Thursday, September 16, STAGE 21
León to Villar de Mazarife
Hillside Homes
GREAT VIEWS!
As we made our way out of León, we came upon an entire community of these dwellings that were literally carved into a hillside.
No, they are not ancient ruins but rather active homes that families still inhabit. Rain must make life here interesting.
The ECR?
This sign made Jillian and Jaime, both from the San Diego area, quite happy.
The Best Peregrino Statue Contest Continues
A mosaic announcing our next stopping point
Much nicer than your typical city limits sign.
Don't Block This Driveway
The pylon says it all.
We all know that Jesús is big in these parts
We just had to stay here after seeing this high-tech sign.
What the. . .
Strange for northern Spain don't you think.
Jesús, not THE Jesús as it turns out
He was hilarious to say the least. When the five girls agreed to share a six bed room with me, it was Jesús who commented to me in Spanish, "Blessed art thou amongst women."
Let's take a closer look at this albergue's distinct entry items.
Cattle Skull Masthead on a. . .
. . . Viking ship???
O.K.
Isn't that one of those poisonous
red mushrooms from Skåne?
Santiago, 5,000 kms?
NEJ!!!!!!!!
That can't be right can it? This albergue encourages you to write on their walls and even provide the crayons to do it.
There's a wasp next to my pillow!
Jaime Strikes a Pose
I better investigate this street a little more
Another Moor about to eat Camino dust
The custodian of the church in
Villar de Mazarife
A kind and gentle soul to say the least.
Four Good Tips on the Camino
On the wall on the stairwell leading up to our bedroom.
Isn't that the truth!
Friday, September 17, STAGE 22
Villar de Mazarife to Astorga
Walking the Camino with their child
I'm going to take a wild guess that those wheels didn't make it to Santiago.
You guys want to play half court or full?
It is harvest time in Province of León
I like blue
Decision Time
It was right here that I made the final decision to take a night off from family life and spend a night away from the Saints and company in a different albergue.
Antonio Gaudí's Palace of the Bishop
Gaudí's work here started in 1891, the inside was very interesting but No Pictures Allowed.
The Klan?
Astorga's Cathedral
What happened to all of their noses?
Jesús flogging the money
lenders in the temple
You can enter the Cathedral and its Museum for a small fee.
You know my love of
cathedral ceilings by now
An incense thurber perhaps?
The Cathedral's Quire
I'm guessing that the red seats are new.
The Virgin of Guadalupe
An Angel in the Gaudí building courtyard
A ceiling in the Gaudí building
I thought you couldn't take pictures in here? What Would David Lassen Do?
My kind of museum!
Saturday, September 18, STAGE 23
Astorga to Rabanal del Camino
A different Camino sign
A lonely church at dawn
Where did that wall go?
One More Step!
Then take another and you'll eventually reach your goal.
Tempting but no, keep walking
All we need is a new roof and
we can open our own albergue!
1,000,000 Australian dollars?
Our albergue's rather long
Mission Statement
Is that Felipe with glasses?
Tiggy from England
I wonder if she finished reading Don Quixote?
About 15 minutes after my
very private emotional meltdown
I really like this picture.
Interesting looking fellow
Green Wood
Sunday, September 19, STAGE 24
Rabanal del Camino to Molinaseca
Now THAT'S a roof!
Dropping off three stones at La Cruz de Ferro
It is here that peregrinos deposit stones in honor of loved ones or to let go of issues. My three were for Abuelo, Abuela and Dad.
Team North America at La Cruz de Ferro
Me, Julie and Jillian
Manjarin, Spain
Population 1
Mexico 9376 km
I wonder if that is to Cancun or Mazatlan?
The Tacoma Girls
On the left, with the toilet paper roll, is Jana who just earned her Masters from the University of Washington in Spanish. Jana's sister Katie is on the right and just graduated from Western Washington University.
The path down from La Cruz de Ferro
It would be long, rocky and very difficult it turned out.
Julie enjoying an O.J. in Acebo
Safety Issues
Note the absence of railings and floorboards on the balcony.
Nice stairway
Peaceful Molinaseca
Molinaseca's entry in the
Best Peregrino Statue contest
Red and Blue
I like this cross, its a bit different
Our spot for both a good lunch and dinner
Molinaseca's Roman Bridge
Soaking up a few rays by the Río Maruelo
Molinaseca was a very relaxing town, we only had nine more days to go at this point after a very hard day. Little did we know that the next two days would also leave us dragging.
2 comments:
So for the benefit of those of us who can't read Spanish, how about a summation of those four good points about the Camino?
I. First you think that the Camino is a marvelous and incredible dream.
II. Later you think that it is like life condensed into a few days.
III. Finally, that it is only an illusion, that it does not exist neither in the villages nor on the paths, nor in the people, only in your mind.
IV. Because of it, you discover yourself alive for the first time, you will always have the Camino with you.
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