Pilgrims on the Way

Deep in the bandit’s forest is a monument to the dead of the Spanish Civil War. There are monuments for the dead of this war all over Spain. This particular monument, which is nowhere near any kind of human habitation, is at the site of a mass grave from the era. Date: 11 April 2013Place: between Villafranca Montes de Oca […]

The forest terrain that day had a lot of ups and downs, and the day we walked, it was often dark and stormy. Sometimes we walked on roads, and sometimes on a path near or even next to the road. The image struck me, as a particularly good example of what walking the Camino means, and what being Christian means. […]

Within the haunted forest, we passed this memorial, presumably to a fallen pilgrim. I could not find their name, but the ribbon hanging from the tree contains the following in Portuguese: “Sāo Jorge, em Nom de Deus, rogai por nos” – “Saint George, in the Name of God, pray for us”. Date: 11 April 2013Place: between Villafranca Montes de Oca […]

As we made the steep climb up into the Montes de Oca, the wind picked up. The forest we entered was eerie. The trees were black and bare, awaiting their spring colours. A note on my map said: “In medieval times, dense forest, wolves, and bandits made this one of the most difficult stretches of the Camino.” I can well […]

If this sign is accurate (and for that, see posts passim), we are 12km from the village of San Juan de Ortega, our intended resting spot for the night. We are already 12km into today’s walk. This photo was taken at about half past noon, so if nothing else, we’re making decent time. It’s twenty days or more to Santiago. […]

As we leave the little village of Villafranca Montes de Oca, the terrain opens out before us. Low hills roll into the distance, and the Camino, as full of possibilities as ever it was, winds its way through them. Date: 11 April 2013Place: leaving Villafranca Montes de Oca (Province of Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain)Today started: somewhere just before Belorado […]

This elegant lamppost is located just outside the parish church of Santiago Apóstol in Villafranca Montes de Oca. The church itself is (from the outside at least) an unremarkable 18th century stone structure. This lamppost, on the other hand, is delightful Date: 11 April 2013Place: Villafranca Montes de Oca (Province of Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain)Today started: somewhere just before […]

We lunched in a picturesque truck stop in Villafranca Montes de Oca. It was easily some of the best food I’d had on the Camino to that point, and it was stupid cheap. The place was full of truckers and Guardia Civil. Based on some certificates on the wall, the proprietor was once a member, so it makes sense that […]

Finally! Lunch! Here we see Viola and Eamon heading for a likely looking place for lunch. The sign advertises it as “the Pilgrim’s stop on the Camino”, and that was good enough for us. It had a sort of truck-stop vibe, perhaps influenced by the lineup of trucks (and military vehicles) in the parking lot, just out of shot. Inside, […]

We arrive in Villafranca Montes de Oca, looking for some lunch. There are a handful of towns on the Camino named Villafranca (the French village). This is because as the Camino road began to be claimed from bandits and Moors, the local nobility encouraged settlers to settle along the Way. The settlers – whatever region they might have been from […]