Pilgrims on the Way

This monument stands near the village of La Portela. In addition to being a nice bit of Camino art, it’s multi-functional. It provides the name of the village, and it gives some undoubtedly incorrect version of the distance from here to both Roncesvalles – where I began this Camino – and Santiago our destination. Date: 24 April 2013Place: La Portela […]

Even through the afternoon heat, we pressed on, hoping against hope to find a vacant couple of beds in Vega de Valcarce. After walking the N-VI highway for a bit, the Camino diverges to a much smaller road. This was pleasant enough, but we soon rejoined the highway. Here Francine has just crossed the Rïo Valcarce, a river we’ve skirted […]

After spending almost two hours in Trabadelo, we had to push on. The afternoon was not really much cooler, but we were well-hydrated and determined to make it to Vega de Valcarce today. It was vital that we get as close to the start of the long climb into O Cebreiro as we could tonight, so that we could take […]

We were both suffering from heat exhaustion by the time we arrived here in Trabadelo. We stopped in for a rest and a drink in the cool shade of the bar, and we ended up staying several hours, downing water with abandon as we recovered. This place was a lifesaver. Date: 24 April 2013Place: Trabadelo (Region of El Bierzo, Province […]

After lunch, the day heated up significantly. Our progress slowed to a crawl, and I’m pretty sure both of us suffered from heat exhaustion. The highway walking didn’t help, as there was little shade to be found. We drank water like fishes, but it didn’t seem to help. Our hope was to make it to Trabadelo and then find a […]

We ate our lunch in a covered outdoor portion of the one and only café in Pereje. I recall having a few beers here, and we ended up spending rather too much time here in convivial fraternity with our fellow pilgrims. After this, we walked the length of the village. Much of it was in ruins, though here and there […]

We arrived in the hamlet of Pereje (population 37) about noon. It was a little jog off of the highway, for which we were grateful. By this time our little band had grown to six: Smith and Tara from Indiana, Iain from Glasgow (who we met entering the village), Anya from Nuremburg, and the two of us. We had a […]

The Camino after Villafranca del Bierzo is a lot of roadwalking. And not just any road, but a highway. This always makes me nervous, and this sign didn’t help. What on earth does it mean? There is an alternate route through the countryside, but it’s a bit longer and the afternoon heat was already starting. Date: 24 April 2013Place: between […]

Leaving Villafranca del Bierzo the Camino crosses the Río Burbia. This is a look back at the town and castle. It’s 11 o’clock in the morning, and we’re pushing on hoping to make it to at least Trabadelo before the afternoon heat set in. Spoiler: we did not. Date: 24 April 2013Place: leaving Villafranca del Bierzo (Region of El Bierzo, […]

Personal coats of arms are ubiquitous in the towns and villages along the Camino, particularly on older houses. They don’t even really need to be grand houses. Some of them are quite beautiful, and rarely are they understated. Here are some of the examples we found as we walked through Villafranca del Bierzo. At some point when I walk with […]