Author: Thom

I think every pilgrim walking through Villalcáza takes this photo. I know Francine certainly did in 2016. It’s pretty clear we’re struggling in the heat – I’m wearing shorts! This statue, dedicated to longtime hospitalero Pablo Payo Pérez (1920-2003), is directly across from the Iglesia de Santa María la Blanca. It’s also right next to the café where Eamon and […]

While I have certainly taken better photos of this massive sculpture, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to post this first one. This type of sculpture is known as a tympanum, and this particular example is part of the “porch” of the Iglesia de Santa María in Villalcázar de Sirga. The upper register shows Christ in majesty, surrounded by angels […]

This rather imposing structure is the Iglesia de Santa María la Blanca in Villalcázar de Sirga. Both times I’ve passed through this town, the church was locked. It’s funny; the default state for churches in Navarra, La Rioja, and Galicia is “open”, while in most of Castilla y León, the default state is “locked tight”. Construction on this Templar fortress-church […]

Before long, Eamon and I arrived at the town of Villalcázar de Sirga. It was a very different route and weather three years later, when Francine and I walked here. It was three in the afternoon when we arrived here, and the heat of the day was enough that I zipped off the legs of my hiking pants. I can […]

Eventually, the Camino takes its leave of the Río Ucieza. As you strike “inland”, this building dominates the area. Although the current building dates to the 18th century, it was built over the remains of older churches from the 13th and 16th centuries. The oldest structure, parts of which are still apparently standing as part of the sacristy, belong to a […]

For several kilometers, Eamon and I walked along the Río Ucieza. You can see the foliage lining the bank to the right in this photo. To our left stretched the seemingly endless Meseta, a hemisphere of green topped by a hemisphere of blue. Occasionally, we’d pass some habitation, though there never seemed to be any way to get to them […]

We arrived in Villovieco at about 1:30 pm and were greeted by this two-dimensional pilgrim. The Camino proceeds along the lovely Río Ucieza. It’s a beautiful walk through partially wooded countryside. The village may date to the medieval period – certainly the parish church is 16th century – but many of the houses we passed had a distinctly 20th century […]

The alternate route did not start out with promise, looking suspiciously similar to the route along the highway. The major difference was that this route was flanked by an irrigation canal (seen on the left in the photo) rather than a busy highway. Fun fact: when we walked on the Meseta in 2016 during the hundred-year floods, many of these […]

In the village of Población de Campos, pilgrims must make a decision. Continue walking along the highway for the rest of the day, or take the detour through the countryside. The detour is longer by a couple of kilometers, but the reports we heard were all that it was a more pleasant walk. It would also severely limit our options […]