Spain
Santo Domingo de la Calzada

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    • Day 18

      We have entered Castille y León region

      October 5, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

      We have left La Rioja, and crossed into the Castillo y León région.

      We bumped into Bengt and Inger, from Sweden, as we left Santo Domingo. We all walked together and chatted for a quick 7kms to Granola. We had coffee together there, then parted ways as Sue and I stopped to see the village church.

      Then almost 4 km to the next village for a cold juice in Redecilla del Camino.

      Several more villages before we reach tonight's stop in Belorado.
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    • Day 25

      24. Etappe: Espinosa del Camino (32 km)

      November 20, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

      Dumerweise hab ich gestern erst zu spät bemerkt, dass keine Decken im Zimmer liegen - da war der Empfang leider nicht mehr besetzt un es erwartete mich eine verdammt kalte Nacht in meinem Hüttenschlafsack. Kurz vor 7 wars dann aber auch entgültig vorbei mit der Nachtruhe: reges Treiben in der Unterkunft - echt bemerkenswert wie so mancher Pilger in 5 min all seine Sachen zusammenpacken kann - ich brauch da etwas länger und wär wahrscheinlich ein Alptraum für jeden im Schlafsaal. Aber zum Glück aller anderen starte ich immer erst als Letzte in den Tag 😊
      Da ich mir heute eigentlich ne kleine Etappe vorgenomme hatte, startete ich ganz entspannt, suchte mir erst mal ne Bar und nach 2 Americano und einem Croissant war ich startklar für die kleine Etappe.
      Nach ein paar Kilometern traf ich den ersten Pilger, Nic aus Argentinien, mit dem ich eine Weile zusammen lief. Dann trafen wir auf Nathalie aus Frankreich, die zusammen mit ihrem Hund pilgert. Sie verriet uns, dass es gar nicht so einfach ist, einen Platz mit Hund zu finden (Sie bucht in der Regel 5 Tage voraus und war froh auf ein koreanisches Paar mit Hund zu treffen, das schon alle Herbergen bis Santiago gebucht hat).
      Eigentlich wollte ich heute schon nach 22 km stoppen, aber Nic sagte mir schon, dass die Herbergen in Belorado alle ausgebucht sein. Außerdem verriet mir Pierre, dass die Albergue La Taberna Espinosa offen sei - also entschloss ich mich kurzerhand dazu doch etwas weiter zu laufen. Nach einer kleinen Pause mit Nathalie und einem 2. französischem Pilger, ging es in den Endspurt. Auf den letzten 5 km traf ich Nic wieder, der ein Dorf eher eine Unterkunft zusammen mit seinem Onkel gebucht hatte. Die letzten 2 km musste ich mich dann alleine durchbeißen. Am Ziel angekommen staunte ich nicht schlecht, denn da saß die versammelte Mannschaft, die ich gestern in der Albergue kennengelernt hatte, im Gastraum beim Bierchen und begrüßte mich fröhlich! Wollten sie nicht auch alle schon vorher stoppen? Sie hatten das gleiche Problem wie Nic und sein Onkel und wurden von allen Albergues in Belorado angewiesen, so dass sie weitergehen mussten. Aber hier bekamen wir alle noch ein Plätzchen und ich traf noch ein paar neue Pilger.
      Die Herberge ist gleichzeitig auch eine familiengeführte gemütliche Bar, so dass wir auch ein Abendessen bekamen. Zum Glück, denn das Dorf ist sehr klein und es gibt keinen Supermarkt. Nach gemeinsamen Fußballgucken machte ich meine erst Paella-Erfahrung - dieses Mal war nämlich auch allerhand Meeresfrüchte drin und ich bekam nen Crash-Kurs im sachgemäßen Bearbeiten der Tierchen, so dass sie auch zum Verzeher geeignet waren. Man war das lecker! 😋
      Glücklich und erschöpft lasse ich mich nun in mein Bettchen fallen und bin frohen Mutes, dass ich erwas besser als gestern schlafe - denn ne Decke hab ich mir direkt gesichert und die is verdammt groß und flauschig! 🤗
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    • Day 15–16

      Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzeda

      June 4 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

      This place was so fun. This town has chickens in its cathedral. The only cathedral to have live stock in it.
      Legend
      The most famous miracle, however, concerns that of the rooster and the chicken, which is said to have taken place at Santo Domingo de la Calzada.[5] The story goes that in the 14th century, a German 18-year-old named Hugonell, from Xanten, goes on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela with his parents. A Spanish girl at the hostel where they were staying makes sexual advances toward Hugonell; Hugonell rejects her advances. Angry at this, the girl hides a silver cup in the German's bag and then informs the authorities that the youth had taken it. Hugonell is sentenced to the gallows, in accordance with the laws of Alfonso X of Castile.
      The parents sadly decide to examine their son's body, still hanging on the gallows, but suddenly hear his voice –he tells them that Saint Dominic has saved his life. His parents quickly make their way to Santiago de Compostela to see the magistrate. The magistrate, who is at the time eating dinner, remarks: "Your son is as alive as this rooster and chicken that I was feasting on before you interrupted me." And in that moment, the two birds jump from the plate and begin to sing and crow happily.[5]
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    • Day 25

      Days ??? Logroño-Navarrete-Azofra-Santo

      April 14 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

      The last several days are a bit of a blur. The preplanned next leg was to walk Logroño to Nájera, which is almost 18 miles. I just didn’t feel up to walking that far again, so I did what I thought would be an easy 8 miles. It felt like it lasted forever! In retrospect, I don’t think I gave the distance the credit it deserved- 8 miles isn’t nothing!

      Upon entering Navarrete, I ran into some Camino friends. We had a nice time sitting on the terrace and relaxing. Talking with one of them made me consider more what I want this Camino to look like- why am I here, what do I want to get out of it? It’s hard to think much while walking because I’m constantly paying attention to details- am I developing any hot spots on my feet? Did I miss a sign for the path? How much further should I go before I take break? What am I going to eat and where am I going to sleep tonight? Plus the frequent self talk of “you can do this!” In speaking with her, I’m realizing that it’s less important for me to walk every step of this path and more important for me to have that time to think and pray. I’m learning that my ideal distance is 8-13 miles in a day, so I think I’ll be cutting a fair amount of the Camino out along the way.

      I’m more than 25% done with the Camino and have walked more than 100 miles so far. Tonight I’m staying in a hostal with a couple of Camino friends- we have comfy beds and our own bathroom! I walked 10 miles this morning in about 3.5 hours- I’m not a fast walker by Camino standards, but I never thought I’d be thinking of 10 miles as an “easy” walk.
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    • Day 20

      Najera to Santo Domingo

      September 23, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      Today was a 21.3 km walk which we were pleased to be doing after the previous 2 long days.
      Before I begin the account of today's walk I will describe our dinner out last night.
      So all 4 of us are pretty tired but we staying in a gorgeous wee hotel/ airbnb . We get the recommendation of a nice restaurant catering for pilgrims, meaning it opens at 7 pm and not the normal Spanish time of 8 to 9 pm.
      For some reason the boys left Jane and I outside the restaurant waiting for it to open and along came a Frenchman called Alan and a young Texan called Barrett so as nice friendly pilgrims that we are , we invited them to dine with us. So our husbands arrived back to find 2 strange men sitting with us. It didn't take long for Jane and I to realise we may have made a mistake! As Lee ( who is sporting a slightly Donald Sutherland look!) commented later that all he was wanting was a quiet meal but instead he had a fog horn in his ear. The fog horn was Barrett who we decided was incredibly bright but a bit off this planet and there was nothing Barrett hadn't done including been a counter intelligence spy and currently a day time trader of options. So as he got louder and Lee's face grew more pained we were also coping with Alan talking to us in french/ English and laughing at his own stories of which we understood very little. What had happened to our quiet genteel meal after a long hike. In the end I asked Barrett to use his inside voice!
      So this morning we set off after a yum breakfast of breads pastrami cheese and coffee with a spring in our step knowing it wasn't to be such a long day. The sun was rising over yet more grape vines and recently ploughed red earth with the path rolling out before us.
      We had coffee in a cute village Azofra and caught up with different pilgrims we have met. On we walked and after a long hill climb there was a stall selling drinks and fresh fruit but then along came a pilgrim with a ukulele. This was too much for Brian so out came five foot two , much to the delight of our fellow walkers, but the funniest thing was who came along to join the fun but Barrett! You will see him in the video below wearing a kilt!
      On we walked Lee making sure Barrett was far ahead and we came upon the most luxurious golf club in a desolate place with a great cafe. Beers were drunk and lovely platters of sardines and olives were eaten and the local chorizo sausages.
      Finally we arrived at Santo Domingo another delightful Spanish village.
      It's been a great day and now we have the problem of trying to find coverage of the Sth Africa Irish game.
      Sorry this blog has been a tad long. Santo Domingo was the patron saint of civil engineering!
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    • Day 89

      kurzgeschichte

      October 20, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

      die nacht war sehr regnerisch und der tag begann mit sonnenschein. bis das zelt dann trocken war und wir alles verräumt, verstaut und startklar waren, begann sich der himmel wieder ins grau zu wechseln. der rest ist kurz erzählt. wir hatten ein ziel und dieses war reserviert durch jean-pierre; einmal mehr vielen herzlichen dank. wir fuhren in starkem dauerregen und es war ein wunder, dass es nicht noch geschneit hatte; scherz bei seite. angekommen im hostal haben uns die beiden mitarbeiterinnen extrem geholfen und uns das gepäck abgenommen, hochgetragen etc. die unterkunft ist der hammer, die kleider sind wieder trocken und wir aufgetaut. und den tischwein haben wir dann gegen einen anständigen rioja umgetauscht. alle gehen heute müde ins bett.Read more

    • Day 20

      Santa Domingo de la Calzada - rest day

      May 2, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      A rejuvenating day spent in Santa Domingo de la Cazada. A late start with a coffee with Pilgrims walking through from the previous village and a bit of top up shopping while waiting for our washing. Then a slow paced tourist day including visits up the tower (see the video of the bells ringing at 12), Abbey of Saint Francis, the Cathedral of El Salvador and then the church, Emita de la Plaza (hermit of the square). The artwork and architecture are incredible and such a treat to have the time to appreciate it all. Some of the original city walls and cobbled streets are still in existence.
      The town is really a dedication to Saint Domingo whose calling was to serve Pilgrims, especially focussed on the engineered elements (roads, bridges). His most famous miracle involved a rooster (see photo for explanation) and as a result there is a rooster in the church that crowed while we were in the Cathedral (see video). These roosters are carefully looked after and are descendants of the original rooster.
      We had a lovely day of sightseeing, food and drink without being rushed. We ended the day with mass at the Cathedral, big crowds again (a novena said before each Mass until the real celebration to celebrate St Domingo day on 10th May) and then a meal at the Hospederia Cistercience where the nuns served us both breakfast and dinner), and catching up with some new pilgrims who were also having dinner.
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    • Day 7

      Following Arrows

      July 23, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

      Most of the Camino is a mix of following arrows and following shells. Not all are as elaborate as this one, and some are well hidden or have been stolen, but getting lost on the 900 kilometer trek is almost impossible.Read more

    • Day 18

      Flora, Fauna, Art & Footprints

      October 5, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

      Today was a hard day in terms of walking. There weren't steep uphills or downhills, just monotonous trails that often times paralleled the highway. There were times I thought the road would never end. No shade, dusty, gravelly walking with miles of wheat fields. However, when I thought of the highlights of the day, I couldn't narrow it down to just 3 or 5, there were many more than that! So I guess it was a pretty darn good day!

      #1 Walking with Inga & Bengt (from Sweden) to our first rest stop in Granon and seeing the church there. In the church we met our Texas & North Carolina friends.

      #2 our second stop had a nice bar, I had the most delicious cherry juice. On our way out of the village French couple showed us a fig tree, and picked us a fresh fig to try. I discovered I've never had a fresh fig, only dried figs. Fresh ones are not nearly as sweet they are very soft & not chewy.

      #3 I learned what a chestnut tree looks like and saw a bunch of walnuts out drying in the sun.

      #4 We stopped for lunch & had a really good salad, homemade bread with delicious olive oil at our last stop. It was a kind of fancy place for such a small village. The restaurant had this baby crib full of cute baby dolls (a little weird, but cool) & we met Vince from Detroit. We walked & talked with him & it made the last hot, dusty leg into Belorado seem pretty short!

      #5 Our lodging in Belorado is this cool 1850's 3 story building decorated with Nicoraguan artifacts. The host Paul was happy to share the story of his house with us.

      #6 On many of the buildings here there are beautiful murals painted.

      #6 Lastly, on one of the streets we walked down tonight Martin Sheen & Emilio Estevez have their hand & footprints saved as part of the history here.
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    • Day 21

      Belorado (22.6km / 233.3km)

      May 3, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

      We left at Sunrise as a hot day was predicted and we had a lot of ground to cover. An absolutely gorgeous morning with the beautiful farmlands we’ve become accustomed to gave a spring to our step. We walked with a lovely Frenchman and reached our coffee stop (7km) in no time.
      They had a caravan at the entrance to the village and a garden area to sit.
      After breakfast we walked very close to the main road with trucks, cars and dust! On the Camino!! We passed through so many villages today, some less than 2km apart which made it seem shorter somehow.
      We pushed through to have a late lunch and left only 5km for the last stretch.
      The town of Belorado has many murals to liven up the town which seems to have many empty apartments?
      We were both happy that we did a relatively long day without too much trouble - the only thing is the “feet”!
      We tucked into the Pilgrim meal of the day chatting to a Dutch couple next to us and then hit bed!
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    Santo Domingo de la Calzada

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