Walking the Camino de Santiago
The Camino meanders through the suburbs of Ponferrada and past the lovely little church of Santa María de Compostilla. Both times I’ve passed this place, I took a plethora of photos, none of which even together can really sum up the feeling of the place. Surrounded by parkland and garden, it exudes a lovely serenity. The outside walls are covered […]
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The Camino through Ponferrada takes us through some surprising urban density. Cities can be exhausting, and it’s so easy to get distracted. Sometimes it’s best to keep your eyes looking for the Camino markers that will lead you onward to your rest. I very much like this marker. Date: 23 April 2013Place: Ponferrada (Region of El Bierzo, Province of León, […]
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While in Ponferrada, we stopped in a Farmacia, where we saw this display. And what are they selling here? Compeed is a sovereign remedy for blisters. This is clearly marketed to pilgrims – although it’s difficult to make out, that’s a medieval-style pilgrim hat there at the top, the sort you often see on statues or images of Santiago. Date: […]
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After spending about an hour and a half exploring the castle, we moved on to the beautiful Basílica Nuestra Señora de la Encina. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a lot of great photos, but here is Francine entering the church. There are a couple of good photos of the place from our 2016 Camino you can check out, starting here. Date: […]
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My beautiful bride posed atop the walls of the Castillo de los Templarios. In the background you can see the city of Ponferrada below and the hills beyond. Date: 23 April 2013Place: Ponferrada (Region of El Bierzo, Province of León, Castilla y León, Spain)Today started: Molinaseca (Region of El Bierzo, Province of León, Castilla y León, Spain)
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Sometimes it’s difficult to get an idea of the scale of a place unless you’re there. Here we see Francine and some fellow pilgrims inside the Castillo de los Templarios. The place is just enormous. Date: 23 April 2013Place: Ponferrada (Region of El Bierzo, Province of León, Castilla y León, Spain)Today started: Molinaseca (Region of El Bierzo, Province of León, […]
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Here we see Francine and I at the entrance to the Castillo de los Templarios. We waited about an hour or so for them to open the doors so we could go exploring. Normally there’s an entrance fee (discounted with a pilgrim passport), but today was a national holiday, so all of the historic sites and museums were open for […]
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So, here’s a sight you don’t often see. To the left is a Templar castle. Across the street to the right are cafés and shops. At the end of the street are some restaurants, the tourist office, and a museum, beyond which we see the spire of the Basílica de la Virgen de la Encina. Not too shabby for one […]
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Ponferrada is a beautiful city, and it’s the capital city of El Bierzo. Even so, what most pilgrims remember about this city is the Templar castle. This castle. We had the great fortune of arriving on a holiday, when entrance to the castle is free, so in coming days I’ll show off some of the interior. But first: second breakfast at […]
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As the Camino enters Ponferrada, it crosses the Río Boeza. For pilgrims, this is accomplished by crossing the Puente Mascarón, although confusingly, the name of the neighbourhood around the bridge is Puente Boeza. This photo is virtually identical to the one I took three years later. Date: 23 April 2013Place: entering Ponferrada (Region of El Bierzo, Province of León, Castilla […]
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