• Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.
  • For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Indeed there are lilacs on the Camino

Gadflyparexcellence

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Walked in "2016," "2018," "2022."
While writing a piece on lilacs recently (see below), I had an uncanny feeling that I had seen them somewhere on Camino Francis during one of my walks. But I couldn't recall exactly where I had seen them. I posed a question on a thread on flowers on this forum asking if anyone have seen lilacs on the Camino. Since I didn't receive any answer, I took it for granted that perhaps they don't exist on the Camino and that all this must have been the result of an illusory memory.

But the thought of having seem them kept nagging me, and I recently went through tons of pictures that I took during all my trips. Lo and behold, to my utter relief, I found a couple of photos on lilacs that I had come across on the Camino.

Enclosed are three lilac snaps that I took on May 15, 2016. Since the location feature on my i-phone was turned off, I can not tell the name of the exact location where I took it. But following the sequence of my photos, I could say that I came across the lilac bushes shortly after a brief stop-over at Bar Azketako for coffee and other refreshments. I'm enclosing a snap of the building I saw next to the lilac bushes that might give you an idea of the exact location.

 

Attachments

  • IMG-1770 (1).jpg
    IMG-1770 (1).jpg
    2.7 MB · Views: 61
  • IMG-1775.jpg
    IMG-1775.jpg
    2.8 MB · Views: 56
  • IMG-1768.jpg
    IMG-1768.jpg
    2 MB · Views: 55
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Hello @Gadflyparexcellence
The church in your photo is La Iglesia de San Andrés Apóstol, Villamayor de Monjardín...

Cheers
Lovingkindness

How to make Lilac flower syrup
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of lilac flowers
blueberries for colour

1 Heat 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar until sugar is disolved.
2 Add 1 cup of lilac flowers and allow to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. If desired, add a few blueberries for color or use food coloring.
3 Drain syrup into a sealable glass jar - through a filter in order to remove the flowers. Let it cool, and then put in the fridge.
4 Add syrup to tea, cocktails, or use as a syrup.

IMG_3238r.JPG
*17 April, 2021 near Sembas, Le Lot-et-Garonne, France. Sembas is situated on le Chemin de Saint Jacques/GR 652.
 
Last edited:
Indeed there are lilacs, Gladfly! I recall quite a few encounters during my May 2016 Camino Frances, and maybe in 2018 as well. I can’t pinpoint where, but I think maybe in Rabanal. Their scent took me back to childhood.

On the Norte in 2019, I can’t recall see lilacs, but the hydrangeas were amazing.
 

Attachments

  • CDFB7A69-49D6-4B15-9BAD-91662F414CD9.jpeg
    CDFB7A69-49D6-4B15-9BAD-91662F414CD9.jpeg
    1.1 MB · Views: 31
  • D97DAAF1-F173-4CA2-9460-C0562EA469FF.jpeg
    D97DAAF1-F173-4CA2-9460-C0562EA469FF.jpeg
    1.3 MB · Views: 42
Hello @Gadflyparexcellence
The church in your photo is La Iglesia de San Andrés Apóstol, Villamayor de Monjardín...

Cheers
Lovingkindness

How to make Lilac flower syrup
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of lilac flowers
blueberries for colour

1 Heat 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar until sugar is disolved.
2 Add 1 cup of lilac flowers and allow to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. If desired, add a few blueberries for color or use food coloring.
3 Drain syrup into a sealable glass jar - through a filter in order to remove the flowers. Let it cool, and then put in the fridge.
4 Add syrup to tea, cocktails, or use as a syrup.

View attachment 101941
*17 April, 2021 near Sembas, Le Lot-et-Garonne, France. Sembas is situated on le Chemin de Saint Jacques/GR 652.
Many thanks. Much appreciated.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Transport luggage-passengers.
From airports to SJPP
Luggage from SJPP to Roncevalles
Indeed there are lilacs, Gladfly! I recall quite a few encounters during my May 2016 Camino Frances, and maybe in 2018 as well. I can’t pinpoint where, but I think maybe in Rabanal. Their scent took me back to childhood.

On the Norte in 2019, I can’t recall see lilacs, but the hydrangeas were amazing.
Great to know. Many thanks.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery

Most read last week in this forum

When I hiked the Frances Route this happened. I was hiking in the afternoon just east of Arzua. I was reserved a bed at an albergue in Arzua, so I had already hiked all the way from San Xulien...
First marker starting from Albergue Monasterio de la Magdalena in Sarria (113.460 km) Start: 2023.9.29 07:22 Arrival: 2023.9.30 13:18 walking time : 26 hours 47 minutes rest time : 3 hours 8...
A local Navarra website has posted a set of photos showing today's snowfall in the area around Roncesvalles. About 15cm of snow fell this morning surprising pilgrims on the way...
Hi! I’m a first time pilgrim. Is it possible to take a taxi from Astorga to Foncebadon? Thanks, Felicia
Greetings all! So I'm a "proper planning prevents poor performance", kinda guy. I was able to make a loose schedule for my Camino Frances last year that worked extremely well, and allowed me to...
HI all, I will be starting my walk on March 31, taking the Valcarlos Route, and am having trouble getting in touch with the albergue in Valcarlos (tried email and what's app - no luck!). Does...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top