Pilgrims on the Way

This was our first view of the Monasterio de San Julián de Samos. This ancient abbey was founded in the 6th century. Thanks to the vagaries of history, including a Moslem invasion and occupation in the 8th century, forced secularization by the Spanish government in the 19th century, and several devastating fires throughout the centuries, it was abandoned and restored […]

When you see hay bales in the distant fields, it’s sometimes difficult to get a sense for how large they actually are. They’re this big. Date: 26 April 2013Place: somewhere between Triacastela and Samos (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)Today started: Fonfría (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)

Eamon and Francine enter San Martiño do Real, passing the village church with its graveyard. This may or may not be the village listed in the map below as “Real”. The church is naturally dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, a very popular saint of the Medieval era and of the Camino Francés. Date: 26 April 2013Place: somewhere between Triacastela […]

With the holidays upon us, posting is likely to continue to be irregular, probably through the new year. In this photo, we’re walking through the picturesque hills of Galicia, approaching the village boundary of a place so small that it’s not even listed on the map below. On the map I carried, it’s designated San Martiño do Real, and it’s […]

From the sublime to the silly. It seems like whenever we are in Galicia, I take way too many photos of the ubiquitous cows. I can’t help it. These are huge animals, they’re everywhere, and some of them, like this curious specimen on the left – or the famous hipster cow of San Xil – are just brimming with quirky […]

The forests of Galicia feel ancient, and humans have trod these forest paths for hundreds of thousands of years. The routes of some of the paths and roads the Camino follows are far older than the Camino itself. While pilgrims have stamped holloways on the Way, something that can be accomplished in mere centuries, sometimes you see something like this […]

According to the signs, we’re just past Renche and presumably on our way towards Real, though the signs don’t mention that particular village. It’s just as well, as “Real” might be the name on the map below, but in real life the village is called San Martiño do Real. There’s no sign for that name, either. Meanwhile, there is a […]

Apologies for the erratic posting! Yesterday I was fighting a migraine, and today a cold. Here we see some folks taking a dip in the Río Sarria, which the Camino has been following now for a bit. What is their story? Are they pilgrims? A local family? Date: 26 April 2013Place: somewhere between Triacastela and Samos (Province of Lugo, Galicia, […]

Here Francine and Eamon walk through a forested stretch of the Galician Camino. We are on our way to Samos, which is an ancient Benedictine monastery on an “alternative route” – a half-day’s detour, really. It’s very much worth the extra time. Not only is Samos itself not to be missed, but the route is a pleasant walk that can […]