Category: Liminal Space

This door leads into the tiny Romanesque Iglesia de San Salvador. This appears to have been a sacristy door, but as the front door of the church is sealed shut, it’s now the only one you can get in through. Rúa Major has become Rúa do Castelo, and we are heading out of Sarria. In fact, from here we’ll be […]

We continue our morning quest to find a proper breakfast. This door was not the answer, though I believe it was taken in the same village where we ultimately found a place for café con leche. Yesterday I realized that by the time this series of Camino Photos of the Day finishes up, we may very well be in Spain. […]

If doors and windows and thresholds are powerful symbols and signs of moving from one place or state to another, what are we to make of this? The top of this door barely reaches my chest, though the window is about head-height. And is that an eye looking out? Date: 24 April 2016 Place: Pereje (Castilla y León, Spain) Two […]

There’s a story behind this door. Probably several. How many times has this entrance been reduced in size? And for what reasons? Date: 24 April 2016 Place: Villafranca del Bierzo (Castilla y León, Spain) Since Villafranca is midway through our day, two maps are required.

Another door! Here we catch the briefest view of the garden courtyard of Number 41 Calle Santa María, the street the Camino takes through the old central part of Cacabelos. This demonstrates exactly why I find liminal spaces so fascinating… you never know what lays beyond. Date: 24 April 2016 Place: Cacabelos (Castilla y León, Spain) Today’s map, part 1:

Those who have been following this blog for any length of time know of my fascination with liminal spaces: doors, gates, even windows. I found this one in Cacabelos an interesting study in the old and the new. The wiring on the outside reminds me a little of the wiring on the interior of my parish church, built in 1920. […]

The El Bierzo countryside, like my much-beloved Navarra and La Rioja, is covered in vineyards. The vines are pruned back in a way that always makes me think of zombies, thrusting their hands up through the soil and crawling their way to the surface. Or is it just me? Date: 24 April 2016 Place: Between Camponaraya and Cacabelos (Castilla y […]

The sides of this little church are painted with bright images, including this calendar around the side door under the awning. I suspect this is the door normally used to enter this little church. I will be posting a number of photos of this lovely little church over the next days. Why? Because I found it utterly charming. And how […]

When we walked in 2016, it was a jubilee year. Many of the larger (and sometimes not so large) churches had holy doors. The Basílica Nuestra Señora de la Encina was one of these, and it was one of the more obvious and well-marked ones of the whole Camino. Nicely done! Here Francine leads Rebecca and I through. Date: 23 […]