Category: Map

In the distance, you can see our objective for the day, the town of Grañón. To the right over the berm is the N-120. Seated at the crossroads is an exhausted young pilgrim from Germany. He and his father were walking the Camino together, but just a day or two after this photo, his father became injured and they had […]

You might think this is a painting or a model, but no. This is the actual bridge that the Camino takes over the N-120. Amazing, no? Thereafter, the path (more of a dirt road, really) parallels the highway for quite some time. Date: 09 April 2016 Place: Between Santo Domingo de la Calzada and Grañón (La Rioja, Spain) Maps!

This monument is roughly halfway between Santo Domingo de la Calzada and Grañón. It commemorates a hand-to-hand fight between the champions of these two towns in medieval times. They were to determine which town had the right to graze their animals on the surrounding disputed field. For their champion, the people of Santo Domingo chose a professional fighter, paying him […]

The humble saint, Santo Domingo de la Calzada is so-called because be built a calzada – a causeway – over the Río Oja in the year 1044. Well, this is the spot. It’s a much newer bridge, of course, dating to 1917, but this is the spot where the saint built the first one. Well, more or less. The channel […]

Honestly, I could easily spend a couple of days in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Indeed, last time, I stayed here for the night. This time, however, it’s mid-day, and there are kilometers to go before we sleep. We decide to push on to Grañón, which is only another couple of hours, and find beds there. Date: 09 April 2016 […]

Where most medieval towns are on the high ground, snugged around a defensible hill, or located in a narrow and easily defensible bit of land, the city of Santo Domingo de la Calzada is in a river valley, open to the world. It’s defense seems to be that it really is difficult to see until you are very close. Or […]

At last, we have come to the city of the holy saint, Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Because the town is in a river valley and the land is so undulating, it’s hard to see it until you’re practically on top of it. It’s always exciting when you finally arrive! Lunch awaits. Date: 09 April 2016 Place: In view of […]

And then, out of nowhere, we were buzzed by a small aircraft. It was flying so low that I thought it was trying to land in the nearby field. I mean, it’s not exactly flying monkeys, but I’m going to assume that it somehow fits into today’s Wizard of Oz theme. Date: 09 April 2016 Place: Between Cirueña and Santo […]

We continue our Oz theme from a couple of days ago in this absolutely gorgeous vista of endlessly rolling hills as we search for the fabled city of… Santo Domingo de la Calzada. This is a city where, so the legends go, “the streets are paved with chorizo and jamon, the fountains flow with vino tinto and the river is […]

You may recall that as you enter the village of Cirueña, there is a metal sculpture which is sort of an “inverse pilgrim”. Well, here’s where the scrap cut from that piece of art ended up: the roundabout as you leave Cirueña. I think I like this one better. Date: 09 April 2016 Place: Leaving Cirueña and heading for Ciriñuela […]