Pilgrims on the Way

Despite the rather simplistic map we’ve been using throughout this project, there are actually a maze of paths and roads from Samos to Sarria. (I’ve added a supplementary map, below.) We elected to not walk the version along the highway the entire route. Which route we actually took, though, is a matter up for some debate. We passed waterfalls and […]

At some point, the Camino diverged from the road, and the weather got less misty. It was still pretty chilly though! Here, Francine flashes a smile despite her weariness. I kind of love this photo of her. Date: 27 April 2013Place: between Samos and Sarria (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)Today started: Samos (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)

The road from Samos is a literal road. As you can see, for some sections there’s a gravel path alongside, but it is by no means consistently present. And even when it is there, there’s not always a barrier between it and the road. It’s a trifle unnerving. The weather was somewhere between misty and rainy in turns. Date: 27 […]

We set off across the town of Samos. Our goal was Sarria by lunch, and then on to Morgade or thereabouts for the night. Unfortunately, Francine slept near a very drunk English pilgrim who snored so loudly the bunks shook. We nicknamed him “Mad Mike from Manchester”, though I’m unclear if that was actually his name or home town. Francine […]

For breakfast, we headed over to the other albergue in town, which also includes the wonderful little restaurant where we ate last night’s dinner. Here my friend Eamon from New Zealand texts home (probably) before we head out on the morning’s walk. Date: 27 April 2013Place: Samos (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)Today started: Samos (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)

Just one final photo from the murals in the monastery albergue of the Real Monasterio de San Julián de Samos. This image depicts Saint Martin of Tours, a very popular saint along the Camino and indeed throughout the world. Here the saint is depicted cutting his own cloak in two, so as to give half to a beggar. Tomorrow: back […]

We set off the next morning from the monastery albergue of the Real Monasterio de San Julián de Samos. I previously posted one photo from the interior, but here you can see a small number of the murals that decorate every wall of every room of this space. Date: 27 April 2013Place: Samos (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)Today started: Samos […]

This is probably the last photo I’ll post for now of the interior of the Real Monasterio de San Julián de Samos. I took many more, but it’s time to move on. And pretty much all of them are various degrees of blurry anyway. Here we see the sanctuary of the great monastic church, with its two altars and two […]

In the course of my liturgical volunteerism, I’ve worked in a lot of sacristies, but I think I can say with confidence that none of them approach the size or serenity of the one found in the Real Monasterio de San Julián de Samos. It is big, but the monastery once had dozens of priests, and the church itself is […]

As we continued our tour of the inside of the Real Monasterio de San Julián de Samos, there were two constants: the deep beauty and grandeur of the place, and the grainy and blurry photos taken by my high-tech iPhone-4. This was 2013, after all. The interiors of the main level are all painted with stunning, almost-life-sized murals, and I […]