Walking the Camino de Santiago
To enter the town of Portomarín, pilgrims must cross this bridge. Cars zoom by, making this seem more dangerous than it actually is. At the end of this road, pilgrims are expected to walk up a long flight of stone stairs into the heart of the town. These stairs were built using the stones of the ancient Roman bridge that […]
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The pilgrim saying is, “always take the alternate path”. Many times, the Camino will temporarily split, and the “alternate” is a longer, more scenic way. Always take those. Sometimes, however, it’s a shortcut, like this goat path killing field down into the Río Miño valley. Don’t ever take those. I mean, it probably would have been okay with some snow […]
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The stalwart pilgrims espy the town of Portomarín in the valley below! Of old, Portomarín was a river crossing, the first bridge having been built by the Romans to help secure the routes to their mines in this part of Hispania. In the 20th century, a hydroelectric dam was built and the river at Portomarín became a lake. The entire […]
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Just a reminder that Galicia is primarily a rural country, where pilgrims don’t necessarily have right of way. We met these sheep, with their sheepdogs and shepherd, near the village of Parrocha. We are heading for the valley of the Río Miño and our destination for the evening: the town of Portomarín. Date: 28 April 2016 Place: Parrocha (Galicia, Spain)
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The day dragged on. By the time we reached our planned second breakfast village, Mercadoiro, it was past lunchtime. So we ate lunch and revised the plan for the day, targeting the town of Portomarín as our stopping place, rather than Gonzar 7.5 km beyond. This photo is the interior window of the restroom of the bar in Mercadoiro. The […]
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I mentioned before the ludicrous distance markers in Galicia, well this is one of the most egregious. Of old, here stood the 100km marker. Every pilgrim had their photo taken with it. It was a rite of passage. Now, however, modern cartography, GPS, and dubious math has renamed this the 99.930km marker. Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, […]
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The morning’s terrain was undulating, and the road varied between mud and asphalt. Our initial burst of speed quickly died back to a trudge. Our mood fell as the road seemed to unaccountably lengthen, even as we walked it. In this photo, Francine tells me what she thinks. Date: 28 April 2016 Place: near Mirallos, probably (Galicia, Spain)
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The pilgrims cross a stone bridge across an unnamed tributary of the Río Loio. The early part of the day was tiny hamlet after tiny hamlet. I’m not even entirely sure that all of them were inhabited. It made for a quick walk through idyllic countryside, and we confidently expected to be eating our second breakfast in Mercadoiro. Date: 28 […]
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We set out about dawn on the morning of April 28, 2016 from the village of Barbadelo. Our goal today was the village of Gonzar. Despite the fact that we roared out of the gate this morning, we wouldn’t make it nearly that far. Date: 28 April 2016 Place: between Barbadelo and Rente (Galicia, Spain)
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This is the altar of the tiny little Capela de San Silvestre, located next to our albergue in Barbadelo, Casa de Carmen. Charming and rustic, the chapel was the perfect place to get a needed moment of quiet while I prayed Vespers. Good night. Date: 27 April 2016 Place: Barbadelo (Galicia, Spain)
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