see two weary pilgrims entering the village of San Justo de la Vega. Although it’s right next to the great city of Astorga, San Justo feels much more like a village than a suburb. Well, other than the immense wideness of the main road, which is a major highway. Date: 20 April 2013Place: Entering San Justo de la […]

The Camino drops into the city of Astorga following a relatively steep paved road. In this photo, it looks like a cliff! It’s great for bicycles but not so much for those of us on foot. Still, they have thoughtfully provided benches every so often. In the foreground, you can see the village of San Justo de la Vega, and […]

It’s three in the afternoon, and the weather has taken a turn for the hot. Fortunately, this snack bar in the middle of nowhere was able to take care of all of our refreshment needs. Francine’s at the bar, and Tara and Smith are to her right. Places like this can be a life saver out on Camino! Date: 20 […]

I believe this is the first photo I have of Francine actually walking the Camino. We are somewhere on the long plain leading up to Astorga, and the building up ahead is a pilgrim rest area – complete with snacks! The rich red soil you see, particularly on the road, would become the bane of our existence when we returned […]

I rarely post landscape photos, mostly because I’m not great at taking them. Nevertheless, I hope this image gets across the sheer beauty of the Spanish Meseta – the great fields of green and the endless sky of blue above. On the horizon, you can see the Cantabrian Mountains that we’ll be crossing through on our Camino Primitivo in May. […]