Today’s walk was a bit boring, past VERY flat farmland relieved only by 8 km of sycamore (according to my tree expert husband) lined paths parallel to a super highway. Arrived here at 4 pm with time for a shower, hand washing laundry and a vino with fellow pilgrims before dinner.
This tiny village has a great bell tower. Ate lunch here: bocadillo con chorizo (sub-sandwich with sausage) and some local wine (of course!)
Today I walked into the Léon region. The terrain is still dry-looking farmland, with gently rolling hills and occasional (like on the edge of this town) “bodega” (wine cellar) built into the side of a hill. Unlike previous bodegas we’ve seen, these were equipped with chimneys & TV antennas!
Another beautiful weather day on the Camino!
This is the sign for the little, but very old (13th c.) hermitage restored by an Italian (of course!) Lay Confraternity. According to John Brierley, “The original pilgrim hospice was founded in the 12th century and later a Cistercian monastery was added.” Today the lay volunteers tend to the 12 beds with no electricity, phones or “mod-cons”. They do have a shower & toilet in a separate bldg.! Despite the medieval character, or perhaps because of it, this place had a very lovely ambiance. At night they use candlelight as the only illumination. I got there mid-morning & the Italian hospitalera was very warm & welcoming, even though all I needed was a “sello” (stamp) for my pilgrim credencial.
I walked most of this afternoon beside this great canal. Used heavily for irrigation, it also is used a lot for recreation, tourism (there’s a hotel in this town, Frómista, with a water taxi from the canal to town) and wildlife refuge. Thought of trips my family has taken on NYS and Canadian canals, even though I didn’t see any houseboats!
The locks, all mechanical, are behind me (from where I took the photo.)
Deer must be a hazard to traffic here too!
I took this picture to prove they have some kind of deer here, although I have not seen any yet. There were quite a few farm vehicles in this area today; mostly moving straw.
The “Meseta” is a region of Castille-Leon known for both it’s aridity & grain agriculture. Relatively flat, but with rolling hills at the edges, it is extensively irrigated, some portions with canals dating from Roman times!
Took this photo as I was leaving Castrojeriz this morning about 8:30. This young man is from Charlotte, NC. He sped past me before 9AM!
This was taken as I walked in yesterday Sept. 12, 2013. Great weather & a great hotel waiting for me (more on that later.)
This is among my favorite images from all the amazing art in the Cathedral in Burgos. (I sent this to my grandson too!) It is from a “cathedral in the cathedral” one of 21 chapels in the Catedral de Santa Maria. This sculpture is part of the funerary display of the king & queen (in repose) which were made for their graves many years after the royal couple were deceased & installed in this chapel. Why a little dog was depicted at the feet of the queen was never explained. Perhaps she was a dog lover?
