Pilgrims on the Way

As I mentioned earlier, the town of Belorado is famous for its murals. This is a particularly striking example, featuring a bearded medieval pilgrim – or possibly Santiago Peregrino himself. Now it’s time to head out of Belorado, with its Disney-bright painted houses, murals, and stork nests, and head back to the open road. Date: 10 April 2016 Place: Belorado […]

We meet a fellow pilgrim in Belorado. He’s the strong, silent type, but he prefers colourful gear. Francine leans on him awhile in the shade. I secretly think he might be Tom Bombadil in disguise. Date: 10 April 2016 Place: Belorado (Castilla y León, Spain) Maps!

I don’t know what to call the previous repast – third breakfast? First lunch? Anyhow, this is the one after that: raciónes in Belorado. It’s a lot like tapas, only the plates are bigger. And don’t get me started on pintxos. There’s a pretty good guide to the different sizes and such of the various Spanish plates here. And it’s […]

The town of Belorado is famous for its murals. They come in all styles, from primitive graffiti to cartoons to heroic paintings to some with the quality of Romanesque icons. Here we pass some crusaders on the way to finding our tapas. And beer. Something cold, at any rate. Date: 10 April 2016 Place: Belorado (Castilla y León, Spain) Maps!

Here’s a wider shot of Santa María de Belorado, where you can clearly see the stork nests. The afternoon had turned warm, as you might be able to tell from this photo. By this time, we were on the hunt for tapas and a place out of the sun. Date: 10 April 2016 Place: Belorado (Castilla y León, Spain) Maps!

Belorado is just a hop past Villamayor del Río. Our small lunch didn’t really satisfy, so we stopped for tapas here. This particularly colourful neighbourhood is the old Jewish Barrio el Corro, more than a thousand years old. The town itself is even older, dating back to Roman times. In any case, the tapas is great. This is the town […]

We stopped for lunch in Villamayor del Río at a restaurant called Casa Léon. It’s a bit off the Camino and just a little swankier than your normal pilgrim place. This lady was hanging on the wall in a corridor. I’d love to know who the artist is and what the name of this piece might be. Date: 10 April […]

The Camino follows the N-120 highway for a bit. We are approaching the prosperous town of Villamayor del Río. The inhabitants of the town are known as “the people of the three lies” since the town is neither a Villa, nor Mayor, nor has Río. Nevertheless, it was originally founded in the year 598, and that should count for something. […]