Pilgrims on the Way

It was early enough in the afternoon that I spent some time wandering around the Albergue de Peregrinos San Saturnino. I’d love to know the history of the place. It’s a private albergue, owned by a local vintner – more on that later – but it’s named after the local parish church, and it has this lovely small altar on […]

This photo is pretty self-explanatory, I think. This is my journal, which I am updating in the albergue courtyard while I imbibe a beverage, provided by the nearby vending machine. Yes, beer from a vending machine. No, it wasn’t very good. Date: 08 April 2013Place: Ventosa (La Rioja, Spain)Today started: in Logroño (La Rioja, Spain)

Our albergue had an inner courtyard, sheltered from the relentless wind. In my journal, I described it as a “tranquil walled garden”. After our showers and settling in, we all retired here. There’s a vending machine with cans of beer. It’s not great beer, but it’s absolutely perfect for the moment. From my journal: There are a few conversations, both […]

It had been a tiring day. The wind, already gusty for several hours, now cranked itself up to 11. We began to understand why the nearby village was called Ventosa, from the Spanish word “ventosos” meaning “windy”. We hoped there was an albergue there, because we were rapidly running out of steam. Date: 08 April 2013Place: between Navarrete and Ventosa […]

After Navarrete, the Camino continues to closely parallel the N-120 highway. On the way, it wanders through ancient vineyards and low, rolling hills. The wind picked up noticeably as we went, leaving me to wonder if this is a more or less constant feature of La Rioja. After two pilgrimages through the region, I’m more and more convinced that this is […]

This is one of the ways that the town of Navarrete marks out the Way. I don’t know how many of these plaques are in the streets here – the regular yellow arrow is much more common. However, it’s my favourite signage anywhere on the Camino. As I’ve mentioned before, when I finally get my pilgrimage tattoo, this will be […]

This photo complements yesterday’s, in that it’s a view across the sanctuary of the Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Navarrete from the opposite side. You can clearly see the plain stonework that dominates the church. Only the altars and sanctuary are decorated, and the rest of the building hardly seems to matter. This Spanish view stands in sharp […]

This is another view of the high altar and reredos of the Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Navarrete. We are looking across the top of the low altar towards the Gospel side. Hopefully, this will give you an idea of the scale of the place. You can see the ambo and Paschal candle as well. And of course, […]

And then we walked in. There are various side altars, though most of the decoration of the church interior is plain stone. Except at the high altar. This is four stories of Baroque magnificence sheathed in gold. It fairly well takes your breath away. Not bad for a simple parish church. Date: 08 April 2013Place: Navarrete (La Rioja, Spain)Today started: […]