Pilgrims on the Way

Like much of rural Spain, the village of Bercianos is a shadow of its past. Once a large village with over a thousand inhabitants, it now boasts a population of less than 200. The village is filled with buildings like these, some falling to ruin and some looking as though a little TLC would bring them back to life. Eamon, […]

This somber monument, located just before the village of Bercianos, is a reminder that not all pilgrims make it. It is a tribute to Manfred Kress Friedrich, a German pilgrim who died here on June 9th, 1998. Although he never reached Santiago, he has found rest on the Camino. Requiem æternam dona eis, DomineEt lux perpetua luceat eis:Requiescant in pace. Amen. […]

As you approach Bercianos, you will see this little church just off the Camino in a field of grass and wildflowers. I wish it had been open, because the interior is said to be quite beautiful. As it was, what with the heat and all, it was perhaps enough to simply see the outside and be reminded of the presence […]

As you can see from the photo and the map below, the Camino offers two options at the village of Calzada del Coto. The two options don’t properly meet back up until Mansilla de las Mulas, some 32 kilometers down the road. It was already 1:30 when we passed this marker, so we which way we went had to be […]

After Sahagún, the Camino strikes out along a rural highway. It is depressingly flat and beastly hot and sunny. The highway next door is also, shall we say, less than optimal. Some day, these young trees will provide shade to future pilgrims. Perhaps even as soon as later in the Spring! For now, it was nearly enough to live in […]

On the Camino, livestock always have the right of way. As you leave Sahagún, the Camino crosses the Puente Canto – the “singing bridge” – over the Río Cea. The Roman bridge here is long gone, though the current 18th century bridge is built in the Roman style. It was here that we were confronted by this flock, lead by […]

The last day of Sahagún Week! Eamon and I ducked into a tiny church near to the ruins, perhaps even part of the original monastery complex. This was just a few weeks after Easter, so many of the statues that are paraded through the streets during Holy Week were still in the aisles of the church. There was even a […]

Day four of Sahagún Week! Eamon walks through the center of Sahagún. Ahead of him is another portion of Sahagún’s ruined Monasterio Real de San Benito. Several stark reminders of the former glory of this great abbey stand throughout the town center, with streets and shops standing in the middle of what was once the great monastic complex and church. Date: […]

Day two of Sahagún Week! This funky medieval building is across the street from yesterday’s statue. The surrounding buildings are decidedly more modern, as you can see. What this building is and how it survived I’ve no idea. Virtually all of the nearby buildings, other than a church and an old monastery, appear to have been built in the 20th […]