“We need to be reminded sometimes that a sunrise lasts but a few minutes. But its beauty can burn in our hearts eternally.” – R. A. Salvatore Anyone who’s met me knows I am not a morning person. I don’t often see the sun rise, nor do I want to. (A more accurate quoteContinue reading “First Light on the Camino”
Category Archives: Camino Frances
Beautiful Bridges of the Camino de Santiago
Last week, on New Years Eve, the Twitter world had a #CaminoTuesday theme of “The Old and The New.” I didn’t have time to write up a whole blog post, but I did share this: Here are the photos bigger, in case you’re curious: And that got me thinking about bridges, and how importantContinue reading “Beautiful Bridges of the Camino de Santiago”
The Architectural Wonder: the Cathedral of León
The cathedral of Santa María in León has walls that soar almost 100 feet high and are filled with almost 2000 square feet of stained glass, spread over 130 church windows and 3 rose windows. To stand inside and survey what look like walls of glass, supporting a roof of stone, is to understand whyContinue reading “The Architectural Wonder: the Cathedral of León”
The Pilgrim Statue of Astorga (#CaminoTuesday)
Over on Twitter, the hashtag #CaminoTuesday is becoming a thing. Someone (I don’t know who) announces a new theme every week, and people post their photos and stories that fit. Today’s theme is “modern statuary and sculpture,” of which there are plenty of examples along the way. But for some reason, this previously unpublished photo from myContinue reading “The Pilgrim Statue of Astorga (#CaminoTuesday)”
A Night at the Bullring
I was sitting in a restaurant this week, waiting for friends to arrive and half watching the giant TVs overhead, when a report on a bull jumping a fence in Spain caught my attention. Perhaps you’ve seen it? During a festival in Caparroso, Navarre, a bull released into a ring made a mad dash forContinue reading “A Night at the Bullring”
The Passionate Man’s Pilgrimage (An Almost Wordless Wednesday)
Give me my scallop shell of quiet, My staff of faith to walk upon, My scrip of joy, immortal diet, My bottle of salvation, My gown of glory, hope’s true gage, And thus I’ll take my pilgrimage. — The Passionate Man’s Pilgrimage by Sir Walter Ralegh (click here to read the fullContinue reading “The Passionate Man’s Pilgrimage (An Almost Wordless Wednesday)”
Corpus Christi in Mazarife
Today is the Catholic Feast of Corpus Christi. It’s not a date that draws a lot of attention in the United States, but four years ago I encountered it in full measure in Spain, where it seems no festival or saint or holy remembrance goes unacknowledged, and I’ve been curious about it ever since. We wereContinue reading “Corpus Christi in Mazarife”
The Retablo of Navarette
Retablo: a devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art. More generally retablo is also the Spanish term for a retable or reredos above an altar, whether a large altarpiece painting or an elaborate wooden structure with sculptures. (from Wikipedia) A few days ago IContinue reading “The Retablo of Navarette”
The Bridge of Hospital de Órbigo
The 13th-century stone bridge of Hospital de Órbigo is 200 meters long and boasts twenty arches, which now mostly rest on bare ground now that a dam blocks much of the Orbigo River, but the bridge survives because of the Camino-worthy legend of Don Suero de Quiñones.
A Day Alone in Burgos
A couple of weeks ago (yeah, I’m behind with my writing) I did something I’d never done before. I went to a play by myself. And not just any play. I went to THE play. Hamilton. The story of how I got there is long and not very interesting. Short version: I have been geekingContinue reading “A Day Alone in Burgos”
camino times two 