As the sun came up beneath an overcast sky, we set off from Rabanal del Camino en route to Cruz de Ferro. The track mostly followed the road, and at one point we heard an extraordinary noise, like the breathing of a mechanical dragon or perhaps an ancient Bolton and …
It was a late start from Murias de Rechivaldo which meant we met an extraordinary man. It was overcast outside and 0800AM inside. Breakfast was toast and coffee. I decided I would start giving Albergue breakfasts a miss. But this was different. The Belgian had walked various Camino routes since …
Breakfast at Santibanez de Valdeiglesias was good. We walked with our US friends, Joanne and Fumi, as far as Astorga where they were going to stay. We passed a pilgrim memorial – we pass these almost every day, each one different, and each dedicated to a pilgrim who lost his or …
We set off early from Villar de Mazariffe, aiming to reach Santibanez de Valdeiglesias via the Puente de Orbigo. Again taking the alternative route – and from a quick count as we took the turnoff, it appeared that perhaps only about 5% take the alternative route, with most people continuing …
It was a bit misty and overcast as we made our way to the outskirts of Leon. At Virgen del Camino we stopped for breakfast overlooking the industrial outer suburbs of Leon. The Tortilla patata was rich and the coffee smooth. Both would give us energy for the walk ahead. On …
A rest day provided time to visit the laundromat and to walk around photographing the delightful city of Leon. Who knew that Hogworts was here in Northern Spain? The Casa de Botines was designed by Gaudi in an exaggerated Gothic style like a Disney caricature of a medieval castle. It …
“Dos personnes para Leon, por favor Señor” – and with that, we had two tickets – thanks to the Translate app from Google. We were at the bus station in Burgos, with half a dozen other pilgrims planning to skip the Meseta, each for their own reasons. We had done the maths: with …
We visited the Museo de la Evolución Humanes – the Museum of Human Evolution. They told us that, being a Tuesday, Atapuerca was closed today, and tomorrow’s tour was already booked out. ‘Besides’, they said, ‘the tour is all in Spanish and the artefacts are all here at the museum’. …
We departed Vilamayor del Rio before dawn, aiming to reach Villafranca Montes de Oca. The streets were deserted and the light made stark contrasts, giving the buildings an unearthly cast. It was slow going, mostly uphill until we were able to take a break for breakfast at Belorado. Belorado is …
