LIVE from the Camino @Kalimera on the Francés

[Kalimera]

Beautiful day! Perfect for walking.

 

[MilenaS]

You are giving me just the wibes I need Have to hold on at work for one more week. Starting from Leon on Sunday the 15th. Thank you!

Buen Camino!

 

[Kalimera]

I don’t think it gets much better than this. Brisk morning and sunshine

 

[Lexicos]

Looks warm and sunny but, five months ago?
Anyway, did you finish in Santiago?

 

[Kalimera]

Looks warm and sunny but, five months ago?
Anyway, did you finish in Santiago?

I am walking at the moment and plan to go to Santiago

 

[Lexicos]

Ah right, katalava, I mistook the date next to your name as the date of your post. You’ll love it. Best time of the year to be walking the CF. Full of envy. Enjoy.

 

[Kalimera]

Either me or the weather guy was wrong about ASTORGA …. probably me

 

[TrvlDad1]

Either me or the weather guy was wrong about ASTORGA …. probably me

Love that donation before arriving at the cross. Great spread, very welcoming volunteers!

 

[david g]

Nice to see David has his oasis open already. It’s a great spot to stop in before beginning what feels like an endless walk into Astorga.

 

[Kalimera]

The mountain vistas are magnificent.

 

[mgnswaus]

Yes! Today has been perfect on this stretch.

 

[Kalimera]

Spent a couple of hours walking in the castle. Wednesdays are free!!

 

[AndreaCT]

Spent a couple of hours walking in the castle. Wednesdays are free!!

Hi Kalimera, thanks for posting these pictures. A few years ago I spent a glorious afternoon in the castle and your pictures have brought back wonderful memories of Ponferrada!

 

[Vacajoe]

The guard/ticket shack held our backpacks for
us when we visited in 2018 - truly a kindness for a passing pilgrim.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I loved the castle, the interesting museum portion, and the views of the city below. I lucked out and happened to visit on a "free" day!

 

[A Kerryman]

Spent a couple of hours walking in the castle. Wednesdays are free!!

Here is a view from the cafe across the road 2018

 

[naplesdon]

I have often wondered how much of it is for real or is it just a tourist attraction.

 

[CWBuff]

@biarritzdon Kinda like "genuine imitation"?
Well... even if it is a tourist attraction it is still 'real' (perhaps not 'authentic')
God Willing - will find out for myself in 3 weeks or so

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I thought the castle was "mostly" real, and I have a great memory of poking around in all the areas. Any improvements that were made enhanced the experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it all...twice on two separate Caminos.

 

[Richard Smith]

Ponferrada is my favourite castle. It has a superb exhibition of old books in the library and a very steep walled/roofed passage down to the river for water supply to the castle.

 

[Kathar1na]

The Ponferrada castle complex is well worth a visit if one is interested in this kind of thing. Quite impressive because it is so vast. I still vividly remember standing on one of the towers and looking through the narrow long openings in the wall, across town and countryside, and thinking of how cities were attacked and defended then.

Some parts are real and authentic, some parts are restored, some parts were added with the intention to make them look as dating from old times. What the castle of Ponferrada is not, despite its current name in brochures and on websites: a real Templar castle. There is nothing to be seen that was seen by a Templar, apart from some foundations stones in a few sections of this vast complex.

 

[OZAJ]

I have often wondered how much of it is for real or is it just a tourist attraction.

Like Carcasonne, which for me was a real disappointment apart from the church. When I visited the church, there was a small Russian choir performing.

 

[Vacajoe]

The manuscript library and weapons collection are both worth a visit, though the castle alone is a sight to see for those of us from countries without them (unless you count the ones at Disneyland and Disneyworld). It is not, however, Templar in origin or use.

 

[Kalimera]

Beautiful countryside with some light rain in the afternoon.

 

[mspath]

For more on the complex history of the site and castle see A través de la Historia in this Spanish web

 

[Walkerooni]

I loved “les Harry Ass”. After climbing through the next few towns, I dropped my water bottle, and went back down forever to find it still rolling... A very beautiful part of the Camino. When I hear people asking about what parts to skip, I come up empty. Who would choose to skip any of it?

 

[oliasah-peace]

Can anyone tell me where that is or its name. I'm due to walk in to Astorga in 3 or 4 days time.

 

[mspath]

Can anyone tell me where that is or its name. I'm due to walk in to Astorga in 3 or 4 days time.

At the Casa de los Dioses, a remote haven of camino caritas on the inland CF path west of Santibanez de Valdeiglesias/east of the Cruz de Santo Toribio amidst a vast plain with sweeping vistas David Vidal created/maintained his simple oasis.

La Casa de los Dioses · La Majada de Ventura, n 1, 24710 San Justo de la Vega, León, Spain

âââââ · Pilgrimage place

maps.app.goo.gl

La Casa de los Dioses

Lugar De Peregrinación en San Justo de la Vega

lacasadelosdioses.negocio.site

 

[oliasah-peace]

At the Casa de los Dioses, a remote haven of camino caritas on the inland CF path west of Santibanez de Valdeiglesias/east of the Cruz de Santo Toribio amidst a vast plain with sweeping vistas David Vidal created/maintained his simple oasis.

La Casa de los Dioses · La Majada de Ventura, n 1, 24710 San Justo de la Vega, León, Spain

âââââ · Pilgrimage place

maps.app.goo.gl

La Casa de los Dioses

Lugar De Peregrinación en San Justo de la Vega

lacasadelosdioses.negocio.site

Thank you

 

[jungleboy]

At the Casa de los Dioses, a remote haven of camino caritas on the inland CF path west of Santibanez de Valdeiglesias/east of the Cruz de Santo Toribio amidst a vast plain with sweeping vistas David Vidal created/maintained his simple oasis.

It’s such a special place.

This is what I wrote about it the day I visited in 2017:

The spirit of the camino manifests itself in different ways to different pilgrims. For me, it has never shone brighter than at David's refreshment stand in the middle of nowhere on the trail today. David, pictured here giving a glass of watermelon juice to a six-year-old Nigerian-Norwegian pilgrim, provides fruit and all sorts of other food, as well as shelter, for free to all the pilgrims who pass. He lives here year-round, sleeping outside without electricity or a watch or a care in the world. And he has the best apricots on the Camino Francés.

 

[Kalimera]

I haven’t posted in a few days…. that’s because I have been walking