scruffy1
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Holy Year from Pamplona 2010, SJPP 2011, Lisbon 2012, Le Puy 2013, Vezelay (partial watch this space!) 2014; 2015 Toulouse-Puenta la Reina (Arles)
Coming out of Najera, pilgrims progress (sorry) on to Azorfa and then Ah! Should one truck on down the line to SDdlC to see the chickens or should one take the recommended detour to Santa María de San Salvador de Cañas ? This is a rather austere Cistercian convent (well, they all are) very beautiful retablo and well worth the several extra kilometers, more so if there are many pilgrims on the Camino and one is seeking a bit of quiet - few walk this way. Not convinced? Gitlitz and Davidson also mention another site perhaps a kilometer beyond, the hermitage, where may be found a solitary stele inscribed: "Aqui se detuvo la mula del Obispo Sancho, MXL". Easy enough to read, even an accomplished Spanish mutilator such as myself can read – "Here paused the mule of Bishop Sancho in 1040". Well, ah,... good for the mule (!) but what does it mean? Perhaps here was some sort of homage to Balaam or rather to his donkey (he wasn't a pleasant character). Perhaps a premonition of the American income tax? Why in the venacular and not Latin? We may never know. The sidetrip to Canas should be considered required, continuing out to the cornfield should be perceived as only elective.