Category: Map

This little chapel is named for Pontius Pilate’s presentation of the scourged and humiliated Jesus to the gathering crowd: “ecce homo! – behold, the man!” It is a lovely rest spot with fresh water available to pilgrims. I’m including both exterior and interior photos in this post – bonus! Date: 21 April 2016 Place: Between Valdeviejas and Murias de Rechivaldo […]

After we pass out of urban Astorga, the Camino runs overland through some suburban-style villages. A number of the houses here have these colourful carts out front. I presume they are a cultural tradition of some sort, and I’m curious to know what they signify. And yes, I know that this is a cart rather than a wagon, but I […]

The Camino route out through Astorga is not nearly so pretty and picturesque as the route into town. However, there is one weirdly Nordic-looking church, as well as cafés and shops – few of which were open at the early hour we began our walk. And then there is this reflection, this sign of the times. Date: 21 April 2016 […]

Stepping outside our albergue in the morning, we were treated to a final view of the lovely Catedral de Santa María de Astorga. You can clearly see from this angle how small the plaza in front is, and why it’s so difficult to get a decent photo of it. We grabbed a quick breakfast in the same local place we […]

The sign and the entrance to the city may not look like much, but Astorga is one of my favourite Camino towns. It has a number of beautiful churches, including a wonderful Gothic(ish) cathedral. There are museums dedicated to chocolate, as well as one housed in the old Episcopal Palace designed by Antoni Gaudí. There’s evidence that people have been […]

They left up part of the original church. It serves as the bell tower for a 20th-century meeting hall-style building that wouldn’t be out of place anywhere in suburban Protestant America. It’s positively disjointed and hideous. Why, oh why would you do that? Date: 20 April 2016 Place: San Justo de la Vega (Castilla y León, Spain) Today’s map:

A Camino road sign for all the Charleses in your life. Date: 20 April 2016 Place: San Justo de la Vega (Castilla y León, Spain) Today’s map:

There is some great public art on the Camino. This larger-than-life pilgrim stands on the Camino route as it descends into the valley of the Río Tuerto and the village of San Justo de la Vega and the city of Astorga beyond. I have imitated this statue no more than dozens of times on any given Camino day. Date: 20 […]

The Camino drops into Astorga following a relatively steep paved road. Great for bicycles, not so much for those 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 just beyond that the city of Astorga. Date: 20 April 2016 Place: Approaching San Justo […]

So after several hours of mucking about, we come to a broad, dry path, for which we are extremely grateful. Someone has thoughtfully marked out for us the way to continue. Date: 20 April 2016 Place: Approaching San Justo de la Vega (Castilla y León, Spain) Today’s map: