Pilgrims on the Way

The whimsical and colourful houses and shops along the Calle Miguel de Cervantes in Belorado offer proper homage to their namesake. As I remember, much of the town was painted in cheerful, almost Disney-esque, colours. There are many towns in Spain that have streets named after literary or artistic figures, and I wonder now that there are so few that […]

This is the third and last Belorado mural photo I’m posting. Here’s Eamon the pilgrim taking a photo of a stereotypical medieval pilgrim (or perhaps Santiago himself) surrounded by the emblems and symbols of the Camino. In the shadows, a third weary pilgrim walks under the stars. Date: 11 April 2013Place: Belorado (Province of Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain)Today started: […]

As I mentioned last time, central Belorado is covered in colourful murals, many dedicated to the Camino. This one depicts part of the road through the modern village, walked by either a medieval pilgrim or by Santiago himself – you decide. I’ll post one more mural photo tomorrow, and then it’s back on the road! Date: 11 April 2013Place: Belorado […]

Belorado is a charming town, and the Camino route is graced with several murals on what would otherwise be brick and stone enclosure walls. Eamon, Viola, and I pause for a moment to look at one of them. What historical event this is meant to evoke, I’ve no idea, but the part just out of view on the left includes […]

The bell tower of the Iglesia de Santa María La Mayor is surmounted by several stork nests, and here in the spring the birds themselves are flying all over the town. The church itself was originally a medieval castle chapel, and it was substantially rebuilt in the 16th and 20th centuries. Sadly, it was not open when we passed through. […]

Day ten dawns, and Eamon, Viola, and I get walking! Here we are actually in the town of Belorado, after having stayed the night in an albergue just outside town. We all felt much better after a good night’s rest, and in my case cold meds and three boxes of orange juice. We’re looking for a place for breakfast, but […]

Our Belorado albergue / holiday camp featured what I previously described as a “low-rent Disneylandesque people-mover pulled by a fake old-timey steam locomotive”. I don’t think my description actually did it justice. You decide. Date: 10 April 2013Place: somewhere just before Belorado (Province of Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain)Today started: Santo Domingo de la Calzada (La Rioja, Spain)

I took few photos that afternoon as we continued battling fierce headwinds, and I personally was sick with a cold. When we arrived at the outskirts of Belorado at about 4:30 PM, we three literally checked into the first place we came to. It seems to primarily be a holiday camp or something, complete with low-rent Disneylandesque people-mover pulled by […]

These faithful hounds guard a house in Villamayor. The one in the back has had its legs broken, and the body is propped awkwardly atop the feet. I’m not sure why I was so fascinated with these – I took three different photos of them. Perhaps they reflected my mood at the time; I was feeling a little broken myself […]