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 …
The toy train This morning turned out to be Spain’s National Day and everything was closed for the public holiday. It rained for much of the day, so we took the toy train ride to take in the tourist experience. It was a delightfully absurd way to see the city. …
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’. …
Up at sunrise, we set off in fog – and our first frost! Our lack of gloves meant that we were quickly walking with both sticks clipped together and alternating one hand in the coat pocket to keep the hands thawed. We were heading to Atapuerca and then on to …
Our destination today is the town of Agés. From Villafranca Montes de Oca the road climbed steeply straight out of the town. Steeply. Towns called Villafranca – are towns that were settled by the Franks – French pilgrims who settled in Spain from around the C9th. Villafranca Montes de Oca also …
