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Castrojeriz

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    • TravelerBrenda’s Camino
      Day 16

      Hornillos to Castrojeriz

      May 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

      Today I had the most extraordinary Camino experience and not because I spent some time praying in a beautiful church, and lingering at the ancient ruins of a monestrary, but because I met Marguarite who owns this home/hotel in the centre of Castrojeriz. I am her guest tonight.

      She and her husband purchased this ruined home of the early 19th century in the town of Castrojeriz which during the medieval ages was a capital city. They have renovated this home retaining the original structures and the essential “being” of the home. The home begins 3 stories down where originally the cattle and the horses were kept, and continues down another story to a series of tunnels that connect the houses along this street and are purported to travel to the castle on the hill ( which fell to an earthquake in the 18th century). On the upper levels are the main dining hall and kitchens ( yes…two kitchens!), and continuing up 2 more levels of bedrooms.

      Marguarite, the owner and manager, struggles to maintain this home and hotel because she works as a paediatrician in Barcelona and is now divorced, so she opens her home in May and September only. Marguarite along with a housekeeper manage the entire home and the guests. She serves breakfast, does the laundry, greets new guests and cooks an evening meal. She is 63.

      The challenge in Spain to hire workers is a problem because no one wants to work Saturday or Sunday, or during the siesta. Foreign workers do not have the requisite paper work, and the authorities routinely visit monthly for their inspections.

      I am so smitten with this place, I may abandon the next leg of the Camino and stay an extra day in this very sleepy little town in the middle of metesa. I am learning the Camino is not a hike — it may be difficult like a hike, and God knows I have the battered feet to prove it —the Camino is about “arriving”.

      “Arriving” where? That remains a mystery, but one thing about pilgrims is that they are motivated to “arrive”…the ones who are looking, the one’s whose quest is greater than themselves. The Camino every day becomes a filling of our “lostness”, a filling of a deep need to find the centre again.

      The odd thing about today is that yesterday because I focused on the “hike” and enjoyed a vigourous walk without my feet hurting any more than normal, I neglected a small stone church at the side of the Camino. If I had stopped at the stone church, a lovely nun would have given me a small necklace with a golden heart and blessed both the necklace and myself for a safe Camino.

      Today, I did not make that mistake. I slowed down, walked alone, and chose not to leave this house once I arrived. I had a lovely afternoon on a patio practicing silence and reflection and enjoying quiet conversation with a woman named Marguerite who may have changed me. Reminded me.      Read more

    • TravelerWalking France and Spain, 2024
      Day 23

      At Castrojeriz, cold and beautiful walk

      May 2 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      Another great day! We can’t work out why the meseta has a bad name, and people get a bus through. We liked it in autumn, and now in spring it is sensational! But it has again been cold…Amr’s app says it was average temperature of 1° during the walk…so you can believe we felt chilly…and I still haven’t taken off my layers…they are the only ones I have, and luckily they don’t get wet and sticky and smelly in this weather!! This is the exact time we would have been walking between Burgos and Leon last year, and looking at photos then, everyone was walking round in shirts and short sleeves…global warming for you!

      Anyway, it is far better to be cold walking, we spring along and it does feel good. And the countryside is just so gorgeous, with the bright green new leaves, and today was very undulating, but no steep uphills. As usual we started out sunny and fine, then clouds gathered and fluffed around above us, and we would welcome the times when the sun shone between them. It is so weird to remember these exact walks we did in previous times as such hot and unshaded stretches!! And when we arrived exhausted from the heat, and that was only in September - I hate to think of doing any serious walking in summer. So what I am saying is that we have been surprised by the cold, but really appreciate how bracing it is, and so much better than the heat…not complaining! The only thing I brought but haven’t worn so far is my shorts, and I expected to wear them every day.

      We had an uphill rise during the first half, and then dipped right down to Hontanas which has a lovely church we visited. Then fairly flat till here, going via the ruined XXIV convent the camino takes you through just before reaching Castrojeriz. It is a lovely approach as you see the town in the distance, with a ruined castle on the hill above, and a large church you pass by at first. It was during this last approach that we felt 3 drops of rain (not snowflakes today) but as usual they didn’t last long. Sadly the church was shut, as it is a good one, and entering Castrojeriz is always weird, as it’s quite a long spread out town with about 3 parallel streets, and you have to walk a long way to the other end where the hotels are, but it is always totally asleep - no signs of life at all! The odd pilgrim wandering around, looking rather dazed…anyway, we found our hotel, and R and R found theirs, as we couldn’t be booked in the same place here, and each have dinner at our own hotels.

      We have stayed at this place twice before, but always get a bit muddled, as there is a building where the rooms are, and opposite is the bar and dining room…and they seem to shut the main entrance to the bar, and you have to enter round the corner…a mystery. In fact, when we planned to meet R and R after we’d all wound down, we couldn’t find any bar open at all, except our hotel’s secret place, where we all had a drink…after they had climbed the hill to the castle, as a little post walk exercise!!

      Now they are doing their thing, and we ours, and we’ll meet tomorrow after breakfast to set out for Frómista.      Read more

    • TravelerCamino Francés 2022
      Day 14

      Castrojeriz

      August 5, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      I arrived around midday, checked into albergue Rosalía shortly after, and I was hungry. I went out looking for food before having a shower, but all I could get was snacks. Real food was not available until 1.30. I wasn't very happy about that, but I did want some real food, so selected the restaurant I was going to go to, went back to the albergue to have the shower, and then had my meal in a nice terrace under the shade of a tree.
      Then, back to the albergue for laundry and siesta.
      Later, I went for a walk. I bought anti-inflam cream for my feet and some snacks to carry on the walk tomorrow.
      I had dinner at the albergue with other guests (majority of Germans today), then went out for another walk with Fréderique and Lisa, a mother and daughter from Belgium.
      Very bizarre, meeting 2 Fréderiques, it's not a common name!      Read more

    • Camino
      132
      Day 24

      Castrojeriz

      September 28, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Kolejny uroczy dzień. W czasie dość chaotycznego śniadania poznaliśmy nowe koleżanki Trzy Maryje 😊 z którymi później wielokrotnie rozmawialiśmy mijając się po drodze. Pierwsza wioseczka Hontanas. Bardzo urokliwa z zadbanym kościółkiem i oczywiście barem/hostelem zaraz obok. Po nawodnieniu i najedzeniu ruszyliśmy dalej mijając niekończące się przestrzenie pagórków z ziemią dotykającą nieba bardzo daleko.
      Doprowadziło nas to w końcu to bardzo ciekawego miejsca, ruin klasztoru pod wezwaniem Sw.Antoniego Pustelnika. Historia tego miejsca sięga wieku XII kiedy powstał kościół i szpital. Pustelnik Antoni pochodził z Egiptu i przywędrował tutaj w III wieku i specjalizował się w leczeniu chorych zmagających się z choroba zwana ogniem Antoniego. Wywoływała on halucynacje wywołane nadmiernym spożyciem sporyszu występującego na ziarnach zbóż. Oprócz halucynacji choroba ta powodowała okropne palenie w nogach, zaburzenia krążenia, gangrenę i odpadanie członków ciała. Okazało się że wywoływał ja grzyb i cud leczenia polegał na codziennym chodzeniu i piciu wina.
      Ruiny klasztoru pozostawiają głębokie wrażenie, przechodzi się pod pozostałością łuku klasztornego, który rozpościera się nad drogą i pozostałe rozetkowe okno zawiera krzyż w kształcie T, który był symbolem mnichów. Poza tym Sw.Antoni pustelnik był patronem zwierząt. W łukach nad drogą były wgłębienia w których zostawiano chleb i wodę dla tych co nie zdążyli przed zamknięciem bram.
      Późniejsza droga prowadziła niedaleko zakonu Klarysek do dzisiaj funkcjonujących od XIII wieku i klasztoru franciszkanów niestety będącego dziś już tylko ruiną. Dochodząc do przeuroczego miasteczka Castrojeriz z daleka widać bardzo dobrze strategiczne usytuowany zamek Castillo de Esteban założony przez Juliusza Cezara później używanego przez Wizygotów i Arabów. Niestety nie sprawdziliśmy tych opisów, ale zaufaliśmy oczom wyobraźni widoki i strategicznosc tego miejsca.
      Około 1.5 kilometra przed centrum pojawia się ogromny kompleks Iglesias de Santa Maria del Manzano z figurką Marii od jabłoni opiekunki tego miasta. Niestety zamknięty.
      Następny budynek sakralny to XVI w kompleks, pozostałość po dominikanach. Również zamknięty. Ponoć są jeszcze 3 kościoły może jakiś uda się zobaczyć jutro.
      Dzisiaj spędzamy noc w schronisku Rosalia. Mieści się ono w budynku, który ma około 400 lat i jest ozdobiony sznurem wyrzeźbionym w fasadzie. Okazało się, że w ten sposób znaczono domy w których zatrzymywali się członkowie rodzin królewskich podczas podróży także czujemy się bardzo wyróżnieni dzisiaj.😊
      Przed wieczerzą w schronisku byliśmy na winie, 1 euro za pełną szklankę. Super lokalna kawiarenka w której odbywały się jakieś zawody w karty, byli gracze i kibice i było głośno i emocje.
      To chyba na tyle, przy obiedzie poznaliśmy Clyde z Florydy,który będzie wracał do domu jutro nie wiedząc jak się tam dostanie. Jego dom z żoną jest bardzo blisko miejsca gdzie huragan Ian ma uderzyć. Oby mu wszystko wyszło.      Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerCamino Francés 2022
      Day 14

      14th Century ruins

      August 5, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      We paused to look at the ruins of St Anton's Convent. .
      I was impressed by the grandeur of the arches, and wondered how they were built so long ago, without CAD drawings or any machinery.
      Jan is a civil engineer, interested in old buildings, and told me as much as his English permitted.Read more

    • TravelerCamino Frances
      21
      Day 32

      Change of plans

      October 13, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      After walking another fairly short day, 11km, I've finally come to the conclusion that my body is not coping very well with this sudden activity. My ankles are now playing up, possibly due to insufficient support walking in sandals. I've been back in my walking shoes for a couple of days but that hasn't saved them and no matter how short I walk, they continue to get worse, not stronger.

      The Meseta also presents some challenges because it is more remote and has less flexible opportunities for buses, taxis, short walks, etc. So today I've decided to catch a bus to Leon tomorrow accompanied by a bunch of Canadians. My feet need rest again, there is no more hoping another short day will wear them in.

      There are only some locations on the Meseta that I can even access transport to Leon and it would take me three days to get to the next one by which time I could be creating permanent problems rather than a temporary one.

      Given the pace I'm going there's still plenty of distance between Leon and Santiago to keep me busy into November. I'll reassess after a day or two in Leon, where I've booked a spa hotel to help rejuvenate. Whatever walking I can do, there are lots of short day options after Leon.

      Today I passed the ruins of a convent and walked through a river valley full of autumn trees. It was the perfect weather and a gentle breeze blew. This evening I'm in Castrojeriz, another hill town full of character and history.

      I was treated to a really yummy pilgrim dinner of salad with hommus, vegetable paella Palencia style (noodles instead of rice), roast chicken and chocolate mousse. I certainly don't miss cooking dinner.      Read more

    • TravelerJakobsweg 2022
      Day 17

      Etappe 14 - Frómista 1

      September 28, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 7 °C

      Wollte auf den Rat meines Freundes Matthias Lang hören: aufstehen nach dem dritten Hahnenschrei. Nur leider hätte ich da schon 1/2 sechs Uhr aufstehen müssen, nun beim mindestens.............Hahnenschrei geht es aus den Federn.
      Heute habe ich ca. 24 Kilometer vor mir. Mal sehen, wo mein Lauf wirklich endet.
      Erste große Herausforderung war die Besteigung des Tafelberges mit einer Steigung von durchgehend 12% auf mehr als einen Kilometer.
      Nun nach mehr als 2,5 Stunden pilgern Frühstück.
      Die Meseta habe ich Kilometer für Kilometer hinter mich gebracht - heute sehr windig, staubige Wege und trockene Luft. Der Wind will uns sagen: lasst euch Zeit bis Santiago de Compostela.
      Auf dem Weg hab ich mir immer wieder vorgestellt, wie der Wind durch die Felder streicht und sich die Ähren im Winde wiegen.
      Gleich war die heute trostlos wirkende Meseta wieder schön.
      In Boadilla del Camino habe ich eine kleine Rast eingelegt, bestaunte die steinerne Gerichtsrolle aus dem 16. Jahrhundert und schaute noch kurz in die Kirche Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.
      Dann weiter bis zum Canal de Castilla. Leider habe ich dort das "Linienschiff " nach Frómista verpasst - musste laufen!!!
      Entlang des Kanals war es recht gut zu gehen.
      War nach rund 27 Kilometern gegen 15.30 Uhr in Fromista.
      Schwierig ein Bett zu finden, alles ausgebucht. Gemeinsam mit einem aus der Nähe von Wien stammenden Österreicher habe wir noch etwas gefunden.
      Ab Morgen ändere ich meine Laufstrategie wieder auf längere Strecken und vor allem außerhalb der Etappenziele liegende Orte.      Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerCamino 2022
      Day 14

      Hornillos to Castrojeriz (19.5 km)

      May 1, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      It's been 14 days of travel, 258 km since I began walking, several blisters (upon blisters) and a couple of pulled muscles. I've been mostly on my own and have had lots of time to think deep thoughts and ponder the meaning of life. I've had some closure and the more I move ahead, the more the goal to complete this pilgrimage becomes less significant. I will carry on but may consider going off script and taking time to enjoy this once in a lifetime tour of Spain. Anyway, I got an early start this morning and was on the road before the sun was fully up. Some hills and lots of rolling fields. Walked through the ruins of a convent. The town I am staying had a pretty impressive ruin of a castle - a few others climbed the hill to get a better look, but not this weary pilgrim!Read more

    • TravelerCamino
      1
      Day 18

      Day 19. Castrojeriz

      May 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

      I stayed at a quaint hotel last night along with seven other pilgrims. The hotel itself was like a large house consisting of six guest rooms, each with their own bathroom, a small bar, an even smaller dining room, and a reception area that wasn’t much larger than a walk-in closet. The proprietor shuttled us back and forth, registered us, carried luggage up the stairs and ran the bar that served the 3-4 locals who were there. I arrived there shortly after 2:00 pm, then showered, napped for 30 minutes, then sat on the terrace to write my blog. Dinner started at 7:00, so that’s when all 8 hotel guests gathered at one table in the dining room (photo included). When we registered the proprietor asked us if we wanted dinner, but the reality was there was no other place to eat in this small village. We were 4 Americans, 3 Canadians, and 1 Australian. That was when a lady, I’m assuming his wife, came out offering us a great meal: soup (chicken,potatoes), salad (Mediterranean) , pork medallions, and choice of dessert ( fruit salad, flan, or ice cream). While the lady served us , the proprietor sat back chatting and joking in Spanish. Some people at the table knew enough Spanish to translate, keeping us apprised of what he was saying. It was a great family atmosphere and I was able to pick up enough to find him entertaining. We had many good laughs with him picking on me because I was the solo hombre (the only man).
      At 7:30 am we had a quieter breakfast, with only the lady working, and shortly after 8:00 am the proprietor shuttled us back to the same place he had picked us up yesterday. Once again, it was cold (5 degrees) , but few clouds, and after an hour or so, a strong tailwind picked up. Hundreds of wind turbines here. The walking was easy today, a 20 km trek, mostly level, with a stop at the small pilgrim village of Hontanas, and later at the ruins of a 9th century castle.
      Today, I connected with a young girl from Austin, Texas who recently graduated with her doctorate in physiotherapy. This trip is her reward to herself for having finished her schooling before going to a full-time job in Vail, Colorado. Two people she had previously met, an agronomist from Chile, who grows all kinds of berries, and a Spanish literature teacher, joined us. The Chilean spoke English fluently, and translated for the literature teacher, who just spoke a little English. My sense is that 70% of the pilgrims speak Spanish as their first language, which makes sense since we’re in Spain. If I were to come again, I would try to learn more Spanish beforehand. Chatting with other pilgrims makes the time fly by. So many interesting stories. However, early in the mornings, I do enjoy my reflective time. We’re generally quieter then, less apt to chat.      Read more

    • Azores and Camino 2023
      2
      115114222
      Day 26

      Caminowy Mysz Masz

      September 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

      Dzisiejszy krótszy dystans sprzyjał robieniu większej ilości zdjęć. A było co uwieczniać, zaczynając od idealnie błękitnego nieba, które wraz z naturą i historią tworzyły doskonały koloryt. Dodatkowo nawinęlo się parę pomysłów na urozmaicenie przydomowych ogródków i parę sympatycznych zwierzątek ... i od razu uzbierało się kolejnych 20 zdjęć 😊Read more

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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Castrojeriz

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