Walking the Camino de Santiago
Here we see Francine walking down from Monte do Gozo and into the outskirts of Santiago. It’s an unfortunate fact that the last several hours of walking on the Camino Francés is through the urban sprawl of the city. Pretty soon there will be major highways to cross and a thoroughly urban landscape. Date: 02 May 2013 Place: leaving Monte […]
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This grand, if unlovely, monument graced the hill overlooking the city of Santiago. On a clear day, from exactly the right spot here you can see the spires of the Cathedral for the first time. It is for this reason that the hill is called Monte do Gozo – Hill of Joy. The monument was erected to celebrate the visit […]
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This sign is reminiscent of a style seen in the early days of the Camino, back in Navarra, but now long vanished from the Way. Suddenly, however, in these last few kilometers, it makes a comeback, echoing the beginning here at the end. I note that it contains the Galician spelling “Camiño” rather than the Spanish “Camino”. Date: 02 May […]
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As we approach the city of Santiago de Compostella, even the manhole covers reflect the Camino. Date: 02 May 2013 Place: between Lavacolla and Monte do Gozo (Province of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain) Today started: O Pedrouzo (a.k.a. Arca) (Province of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain)
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The village of Lavacolla is now basically a suburb of Santiago – in fact, it’s where the airport is located. In earlier days, however, this stream was considered the last place before the end of the pilgrimage to wash up before the cathedral. Supposedly the name of the village comes from lavar (to wash) and cuello (neck), meaning “to wash […]
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Hórreos were made primarily to store grain and hay and such. They’re up on stilts to help prevent rats and other critters from getting at the goodies. You will find hórreos in both wood and stone all over rural Galicia. These days, they’re just as likely to be a general storage shed or a tiny home as they are to […]
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We’re still about 12km from the Cathedral, with some villages and suburban sprawl to go before we even hit the city proper, but to me this marker is the first real sign that the end is nigh, so to speak. In subsequent years, I believe that they’ve moved this marker a little closer to the city, possibly more than once. […]
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The last morning’s walk is in and out of tiny villages while walking through forest and farm with lots and lots of new pilgrim friends. The big bump in numbers happens at Sarria, of course, but by this final day several other Camino routes have merged in. Everybody’s torn between the thoughts of finally arriving and not wanting this journey […]
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Like it or not, the Camino is full of graffiti that runs the gamut from profound to silly. This message was on the side of a farmhouse. I can’t imagine the owner appreciated it, but I found it quite moving. Date: 02 May 2013 Place: between O Pedrouzo and San Paio (Province of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain) Today started: O […]
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We began the final day of our 2013 Camino early enough. We had planned that this last day walking would be shorter than average – about 21km – since we wanted to make it into Santiago de Compostela as early as possible. This photo gives you a good idea of what the town of O Pedrouzo looks like. It’s fairly […]
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