Pilgrims on the Way

Galicia is the last of the Spanish Kingdoms traversed by the Camino. Traditionally the Meseta is very dry, and Galicia is nothing but mist and cloud and rain. This year, however, is not like other years. We had flooding on the Meseta, and nothing but blue skies here in Galicia. Date: 25 April 2016 Place: between La Faba and O […]

As we approached the marker denoting our entry into Galicia, our last Spanish Kingdom on the Camino, I turned around and took this photo. This is my last photo of the Kingdom of Castilla y León, and of the El Bierzo valley and cultural region. TL;DR – Spain is beautiful. Date: 25 April 2016 Place: between La Faba and O […]

Clearly, the heat was getting to me. Francine got this shot in front of El Refugio CaminArte, so this photo is slightly out of order. It was so hot on the long climb, that I zipped off the legs on my hiking pants. This is probably the last time I wore shorts. I can’t explain the pose or the goofy […]

Sometimes you need a reminder that the Camino is not some isolated path through Spain, but rather part of the warp and weft of the countryside through which it passes. In the rural areas you will occasionally have someone run a small herd of cows or a flock of sheep down the Camino. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s […]

As we continue to climb up and up towards Galicia, it’s time to turn around and see where we’ve been. The valley of El Bierzo stretches out below, its horizon already obscured by the foothills rising all around us. It has been a hard climb – and it’s not quite over yet. But already we are daydreaming of cool drink […]

Here we see Francine pushing her way uphill from La Faba towards the Galician border and the town of O Cebreiro. The rocky nature of the path certainly wasn’t making it any easier, but at least the trees provided a modicum of shade. To my mind, this was the most difficult climb since our first day in the Pyrenees, almost […]

I mentioned yesterday that a percentage of the pilgrims on the Camino choose to go by bicycle rather than foot. Here’s a sign of that: two different Camino paths, one for foot and another for bike. While rare, these definitely exist throughout the length of the Camino, as there is plenty of terrain you can cross safely on foot, but […]

As we walked through the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it village of Las Herrerías that may or may not be part of La Faba, we finally came upon the stables we saw advertised back in Ambasmetas. While the overwhelming majority of pilgrims walk, about 8% or so bicycle, and another 1% ride horseback. No word on the percentage of pilgrims who just take these […]

The intrepid pilgrims enter the village of La Faba. Here we would have a drink and some snackage in a funky albergue/bar called El Refugio CaminArte. By this time, we were halfway up the mountain. Date: 25 April 2016 Place: La Faba (Castilla y León, Spain) Today’s Map:

As we continue our climb up into the Cantabrian Mountains and, eventually, Galicia, the Camino follows a country road towards the village of La Faba. To our left, the land drops away into an idyllic valley, complete with meadowland, winding river, and scattered cattle. Despite the heat of the day and the climb, it was a little slice of heaven. […]