I am going back over my journal, looking at my pictures, doing all those post-Camino things, and I've been remembering some of the little detours or out of the way places that made this Camino so special for me. I thought I'd start a list and maybe others can add on. I will also start a "special albergues" and maybe a "special places to eat" list as time allows.
Merida -- The modern public library (with lots of internet) is elevated one floor above street level, leaving exposed ruins below. Not a "must see" destination, but I was impressed with the way the past and the present sort of blended together there. There was a school group there while I was looking around and I thought that there were some very nice "teachable moments" that the teachers used.
Alcuescar -- I visited the Santa Lucia del Trampal church, it's an easy and very pretty walk (lots of chestnut trees) from the town hall in Alcuescar. I think it's probably 7 km round trip, but if you walk in from Aljucen, you've had a short 21 km day, and adding 7 km without the pack and after showering was not overkill. Here's how I did it. I arrived at the albergue around 12:30, showered, did some internet, grocery shopping, etc. At about 2:30, I think, I walked out -- exactly one car drove by in the 45 minutes it took. I was all alone in the field covered with beautiful flowers and ate my lunch in the shade. The attendant arrived promptly at 4 (check in the Town Hall for opening times because they change for winter and summer) and opened the church and the visitors center -- there's a nice video in Spanish. The walk back was just as nice as the walk out.
Arco de Caparra -- Everyone will walk under the arch, but unless you time your arrival right, you'll miss out on the opportunity to go to the visitors center and to walk around the rest of the city. For me, the best way to do that was to walk from Carcaboso to Caparra, visit the site, and then take the 4-5 km path back to Oliva de Plasencia to spend the night. Then when I ppassed through the arch the next morning, I didn't have to worry about waiting for things to open,etc.
Zamora -- One of the highlights was my trip to San Pedro de la Nave, a visigothic church about 24 km outside Zamora, and on the Camino Portugues branch of the Vdlp, which passes through Braganca. The hospitalero in Zamora drove me out and we visited the church (stunning) and then I walked back. Going "against the arrows" is always a challenge, but I made it fine. If you like old churches, you will probably love this place.
Granja de Moruela -- The ruins of the monastery are outside town. The road sign says 3.7 km, but that's way off. It took me little more than a half hour to walk there. All in ruins, but the apses are something else. There is a lengthy tour in Spanish available (for free), but I didn't stay through the whole thing.
Santa Croya -- A visit to the Santa Marta church across the river (about 15 minutes from Casa Anitta) is well worth it. That's where the oldest known depiction of Santiago Pererino is, and the capitals inside the church are quite beautiful as well.
Lubian -- There's a 19th (?) century "wolf catcher" about a ten or fifteen minute walk (uphill) out of town. You can actually see the structure from the balcony of the Casa Pachaca. Not a "must see" place exactly, but I thought it was very interesting, even though I couldn't exactly figure out how they enticed the wolf to go inside the small door. I have seen similar structures in Portugal, but the method of catching the wolf was quite different there.
Ourense --- one of those little trains goes from the plaza mayor to the public baths. I really wished I had brought a bathing suit, they are beautiful.
Monasterio de Oseira -- again, it's hard to squeeze in a visit unless you spend the night there. I had planned to stay in Cea, but realized that it would be quite a hassle to add a visit the next day as I was walking to Laxe. So I continued from Cea and spent the night in the monastery. The albergue is quite basic (the building reminds me a lot of the albergue in Roncesvalles , same time period, same type of construction). Blankets are provided, hot showers are available, and the guided tour is very interesting.
Merida -- The modern public library (with lots of internet) is elevated one floor above street level, leaving exposed ruins below. Not a "must see" destination, but I was impressed with the way the past and the present sort of blended together there. There was a school group there while I was looking around and I thought that there were some very nice "teachable moments" that the teachers used.
Alcuescar -- I visited the Santa Lucia del Trampal church, it's an easy and very pretty walk (lots of chestnut trees) from the town hall in Alcuescar. I think it's probably 7 km round trip, but if you walk in from Aljucen, you've had a short 21 km day, and adding 7 km without the pack and after showering was not overkill. Here's how I did it. I arrived at the albergue around 12:30, showered, did some internet, grocery shopping, etc. At about 2:30, I think, I walked out -- exactly one car drove by in the 45 minutes it took. I was all alone in the field covered with beautiful flowers and ate my lunch in the shade. The attendant arrived promptly at 4 (check in the Town Hall for opening times because they change for winter and summer) and opened the church and the visitors center -- there's a nice video in Spanish. The walk back was just as nice as the walk out.
Arco de Caparra -- Everyone will walk under the arch, but unless you time your arrival right, you'll miss out on the opportunity to go to the visitors center and to walk around the rest of the city. For me, the best way to do that was to walk from Carcaboso to Caparra, visit the site, and then take the 4-5 km path back to Oliva de Plasencia to spend the night. Then when I ppassed through the arch the next morning, I didn't have to worry about waiting for things to open,etc.
Zamora -- One of the highlights was my trip to San Pedro de la Nave, a visigothic church about 24 km outside Zamora, and on the Camino Portugues branch of the Vdlp, which passes through Braganca. The hospitalero in Zamora drove me out and we visited the church (stunning) and then I walked back. Going "against the arrows" is always a challenge, but I made it fine. If you like old churches, you will probably love this place.
Granja de Moruela -- The ruins of the monastery are outside town. The road sign says 3.7 km, but that's way off. It took me little more than a half hour to walk there. All in ruins, but the apses are something else. There is a lengthy tour in Spanish available (for free), but I didn't stay through the whole thing.
Santa Croya -- A visit to the Santa Marta church across the river (about 15 minutes from Casa Anitta) is well worth it. That's where the oldest known depiction of Santiago Pererino is, and the capitals inside the church are quite beautiful as well.
Lubian -- There's a 19th (?) century "wolf catcher" about a ten or fifteen minute walk (uphill) out of town. You can actually see the structure from the balcony of the Casa Pachaca. Not a "must see" place exactly, but I thought it was very interesting, even though I couldn't exactly figure out how they enticed the wolf to go inside the small door. I have seen similar structures in Portugal, but the method of catching the wolf was quite different there.
Ourense --- one of those little trains goes from the plaza mayor to the public baths. I really wished I had brought a bathing suit, they are beautiful.
Monasterio de Oseira -- again, it's hard to squeeze in a visit unless you spend the night there. I had planned to stay in Cea, but realized that it would be quite a hassle to add a visit the next day as I was walking to Laxe. So I continued from Cea and spent the night in the monastery. The albergue is quite basic (the building reminds me a lot of the albergue in Roncesvalles , same time period, same type of construction). Blankets are provided, hot showers are available, and the guided tour is very interesting.
