Author: Thom

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The little village of Terradillos de los Templarios is proud of its history and association with the Knights Templar. Their albergue is even named after the last Grand Master of the Order. There are Templar churches and fortresses all along the Camino Francés, because in the 12th century the Pope asked the Templars to secure this Camino route from bandits, […]

We spotted this cute little fellow about a half hour past Ledigos. There’s a lot of graffiti on the Camino, much of it words of encouragement. Then there’s this, a whimsical delight. I don’t remember seeing this on our 2016 Camino, so Mr. Whimsey has apparently moved on. Date: 16 April 2013Place: between Ledigos and Terradillos de los Templarios (Province of […]

The Camino enters the village of Ledigos through what could charitably be described as an alley. For a closeup, check out the photo from our rainy 2016 pilgrimage. The church on the right is the Iglesia de Santiago. We didn’t drop in, though, as we pretty much just walked straight through this village. Three years later, we would spend the […]

Just two walking minutes past Eamon’s “halfway through tree“, I spotted this graffiti. I dashed across the highway to take a proper photo, and I spotted the town of Ledigos in the distance. The graffiti message is certainly well-placed and well-said, considering it’s location almost exactly halfway between Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Santiago de Compostela. Date: 16 April 2013Place: approaching Ledigos  (Province […]

My friend Eamon from New Zealand started walking his Camino in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. He knew that at some point today he would cross the halfway point from there to Santiago de Compostela. While there is a “halfway monument” just before Sahagún for those (like me) who started in Roncesvalles, there’s nothing for those who started on the other side of the […]