Walking the Camino de Santiago
Just before we cross the busy N-120 highway, we come to a marker telling us that we are leaving the Province of Palencia. We shall now be entering the Province of León, centered on the great city of the same name. It will be several days yet before we arrive in the city, where I will rendezvous with Francine, who […]
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Although the map below doesn’t show it clearly, after San Nicolás del Reál Camino, the path runs just a few meters from the N-120 highway, paralleling the road all the way to our destination of Sahagún. Along the Way, we passed this mileage marker. Now, many times pilgrims will leave a little memento on top of these. I’ve seen everything […]
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The parish church in San Nicolás del Reál Camino is unsurprisingly also named for Saint Nicholas, although in this case it’s officially San Nicolás Obispo (Saint Nicholas, Bishop). The portico of this church famously featured in the movie The Way. Looking at this side of the church, you can see that it was once larger than it is today. In […]
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After Moratinos and about twenty minutes of Meseta walking, we spied the next little village half-hidden in the distance. This is San Nicolás del Reál Camino, population 43. It was in this little stretch that an idea for a Camino novel came to me, along with its last line. Although it’s evolved over the years, at its core it’s still […]
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You see all kinds of old abandoned farm equipment on the Camino, of which this rusting piece of art is perhaps one of the finer examples. What is this thing? And why is it sitting in the middle of the tiny village of Moratinos, down the street from the church? Who can answer such mysteries? Date: 17 April 2013Place: Moratinos […]
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Here’s a closeup of the Moratinos bodegas. Enough people see these and immediately think of Hobbits that they’ve actually erected a nearby sign to explain. So if these are for storing and maturing wine, why the chimneys? Well, over the centuries, families expanded their bodegas so that they could sample their wines there and share them with their neighbours. Eventually, […]
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As we enter the little village of Moratinos (population 18), you can see more of the Hobbit-house style bodegas that pepper this part of the Meseta. The little towns and villages were generally the only break in the otherwise monotonous Meseta, and therefore a most welcome respite. Date: 17 April 2013Place: entering Moratinos (Province of Palencia, Castilla y León, Spain)Today […]
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Pilgrim graffiti is everywhere on the Camino. Often times, this comes in the form of encouragements for the pilgrims following them. This one is certainly good advice! I didn’t take a photo of this sign in 2016, but I might have photographed the graffiti on the back… Date: 17 April 2013Place: between Terradillos de los Templarios and Moratinos (Province of […]
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Good morning! It’s just after dawn of April 17, 2013, and we’re in Terradillos de los Templarios on the vast Meseta of north-central Spain, somewhere between the cities of Burgos and León. It’s day 16 of my first Camino, I’m standing next to my buddy Eamon, and the arrow shows the Way. We’re hoping to be in the city of […]
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After seeing no less than three signs advertising it, we sought out the Albergue Jacques de Molay in the little village of Terradillos de los Templarios. Apologies for the quality of the photo. This is the dining room of the albergue, and it’s a warm, comfy, and most welcoming space with a fireplace and assorted mementos of the Camino and […]
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