There’s an article in The Guardian today about how the small towns of Spain were affected by COVID-19. Specifically, the writer explores Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a name familiar to most pilgrims of the Camino de Santiago. It’s worth a read. This is the home of “the chicken church” — the cathedral knownContinue reading “Santo Domingo de la Calzada and COVID-19”
Tag Archives: Spain
First Light on the Camino
“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”
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”
Local Life on the Camino (#CaminoTuesday)
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine I was in the small village of Urtega, just past Alto del Perdon, when I met an American pilgrim I’ll call Callie. She’d started her Camino pilgrimage in Pamplona, and so this was her first day onContinue reading “Local Life on the Camino (#CaminoTuesday)”
A Walk Above the Ocean (#CaminoTuesday)
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” Jacques Cousteau The climb was called Purgatorio for a reason. It was short—just 300 meters, but with 100 meters of elevation gain, it was less an uphill walk and more a hold-onto-tree-branches-to-pull-yourself-up ascent. But then I emerged from the trees,Continue reading “A Walk Above the Ocean (#CaminoTuesday)”
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 But for some reason, this previously unpublished photo from myContinue reading “The Pilgrim Statue of Astorga (#CaminoTuesday)”
My 5 Favorite Albergues on the Camino del Norte (that aren’t Güemes)
My Instagram feed is full of people on the Camino del Norte (check out Nadine Walks and Ben Camino and OTCamino), and I am filled with both memories and a little jealousy. I want to be walking on cliffs overlooking moody oceans! (Oh, wait, I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I spent last weekendContinue reading “My 5 Favorite Albergues on the Camino del Norte (that aren’t Güemes)”
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”
Away, Away From Men and Towns (An Almost Wordless Wednesday)
Away, away, from men and towns, To the wild wood and the downs— To the silent wilderness Where the soul need not repress its music (from An Invitation, by Percy Bysshe Shelley) April is National Poetry Month. Last Monday was Earth Day. And here in Seattle, there’s spring in the air. So it’s no surprise myContinue reading “Away, Away From Men and Towns (An Almost Wordless Wednesday)”
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.
camino times two 