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Santo Domingo de la Calzada

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    • TravelerOne More Camino in Spain 2023
      11
      Day 29

      Santo Domingo de la Calzada

      April 25, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Amr says that today has been the most spectacular walk so far…and it certainly was beautiful…wide open spaces with sweeping fields dazzlingly green! We are still in the Rioja, but less vineyards as the day wore on and more grain fields, and also beans and peas. It was 21 kms…we left about 8.45 and got here at 3, as usual taking our time with breaks and taking the hills slowly. Cool, about 10° in the morning rising to 23 or so in the afternoon…and a good breeze to fan us so never unbearably hot! And in the evening it cools off, and people put on jackets…on the TV we saw weather reports of extreme heat round here…well, as always, I think they are pushing the idea of climate problems…(won’t rant!)…

      So we left Nájera, climbing out of the huge red rock cliffs that the town is built up to…and then across the gorgeous fields, still many vineyards, and mountains (?hills) in the background. Then we moved into the more wide open spaces where you can see the path of the camino stretching out for miles ahead of you…very spectacular, and one particular view, which often appears on the covers of camino books, we saw in a completely different aspect in spring…we are so ecstatic that we are here now to see the spring growth…and our hotel here, where we stayed twice before in a tree-lined street, is now lined with tree trunks starting to sprout.

      We remembered it was Anzac Day and were reminded by the many red poppies growing along the paths..lovely wild flowers everywhere. After unwinding on arrival we walked around this lovely town. We visited the cathedral…pilgrims get reduced admission…and it is beautiful and has the famous gothic hen house. Our admission also included the bell tower and we actually climbed it!!! It was worth it, magnificent view from the top, and we were prepared for the bells donging at 6.15, but fortunately only one bell did one ding! We were up there surrounded by bells!      Read more

    • TravelerCamino Francés
      Day 13

      Day 13: Santo Domingo de la Calzada

      September 22, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

      Once again we started walking before dawn this morning. Farm trucks were out in force working the grape harvest, and it was fun to strike up a short conversation with two men standing near a harvesting vehicle.

      We’d seen the big blue contraption roll by on the road, and we were hoping we’d catch up with it to see it in action. We didn’t get to see it harvesting grapes, but we were able to hear a little about it.

      We learned it is used to harvest vines with fruit higher off the ground, presumably younger vines. Grapes on older, more traditional vines with lower to the ground fruit are harvested by hand.

      After that chat, we kept walking until we stopped for breakfast at a café in Azofra. Then, satiated by our daily dose of tortilla and pain au chocolat, we kept up a peppy pace until we reached Cirueña, 15 kilometers into our 21k day. We walked past newish townhomes and apartments, but most were closed up. A community park had a lovely playground and a sparkling pool, but no sign of life. Nearby, the garage door and siding, on a nice house that looked quite new, was marred with graffiti. That seemed rather strange.

      After another few minutes we entered what appeared to be the older part of Cirueña; again with no signs of life stirring in the late morning. It was the strangest experience passing through a small town so far, on our Camino.

      Soon we were entering a sea of arid fields. Chats with other pilgrims helped make the final 6 kilometers to Santiago de la Calzada fly by.

      We splurged on a room in the Parador Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and are particularly enjoying the luxury of steaming hot baths today.

      That, and a delicious lunch at the nearby Restaurante Los Caballeros. It’s holding top prize for best meal in Spain, so far.

      Tomorrow, we’ll walk another 22 kilometers to Belorado.      Read more

    • TravelerCamino de Santiago
      Day 15

      Day 13 - To Santo Domingo

      September 21, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

      Day 13 - To Santo Domingo
      (Wednesday)
      21 kms; Difficulty 1/3

      There was such a beautiful, geologically spectacular backdrop to Najera which I took note of on my way out of town this morning. A friend actually had this view close out her window.

      I just love the sunrises. They never disappoint! And such a big sky. Thank love it!

      To the beautiful mountains of northern Spain…….is this the day we say goodbye? Or will we meet again around some bend or over some hill? If so, I will look forward to it. If not, then perhaps again one day. Until then, stay as magnificent as you are!

      We are guided on the trail by many different means. Some are particularly unorthodox! (i.e. arrows on the ground made of stones).

      My right leg bothered me a lot for the first half of today. I discovered that if I stopped and stood with no weight on it, it would
      temporarily feel better. Then I could go for a few hundred metres before having to stop again. That went on for hours. It REALLY slowed me down! But I will do anything to avoid aggravating it further. Some people with similar problems are grounded and have to find a place to rest their injury for days. That is NOT in my plans. But then it’s not up to me. The Camino rules me now.
      My leg felt quite a bit better in the afternoon for some reason. So this afternoon I kept walking and walking until I reached Santo Domingo.
      It wasn’t until I arrived there that I realized I had walked for the last 15 km without a break. Not even stopping to sit down. Not the smartest thing I have done, and I won’t do it again, but I just kept watching for a rest stop and nothing appeared.
      It does indicate my fitness level is improving.

      And here are some beautiful churches. I love going in these cathedrals. They’re so beautiful with all the gold and colours.      Read more

    • TravelerDiane’s Camino Frances
      1
      11
      Day 18

      Azofra to Santo Domingo de la Calzada

      May 8, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      What a day! I left Azofra around 6.45 am before breakfast in anticipation of the treat I had at the end of the walk. The first nine kilometres were through some beautiful countryside, back to the yellow flowering fields. There was quite a climb to Ciruena where we discovered that there weren’t any cafes! So there was nothing to do but to continue straight onto Santo Domingo de la Calzada.

      I arrived there around eleven and went to check into my hotel - Parador Santo Domingo Bernardo de la Fresneda. I had discovered that if you join Parador Amigos that you could get a special spring rate of 65 euros and they also gave you a free breakfast voucher. A very kind person at the front desk let me check in early and gave me a double room which was the only one available at the time. It was bliss to have a hot shower and have some conditioner to put in my hair. It also has a bathtub which I used later.

      I had a relaxing ‘menu of the day’ in the square watching all the families out for Sunday lunch. I then went to the sister Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada to use the free drinks’ voucher they gave me. It will be a shock going back on the road tomorrow and back to an albergue tomorrow night. But what an experience!

      Parador Santo Domingo Bernardo de la Fresneda
      18kms      Read more

    • TravelerCamino de Santiago 2022
      Day 10

      Day 7 Part 1 - Days like this….

      September 22, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      “If you are in a bad mood, go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood, go for another walk."
      -Hippocrates

      Day 7 - Navarette to Santo Domingo de la Caldaza - by bus

      ** Disclaimer - part 1 is about my weird morning and about growing up. If you want to hear about where I am, skip this and head to Part 2” :-)

      Today is a weird day. Not a rest day per such but all the same, an enforced one. I caught the bus again today to try and see a physiotherapist. Was originally going to take the 1:15 bus but as I was awake at 4 and again at 6 due to people leaving the room, I quickly packed and tried to get the 7am bus. I was in time. Bus never came. Realized at 7:20 that I was on the wrong side of the damn road and I had missed it! So, 1:15 it was and in the meantime, I had 6 hours to kill. I was in shorts and a tshirt and found out after leaving the Albergue that it was 8c. I hid out in a cafe for over an hour that was thankfully open, then hit up the quiet and warmth of the beautiful church for a half hour. Made my way next to another cafe where Nancy, Danve and Louie met up with me, just after 10. They are having a well earned rest day in Navarette and had wanted to see me before I hopped on a bus. We hung out there until almost 1, and I was so grateful for their company and companionship. It was hard to say goodbye to these wonderful people, and they will always be part of my transient Camino family. It’s incredible how close you can get to -basically - total strangers, in a matter of a few days.

      I did catch the 1:15 (stood on the correct side this time!!) and made it to Santo Domingo de la Calzada only to find the physio is closed until 25th!! Seriously? I am just going to have to keep on walking and hope for the best. Next place for physio is Burgos, according to the receptionist here. 😭. Think that is 5 days walk. As it is due to rain for a few days, I see more buses in my future. I don’t mind walking in the rain, but up and down hills is a different kettle of fish than what I used to. In the meantime I will google Dr my symptoms and what Dave told me may be the issue (he is a geriatric physiotherapist), and try and find some stretches and hope that works.

      Not sure what the Camino is trying to teach me, but I hope I figure it out quickly!

      Honestly, I likely don’t even need to see someone. I am sure it is something that a few simple stretches will help with. I have wanted to “be sure”, just so I don’t do any real damage. But, chances are it is just something simple and stupid.

      So - I need to put on my big girl parties and stop copping out on the hills and hard parts. Suck it up and deal.

      Maybe that is what the Camino is trying to teach me - stop being a pussy. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. And the weak give up. I don’t want to be weak. Therefore, tomorrow I walk again. I will eventually get to Burgos and take a rest day there so I can see someone. And I will make the appointment in advance if I can, so I don’t get in to this situation again.

      I will still have to bus a bit throughout this journey as I am much slower than anticipated and won’t have time to complete without bussing. C’est La vie.

      Will do a “Part 2” for today about this town, just in case you are already bored to tears.      Read more

    • Camino de Santiago (Frances)
      21212
      Day 21

      Day 13-Santo Domingo de la Calzada

      September 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 64 °F

      Walked about 11 miles today. Mostly flat with one climb. We walked pretty fast today. We checked into the Parador Bernardo de Fresneda which was originally built as a monetary and pilgrim hospital. It's really nice and parts of the walls show the original stone.

      We had a huge lunch so we skipped dinner. Pat had pizza and I had fettuccine carbonara and dorado fish with salad. Dessert was coffee flan. Then we may have had churros and chocolate.

      While Pat napped, I toured the church attached to our parador and the ivory and nativity exhibit. Then I walked over to the cathedral to find the chickens that live there (there's a hard to believe story behind it). The crypt below the cathedral has beautiful mosaics. I also walked up teeny stone steps up to the roof and could see our parador from there.

      After that, my feet were done for the day.      Read more

    • Camino
      1111
      Day 19

      Santa Domingo de la Calzada (20.7/210.7)

      May 1, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      A perfect day’s walk that went exactly to plan! A clear cool day with more luscious farmlands with a coffee stop after 5km, lunch after 15 and at our accommodation by 3pm.
      The farming activity is so impressive. The scale is mind- boggling. Day after day we walk through the farms and vineyards and they stretch as far as the eye can see. The farms look organised and neat and every bit if land is used or ploughed for next year. Harvesting season must be full on.
      There don’t seem to be farmhouses so we guess they all live in the villages and work the farms. Also guessing that the farms are owned by co-operatives or organisations but we will research more.
      Tomorrow we are having a tourist / rest day and spending 2 nights here at Hospederia Cistercience. A Cistercian retreat house.
      We spent the afternoon and evening walking around the old town, had a drink and dinner with a Pilgrim we met a week ago who is struggling a bit and then went to the mass which was the commencement of the 2 week celebrations of the feast days of Santa Domingo who took care of Pilgrims. Lots of singing and a full church. We had seen the procession go past while having dinner before mass.
      Looking forward to a relax day tomorrow!      Read more

    • TravelerCamino de Santiago 2022
      23
      Day 10

      Day 7 Pt 2 - Santo Domingo de la Calzada

      September 22, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

      “To arrive is to have journeyed” - Diane Wheatley :-)

      Santo Domingo de la Calzada is a lovely old walled city. The city was named after its founder, Dominic de la Calzada, who built a bridge, hospital, and hotel here for pilgrims on the French Way the most popular path of the Way of St. James. He began construction of the town's Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada (which is dedicated to him) and is buried in a tomb within an ornately mosaiced crypt.

      The old town is beautiful. Lots of small streets and wonderful shops all enclosed within the ancient city walls. The city of course has spread outside these walls as well, but I didn’t venture that far.

      I took a tour of the stunning cathedral. Unbelievable the panels, detailed stonework, silver and gold decor and of course the live rooster and chicken. Yup. A live rooster and chicken are caged within the cathedral and are changed out every two weeks for new ones. This has been a tradition for centuries.

      Into the cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada there is the Gothic chicken coop of polychrome stone, built in the mid-fifteenth century and which houses a living rooster and a hen in commemoration of the miracle of the hanged pilgrim, one of the most widespread Jacobean legends throughout the Middle Ages.

      “Tradition recalls how a German couple on the pilgrimage to Santiago with their son. On reaching Santo Domingo they stayed at an inn. The innkeeper’s daughter fell in love with the young man but the feeling was not reciprocated and in revenge she hid a tin jug among the Germans luggage. On the pilgrims departure from the centre the girl reported the robbery, leading to the capture of the boy, who was accused of theft and sentenced to hanging. His parents continued their pilgrimage and, on their return stopped to see the body of their son, to discover, surprisingly that he was still hanging but alive. Popular memory claims that the young man told them that it had been Santo Domingo who had helped him to stay alive while others claimed that it was the prayers of the parents for a saint to keep him alive by holding him from below. In any case the parents immediately went to the mayor to tell him about the miracle, he was sceptical and assured them that their son was as alive as the roasted rooster and hen he was about to eat. Immediately the feathers of birds returned and they came to life, confirming the prodigy and that gave rise to the famous saying: “Santo Domingo de la Calzada, where the chicken sang after being roasted.”

      So there you have it - another part of my weird day hahaha.

      After ages in the cathedral, I stopped by a sweet shop to try a local specialty Trufo La Vino Roja - red wine truffles. OMG. Amazing! I also tried a Rosè one as well and some kind of crispy lemon pastry. Just to be rounded of course!

      Dinner was spent on at a terrace bar again where I tried the calamari and patates brava (fries with hot sauce and in this case, mayo too). All very good but man, the fried food is killing me, so hopefully this is the last of it for a while.

      The plan is to walk tomorrow since I couldn’t find physio and hope for the best. I at least have a bed for tomorrow, so that’s new. I have been winging it as I hoped to do, but the towns are small and therefore spaces are limited. Figured I had better err on the side of caution for a change.      Read more

    • TravelerCamino Frances
      1
      Day 22

      The Parador

      October 3, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      If you've watched the Martin Sheen movie 'The Way', there's a scene where he shouts his pilgrim family to a night at a fancy hotel. That's a Parador Hotel and it's a Camino tradition to stay in one.

      Last night I stayed in the Parador de Santo Domingo Bernardo de Fresneda. Paradors are state owned hotels built in significant historical buildings such as hospitals, monasteries and this one is built in a convent. There is also a museum and chapel as part of the convent complex.

      While my room is not like Martin Sheens, l clearly didn't spend enough for that, it is definitely the most comfortable bed I've had, and has some nice comfy chairs which have been lacking almost everywhere. And the photos show how beautifully the old buildings are restored and decorated. I think it's a great way to preserve and use some of the many historic buildings along the Camino. Apparently there are nearly 100 Paradors in Spain.

      The rest of this post was supposed to be about my walk today but instead I tested positive to Covid and have squirreled myself away in an apartment in Santo Domingo to see what happens. I technically don't have to isolate here but I don't want to spread it, stay in hostels or make myself sicker. The Parador didn't have room service or even a fridge so I have moved around the corner, shopped and got some more Spanish drugs. Today I don't feel too bad. Fingers crossed 4 vaccinations was enough to make it short. I'll start posting again when I'm back on the road.      Read more

    • Eagle Walkers in Spain
      11
      Day 19

      Santo Domingo de la Calzada

      September 3, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

      Woke up bright and early at 6am, left the albergue in the dark. Found a cute cafe/bar in town to get a muffin and coffee. The town had a festival last night and the partied until 5am, we were very lucky to find anything open this morning. We walked 12 miles, lots more vineyards, a golf course, and more statues/art for the camino. Also meet a nice gentleman on top of a hill that had drinks and fruit and some great trinkets all for donations. Mom and I stopped in town as soon as we got here and had a fabulous 🥗.Read more

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