Day 38 Restday in Villafranca

Although we had one day of hanging about, I did not manage to put in Sunday's text. Or photos! So here goes for Sunday.
Grasse matinée - slept late, breakfast late, walkabout, another visit to the Colegiata Santa Maria, siesta, another walkabout to the little church of Santiago at the entrance to town when you arrive on the camino. This little church has a door which is only open during a Holy Year i.e. when the feast of St James(25th July) falls on a Sunday and only those pilgrims who cannot make it to Santiago that year receive absolution from their sins if otherwise they fulfill the requirements: confession and holy communion.

Almost next to this little church is the huge castle of the Marqueses de Villafranca which has only a small part rebuilt and is privately owned now.

We walked up steeply to the church of San Francisco - the only part left of a Franciscan monastary of the 13th century. What I found most unusual were the pale alabaster windows and the painted wooden ceiling.

Lovely evening meal and bed earlyish because Isabelle had a taxi coming to pick her up at 5:30h this morning.Read more