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Semana Santa in Manresa

Time of past OR future Camino
2006 to date: Over 21 Caminos. See signature line
Joe and I had a great time today visiting St. Ignatius’ cave and also attending the Semana Santa Good Friday observances tonight. I took a lot of great photos and video that I will put in my blog tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a partial rest day for us. We may try to visit the Comarcal Museum that was closed today. Yesterday we visited the TI. The staff was quite helpful and well informed. We picked up the Camino Ignacio Credentials. We also visited the Chapel of the Sick Ignacio and then spent about an hour and a half at the SEU Cathedral and just getting the lay of the land. This is another Camino route that I would love to do. It begins in Loyola, goes through Montserrat, Manresa, and ends in Barcelona. The Church of the Cave was just incredibly beautiful with mosaics that were bigger than life and sparkling with glass. They reminded me of the mosaics that we saw at Lourdes. There was a really nice gift shop and I saw a good English guide book to the Camino Ignacio, but I didn’t want to carry it because it looked quite heavy. OK I guess that’s it

We are in a nice little three-bedroom apartment. We paid $406 for five days and feel it was totally worth it. Nice bathroom, hot shower, good stocked kitchen and a lift. It’s very convenient to everything and would be a good place for a group of people to share. Six twin beds and a sala with tv as well as a dining room. The owner is a baker and supplied us with fresh pastries, fruit, coffee, beer and wine. There are good supermarkets in both directions, as well as fruit markets and carnecerias. There is a Ramblas if you enjoy shopping. People are very friendly here. I wouldn’t mind coming back for a week just to hang out.

There are many trails along the canal to explore and a person could walk from here to Montserrat or the other way. We just don’t have time because we leave on Monday for Zaragoza where we will tourist about for two days before hopping up to Canfranc and attempting to walk the Aragonese, though it’s looking like snow. Brrrrr!
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
Looking forward to the photos!
 
My wife has just arrived in Zaragoza after two weeks as a Hospi at the new albergue in Canfranc Pueblo! Your paths will be crossing even if you do not realize it. She reports that the cold is abating, the sun is shining, and the village is alive with a spirit she hasn’t seen in her three previous visits to Canfranc. All the trails are open, too, so it bodes well for the start of your Camino.
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
My wife and I walked the Camino Ignaciano some years ago, ending in Manresa and staying at the Jesuit Spiritual Center. If you are still in Manresa as I write this, and you did not go up to the garden above the retreat center that they own, please do so. It's so restful, and the view of Montserrat is breathtaking. This camino was for us the most spiritual of the caminos we have walked. Some had to do with the beautiful and varied landscapes, the fascinating cities, towns and villages, the various shrines as well as the lack of other pilgrims. The hospitality of the villagers and farmers was unforgettable.
 
Looking at the weather up in Canfranc, our plans have changed on a dime as Camino plans often do with me. We’ve decided just to walk from Zaragosa to Logroño then bus to Pamplona to meet up with my group. If I have to walk in rain, I would prefer it be wet rain instead of icy rain and snow. Could someone please tie up these clouds and give us some sunshine? We even thought about simply heading to the beach for a week where it’s warm, but decided we really did need to walk. What wimps we’ve become post Covid. Ha ha