Camino Photos, Stages 11 through 14

Monday, September 6, STAGE 11

Belorado to San Juan de Ortega

Winners find a way to play

The Camino is scenic

A Memorial to 300 people executed

by Franco's troops at this spot at

the start of the Spanish Civil War

San Juan de Ortega was a very small village with only an interesting church, an old monastery that served as our albergue and two great internet computers.

I don't think hitting the lion

is a good idea Father

I hate angels who are cheap shot artists

Gene Simmons as a snake?

Our monastery turned albergue

A list of how many peregrinos earned

Compostelas each year since 1970

The big spikes are Holy Years that are listed in black. 2010 is a Holy Year, i.e., a year when the feast day of Santiago lands on a Sunday.

I liked the old monastery's tile roof

Tuesday, September 7, STAGE 12

San Juan de Ortega to Burgos

Another random church on the Camino

Rocky Road is not just a flavor for ice cream

España is the rock capital of the planet I'm sure.

The cross at Alto Cruciero

Basically it says enjoy the view

The beginnings of the dreaded meseta

Typical Spanish construction techniques

I think Burgos may be my kind of town

The Burgos Cathedral is one of the

best in all of Europe in my opinion

Commie Bastrads Yet Again!

Peregrinos, TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET!

I love gargoyles!

The Cathedral's Main Entrance

I like murals too

That tree is growing out of his stomach!

Dome ceilings are of interest to me too

El Cid's burial chamber is

inside the Cathedral

El Cid himself

I tried to see if they would let us ride this

contraption into Santiago de Compostela

No.

Even the Cathedral's floor was noteworthy

More dome ceiling magic

These two citizens of Burgos provided the

funding for the building of the Cathedral

Incredible artwork abounds in the Cathedral

Even more dome ceiling artwork

Part of the Cathedral's

ornate outdoor hallway

A line of exquisite gold chalices

Santiago Matamoros

Is this PC? Nice clam shell Santiago.

Burgos' colorful main plaza

It was raining

Peaceful

Cafe con Leche solves most problems

El Cid was a great movie too

In Burgos, it is all about the headgear!

Rain means rainbows

Hey, that's our family name!

Burgos' famous Morcilla blood sausage

The Morcilla was quite good actually

Ste. Jillian led the Camino in the

consumption of vegetarian sandwiches

With a caña of course.

If only they had this T-shirt in

real men's sizes

Wednesday, September 8, STAGE 13

Burgos to Hornillos del Camino

If he gets lost on the meseta today, the rescue

helicopters should have no trouble

spotting him

The Burgos Cathedral at day break

A strange fountain indeed

Portable Butcher Shop

In the Meseta's small towns, services like this one drive to the customers.

The church in Hornillos del Camino

A little Holy Water would be a nice touch

A powerful church column

The Soup Franco of Hornillos del Camino

NO PHOTOS!!!

Thursday, September 9, STAGE 14

Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz

More meseta magic

Another cross means more troubles unloaded and/or memories honored through the placement of a rock

Casting a long shadow in the

morning meseta Sun

Did I mention that I like bell towers?

New meets old

Monastery Ruins

The San Anton Albergue still thrives

amidst the monastery's ruins

But not for me, follow the arrow.

The village of Castrojeriz

Population 1,000

Is that Santa Claus in the chimney?

Oakland Raider fans in Castrojeriz?

Our Albergue in Castrojeriz

Oh!

Don Amancio Yaqüez

Dispenser of Camino Wisdom

He runs a great store next to the albergue with everything that a peregrino could possibly need.

I bought a sleeping bag liner and new batteries for my flashlight from him.

Rush Hour in the Castrojeriz Supermercado

They were playing The Doors long version of "Light My Fire!"

Paco runs our albergue

A great and very funny fellow indeed.

Did I mention that Ste. Julie is very

proud of her French Canadian heritage?

A tribute to Camino foot blisters I believe

Cool Camino Map Mural

I like heraldry too

All three Camino icons at one sighting,

a rarity

How did they do this back in the day?

Church Tapestry in Castrojeriz

We have our own street!

Saints at Play

The Saints loved playing a card game before dinner where the goal is to win and become the Pope for the next game.

Do we have enough time?

Always end the day with another great peregrino meal

I love my Camino family!