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On the Camino: One Day at a Time, one Photo at a Time 4.0.

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Approaching Portugalete via the East Bank of the river, on a quiet sunny Sunday morning. With just a hint of the Viscaya Bridge in the distance. The locals call it the hanging bridge (Puente Colgante), it is the first of its kind ever to be built, a distinction which earned it a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. It operates every 8 minutes. May , 2018.
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If I understand correctly, it was provided so that those on the wealthy side could have a steady supply of workers crossing over from the Portugalete side...and the owners of the businesses on the Portu side could travel easily too. I walked and crossed almost daily for many months as I lived on the Portu side and walked to Algorta. I learned to decipher the conversations as I passed people. Here the weather is the common currency. There, what is going to be cooked up for la comida!
 
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Uterga, my boots
photo taken October 22, 2012

View attachment 94978
Up and down through hell

The path up the infamous Alto de Perdon in October 2012 soon became churning mud. Cold white fog hid any view as alone and frightened I plodded precariously while slowly lifting each heavy mud-covered boot. On the windy summit rain poured down.

Then began the even more hellish descent. Scree and multitudes of tennis-ball size stones covered the treacherous downward muddy path for the next few kms. The rain never ceased.

At dusk outside the Uterga albergue I took this photo for permanent proof of all that mud.
I don’t know exactly when they upgraded the path up Alto del Perdon but the difference between my walks in 2014 and 2016 was dramatic. I had a very similar experience as you in 2013 and found myself on my butt a couple of times on the way up. In 2016 I told my wife to brace herself as we began our ascent. At the top I was informed that I was a little dramatic... indeed, they had turned the slick goat trail into a gentle path that could easily be biked up! Oddly, I prefer the former to the latter...
 
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There are numerous benefits to a winter Camino but there are also some downsides. Leaving Ages at -5C can be considered by many (most?) as a downside. The walk between Ages and Atepuerca was like being on a skating rink. Sad that this required focusing downward on each step because that blue sky should have been admired far more than it was on this occasion.

Icicles.jpg Brisk_Morning_Walk.jpg
 
south of Ages, bridge
photo taken November 01, 2011

south of Ages, 01.11.2011.jpg

In Ages on the south side of Iglesia de Santa Eulalia begins a farming path/dirt road which crosses the rio Veno by this bridge.

Ages, south bridge.jpg

The dirt road continues to Zalduendo on
Estrada Logrono Vigo / N 120 where an old camino path parallel to the highway continues west into Burgos.

November 1, 2011, I followed this other path as did pelotons of Sunday cyclists. Walking was a 25 km slog; the speedy bikers upon seeing my slow pace and white hair often stopped to kindly ask if I needed anything. All I needed was lots more pep!!
 
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Castro-Urdiales with Iglesia de Santa Maria de la Ascuncion and the ruins of a Templar castle with lighthouse on top in the distance. May, 2018.
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That was the last stop on my first Camino. Having walked the Frances, I'd got a train all the way back to San Sebastian to meet friends for a stag weekend (major gear change) and then decided to walk from Bilbao to Santander to catch a ferry home to Plymouth. The Norte is so different, isn't it?
 
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The very special Santa Maria del Camino in Carrion de los Condes.
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I sure wish I had this site in my pocket the times I was there:
 
A very standard, very ordinary picture of SDC Cathedral, it is however very special to me. It is the first time that I saw the Cathedral when I visited it in October 1964, 57 years ago. No walking involved. Ship to Vigo and then bus. Apologies for the quality of the picture, it is a scan from a very old transparency.

SDC Cathedral 1964 Low res.jpg
 
That was the last stop on my first Camino. Having walked the Frances, I'd got a train all the way back to San Sebastian to meet friends for a stag weekend (major gear change) and then decided to walk from Bilbao to Santander to catch a ferry home to Plymouth. The Norte is so different, isn't it?
Yes it is but we thoroughly enjoyed it and made a few different Camino families along the way. We still keep up with some of them and one young German lass has visited us in Australia. Quite challenging in places but wonderful scenery and we are very glad we walked it in 2018!
 
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St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
A very standard, very ordinary picture of SDC Cathedral, it is however very special to me. It is the first time that I saw the Cathedral when I visited it in October 1964, 57 years ago. No walking involved. Ship to Vigo and then bus. Apologies for the quality of the picture, it is a scan from a very old transparency.

View attachment 95030
Very interesting to see the Cathedral in this condition. Looking at it, it seems that there is just the beginnings of the orange colouring that would eventually cover the entire structure. Of course that would be removed when the renovation was completed. Now it leaves me wondering if the air quality has degraded significantly over the second half of the 20 century that accelerated the need for this major reno. If this continues, will we see another reno within our life time? Thanks for posting this image!
 
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Maybe towards the end of Calzada Romana? Regardless, I see myself wandering that way...!
It's between León and Villar de Mazarife.

I remember there being Roman roads along the Way, but is there one here?
 
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.
It's between León and Villar de Mazarife.

I remember there being Roman roads along the Way, but is there one here?
Ah, yes, I see it now. I enjoyed that stretch, much nicer than the road variant I tried one year. It was flat, boring and right beside a major highway the entire time. It will always be a left turn at Virgen del Camino for me from now on!
 
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Early morning on the Camino Primitivo in September, 2018. Almost every day started with a very heavy early morning fog/mist. One had to really pay attention not to miss markers.
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Hi @zrexer - nice to have you join the thread, great pics. Just wanted to share a suggestion that has been used on this thread so we keep it viable for users with all different internet capabilities - there has been a general agreement to post thumbnails rather than full images as this is a long thread and bogs down slow internet users. Cheers and good to have you join the fun! Jordon.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Hi @zrexer - nice to have you join the thread, great pics. Just wanted to share a suggestion that has been used on this thread so we keep it viable for users with all different internet capabilities - there has been a general agreement to post thumbnails rather than full images as this is a long thread and bogs down slow internet users. Cheers and good to have you join the fun! Jordon.
Yes, @zrexer. You've got some beautiful
pictures. But let be be mean and say that the originator of the thread was shooting for one picture a day though it isn't a requirement. For example, on occasion I've submitted more than one in a post if a story was involved that didn't really work if carried over a couple of days.

Oh, and if you don't know how to submit thumbnail pictures go to the following post by @Koidream to see how to.


PS, Normally I'd like to do something like this in a PM but we've had a bunch of new posters in this thread recently and I figired that it made sense to submit this publically.
 
view towards Hornillos del Camino
photo taken November 10, 2013

towards Hornillos del Camino 10.11.2013.jpg

"There's a long, long trail..."

While walking November 10, 2013, the camino as it winds across seemingly endless hills in the middle of the vast open space west of Burgos known as the Meseta, I stopped in Hornillas del Camino
.
Other pilgrims were German, French, Italian, and British; with me as the token American we represented the major belligerent nations of WW1.

Alone many of us would mentally commemorate the Armistice which ended the 4 year slaughter in 1918 at 11am on the 11 day of the 11th month. Yet Armistice eve as the sun set we sat together and quietly sang from memory these old WW1 marching lyrics of hope and longing, thus, united emotionally we spanned a century.
 
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Multiple use.jpg

Multifunctional in Mansilla de las Mulas. CF 2011.
In smaller towns on lesser travelled Caminos this would also include the albergue most probably.
Not in Mansilla de las Mulas though where you can find one of the finest municipales of the Francés. Hope Laura is still attending the place.
 
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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.
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Muruzábal
Iglesia de Santa María de Eunate
photo taken October 23, 2013

Santa Maria de Eunate  23.11.2013.jpg

Passing by paradise

This small circular church within an octagonal cloister was built by unknown craftsmen one thousand years ago. Nestled in an natural bowl the ocher stones blend with rolling nearby fields now planted with corn and fennel. Here one senses the eternal peace of paradise.

... May such perfection continue for another thousand years.


(Santa Maria de Eunate is located in Muruzábal at the western end of the Camino Argonese near where it joins the Camino Frances at Puente La Reina/Gares)

20210311_194611.jpg
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Barcelos.jpgmesa judicial.jpg

Two today . Camino Portugues 2015.
Archeological museum of Barcelos.
Next time I will stay longer to explore. Detail of a medieval courtbench.

 
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Two today . Camino Portugues 2015.
Archeological museum of Barcelos.
Next time I will stay longer to explore. Detail of a medieval courtbench.

We must have missed this in 2016 when we went through Barcelos! We will also have to go back!
 
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One of my favourite parts of the Camino. Sunny day, no traffic, good brakes and an excellent lunch by the river bank in Molinaseca. Only took about 30 minutes from the top.
I used the road because my knees were feeling not so good. No traffic, no cyclists, no pilgrims, low cloud and then pouring rain. But the hotel I stayed at in Molinaseca was lovely.
 
The very special Santa Maria del Camino in Carrion de los Condes.
View attachment 95028
I sure wish I had this site in my pocket the times I was there:
VN told me that this was one of the places that she lit a candle for my mom, who was in her last weeks of life at this time five years ago.

I had contacted several forum members I knew were walking at the time. I knew none of them personally, but they had been posting on the forum. Turns out all three lit candles along the way and even got together in Santiago. I am not religious, but it was a very emotional thing for me. Just one of the many ways the forum and the camino are there in our lives.
 
Now you know why, if you see cyclists riding in circles, on the way to Molinaseca. Wonderful thing online translation.

View attachment 95188
A favorite picture of mine but yours is prettier.

I've worked on that translation. I would translate the Spanish sign to an American sign as:

Attention cyclists
Steep slopes next 10 miles
Proceed with caution

"Pendentes fuertes" is "strong slopes" but the "pendente" seems to have gotten confused with some financial jargon, the English "outstanding debt" and in Spanish a meaning of debt on a slope. In my mind both worrying about money possibly getting away (money out in a field instead of my pocket).

The Spanish "en" (Normally translated as "in") seems to have an immediate situational positioning but in American English "in" has a more distant meaning; "in 5 days" means you wait that time before something happens. If you saw that actual sign you knew you didn't have to wait for the steepness.

The "circule" was likely translated by picking out the closest looking word in a list in a Spanish/English dictionary.
 
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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
A favorite picture of mine but yours is prettier.

I've worked on that translation. I would translate the Spanish sign to an American sign as:

Attention cyclists
Steep slopes next 10 miles
Proceed with caution

"Pendentes fuertes" is "strong slopes" but the "pendente" seems to have gotten confused with some financial jargon, the English "outstanding debt" and in Spanish a meaning of debt on a slope. In my mind both worrying about money possibly getting away (money out in a field instead of my pocket).

The Spanish "en" (Normally translated as "in") seems to have an immediate situational positioning but in American English "in" has a more distant meaning; "in 5 days" means you wait that time before something happens. If you saw that actual sign you knew you didn't have to wait for the steepness.

The "circule" was likely translated by picking out the closest looking word in a list in a Spanish/English dictionary.
That is what I had roughly worked out. Thank you for your kind words about the picture. About 5 minutes later it was pouring with rain.
 
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Just another misty, magical morning on the Camino Primitivo. From September 2018.
View attachment 95096
This must be one of the best portraits that I have seen on the forum. The lighting , the contrast , the contented smiling face and pose - incredible , me thinks.
 
2018-09-10 14.51.57.jpg
Another wonderful Camino sculpture, resting in Villar de Mazarife.

It did make me wonder about something though.

What would walking the Camino in sandals do to your feet?

It took two weeks for my feet to get rock hard and impervious to blisters and chafing.

Perhaps the medieval pilgrims already had feet of stone before they started on the Camino.
 
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Burgos, cathedral, interior detail
photo taken November 8, 2012

Burgos, cathedral, detail 08.11.2012.jpg

Within the magnificent riches and richness of Burgos Cathedral
is this simple, almost charming,
memento mori featuring a child/putto holding a skull.

The themes of this infantile combo are not playfulness and childhood but life's fleetingness and the universality of death.
 
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€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
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I have the best memories of our stay at the muni albergue, Hogar de Monjardin in 2015, run by Dutch protestants. My son was given a key to the castle at the top of the hill and climbed up to see it after the lovely communal dinner. View attachment 95286
Loved our quirky room!
There are a few albergues that I will definitely return to on my next Camino, and this is one of them!
 
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There are a few albergues that I will definitely return to on my next Camino, and this is one of them!
We tried to go back in 2017, but were a bit too late to secure beds.😐
The room in my picture above led out to a fantastic terrace overlooking the beautiful village where we shared a bottle of vino. I am taking the liberty to post one more picture of that view.
Screenshot_20210313-071332~2.png
 
We tried to go back in 2017, but were a bit too late to secure beds.😐
The room in my picture above led out to a fantastic terrace overlooking the beautiful village where we shared a bottle of vino. I am taking the liberty to post one more picture of that view.
View attachment 95287


Weird how it works. I liked the albergue well enough. I also had very nice company on that stretch but the hospis at that moment were extremely unfriendly and downright rude to some ( not me ). We decided not to participate in the communal dinner but went to the bar next door. But I agree that the views are stunning.
 
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Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
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Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
Castil de Peones, such a romantic name for a town.
Reality is sadder.
20190528_105235 (2).jpg

This town had apparently been on the original Francés, and has definitely passed its glory days: only 31 people live here now. Some history of this remarkable building, La Casona

And then it collapsed, resulting in the sad sight we see now:
 
Castil de Peones, such a romantic name for a town.
Reality is sadder.
View attachment 95345

This town had apparently been on the original Francés, and has definitely passed its glory days: only 31 people live here now. Some history of this remarkable building, La Casona

And then it collapsed, resulting in the sad sight we see now:
I enjoyed this new information with my breakfast! Thank you so much. Who knows if I will set eyes on it sometime. A friend from Pamplona belongs to a family in a nearby mountain village. The family home is known by all around by the name of the women whose line it follows. It can be traced to the 1700s.
 
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Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
Apologies i havent been resizing photos till now, PM me if still an issue.
On with the pictures, has to be one of my favourite views anywhere, especially in Spring time; familiar to many.
 

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