Walking the Camino de Santiago
On the way out of Los Arcos, just past the Portal del Castilla, there’s a grassy common in front of some sort of municipal building. The park contains a number of stone sculptures in this style, including statues of Santiago, King Sancho IV, and whatever the heck this is supposed to be. Date: 06 April 2016 Place: Los Arcos (Navarra, […]
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A final photo of the church of Santa María de Los Arcos as we’re leaving town. The picture gives a good idea, I think, of the narrow medieval streets of this part of the town. Sometimes on the Camino, you can get lost in these mazy towns, and you can never go far wrong if you head towards the nearest […]
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Here we are at the start of another day! Francine is putting on her mitts on a cold morning in front of Casa Austria in Los Arcos. The sun is up and we are in fine form after a delightful breakfast at the albergue consisting mostly of good, thick, German bread and coffee so thick you could stand your spoon […]
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Our albergue in Los Arcos was the fantastic Albergue La fuente Casa Austria. Run by German-speakers, it is the best possible combination of funky and homey and comfortable. It features some smaller bunk rooms, a kitchen, washer and dryer, two dining rooms including a great common room, and lots of nooks and crannies for settling in and getting comfy. This […]
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Here’s the interior of the church looking towards the nave past the pulpit. You can see the organ pipes on the far wall. Yes, the whole interior of the church really is like that. We ran into Emilio here, but he and Katy were staying at a different albergue than we were. We had to leave the church before Mass, […]
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Santa María de Los Arcos is one of the largest churches in all Navarra. And it is simply stunning. The photo, as usual, doesn’t even begin to convey the artistic and spiritual depths of this place. Stylistically, I suppose we must say that it is Romanesque, overlaid with Renaissance, and then slathered with a rich Baroque frosting. I remember it […]
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Just off the plaza, the Portal del Castilla faces into the setting sun and towards Santiago. In fact, the Camino itself goes through this gate on its way out of town. We were hanging around the plaza waiting for the church to open when I wandered out the gate and snapped this photo. Date: 05 April 2016 Place: Los Arcos […]
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And here is what was through the arcade in yesterday’s photo! Several cafés and restaurants front on the plaza, and many folks took their food and drinks outside. Dominating this space is the Iglesia de Santa María de Los Arcos. This church is a mish-mash of styles, from Romanesque to Renaissance to Baroque, which somehow all sort of work together. […]
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After a dodgy beginning, the streets of Los Arcos settle down into a narrow maze of medieval streets which sometimes go through buildings or end in arcades facing out onto small courtyards, such as here. Our albergue tonight will be the fantastic Albergue La fuente Casa Austria. Date: 05 April 2016 Place: Los Arcos (Navarra, Spain)
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The entrance to Los Arcos is not particularly encouraging. But looks can be deceiving! The further you get in, the prettier (and more medieval) it gets. From this photo, you’d be forgiven for thinking it a frontier town in the American west! Shortly after this photo was taken, we ran into Billy. He was waiting for a Farmacia to open, […]
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