Walking the Camino de Santiago
While I don’t know what this particular piece of public art is meant to represent, I do know that every single time we’ve walked into Santiago, everybody has a go at imitating it. Most times, it’s with the same burst of joy that Rebecca has here. The urban slog through the city to the cathedral seems endless, but there’s a […]
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Monte do Gozo is a large hill crested by the Camino as it comes into Santiago. In centuries past, this is the place where pilgrims would first see the spires of the cathedral. There are records of pilgrims falling to their knees and singing the Te Deum. Nowadays due to urban sprawl, to see the spires you actually have to […]
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As we at last approach the city of Santiago, whose cathedral is the object of our pilgrimage, more and more of our route is suburban. The final wooded sections are on a gravel sidewalk alongside a country road. Breaks in the trees reveal garden plots and homes. We are rapidly leaving behind the villages for the last time. The excitement […]
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This little shrine to Santiago is near to the village of Lavacolla. Tradition has it that Lavacolla was the place where pilgrims would have their bath – apparently in the nearby stream – before pushing on to the Cathedral. I don’t know if this is an actual medieval custom, but each time we’ve passed the nearby stream, I’ve washed my […]
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The Camino passes directly in front of this village church in Lavacolla, and during each of our Caminos it was locked up tight. Until, that is, our 2018 autumn Camino, when we arrived during a wedding. Needless to say, there wasn’t much exploration of the interior then, either. Notably, there are a couple of bars at the bottom of these […]
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After San Paio, the Camino meanders through woodland and suburban sprawl, some of the very few examples we found in Spain. This little fellow was on somebody’s fence post. I’m constantly surprised by where the human impulse to create art leads people. Date: 02 May 2016 Place: between San Paio and Lavacolla (Galicia, Spain) The final walking day, the final […]
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This painting may be found in the little church of San Paio. I suspect that it’s a vision of purgatory, probably with some local persons depicted. The idea of these images is often to provide a stark reminder to pray for our beloved dead. What a far cry this is from modern days, where people are often lauded as saints […]
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This sanctuary of this little church is about as rustic as you’d suspect. It’s not without merit, though. And I’m particularly impressed with the architectural structure of the reredos, not to mention the great Eye of the Trinity bursting out at top. Date: 02 May 2016 Place: San Paio (Galicia, Spain) The final walking day, the final map:
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This little church stands in the same square as a popular café/bar in the village of San Paio. Luckily for us, the church was actually open as we stopped by. We had no such luck on either our 2013 or 2018 Caminos. I’ll post some interior photos over the next few days. The bar, of course, was open for business […]
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After a long, rough weekend, our series returns with a follow-up to our last photo. I think Rebecca speaks for most pilgrims here when they reach that marker. She’s clearly tired, but it’s a happy tired. Date: 02 May 2016 Place: between Cimadevila and San Paio (Galicia, Spain) The final walking day, the final map:
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