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Starting in Castrojeriz

Joud Belal

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
I am planning on walking Camino de Frances in August
Hello, I will be starting my Santiago de Camino walk next month at the town of Castrojeriz. I have couple of questions please:
1) Can I get my pilgrimage passport over there ( Castrojeriz) or should I order it online in advance
2) If I arrive there on sunday evening can I stay in one of the Albergues that night or should I fix some accomidation that night before I start my journey the next morning.
3)If lets say some day I cant complete the 25-30 Km for whatever reason can I just stay in any town along the way or are there specific stops I should follow
I apreciate your help, and thank you very much
 
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You can get your Credencial in many places in Castrojeriz. See this Gronze list for potential places to stay.
https://www.gronze.com/castilla-y-leon/burgos/castrojeriz

I have usually stayed in the municipal albergue San Esteban , https://www.gronze.com/castilla-y-leon/burgos/castrojeriz/albergue-peregrinos-san-esteban

However one of my favorite stops is the friendly bar La Taberna which serves a fine evening meal.
https://www.tripadvisor.ie/Restaura...eriz_Province_of_Burgos_Castile_and_Leon.html

The Hostal le Meson has also very good food. https://www.gronze.com/castilla-y-leon/burgos/castrojeriz/hostal-meson-castrojeriz

Happy planning and Buen Camino!
 
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1) Can I get my pilgrimage passport over there ( Castrojeriz) or should I order it online in advance

Probably best to get it in advance just to be safe. You can order it from the shop on this site.

2) If I arrive there on sunday evening can I stay in one of the Albergues that night or should I fix some accommodation that night before I start my journey the next morning.

As long as you have your pilgrim passport, you can stay in an albergue. As a side note, Castrojeriz is quite an interesting place, so if you were able to arrive earlier in the day, you could spend some time exploring the town.

3)If lets say some day I cant complete the 25-30 Km for whatever reason can I just stay in any town along the way or are there specific stops I should follow
I appreciate your help, and thank you very much

You can stay anywhere you like, as long as there is accommodation there that's suitable for you. On the Camino Francés, there are albergues in many villages and towns along the way, so you can pretty much walk as much as you want on any given day and still be sure to find accommodation.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I collapsed in Castrojirez after a very short walk from Hontanas. I arrived at the little tavern right where the trail arrives in town (across from the first church), and when I enquired at the bar about places to stay, the lovely bar-owner said that he himself had rooms above the bar for 25 euros. It was delightful. I explored the town, had a private room and bath... rested my destroyed legs/knees, and ate well. The owners were so kind. They realized that after my snack I had forgotten my poles and wandered into town without them. They gathered my poles and put them up by my door to my room. If I recall correctly there was also a laundry machine that I was able to use.

"Sleeping above a tavern" is something I generally associate with 19th century narratives about the 17thC... so it felt quite delightful and out of time/place.

Highly recommend!!!
 
I collapsed in Castrojirez after a very short walk from Hontanas. I arrived at the little tavern right where the trail arrives in town (across from the first church), and when I enquired at the bar about places to stay, the lovely bar-owner said that he himself had rooms above the bar for 25 euros. It was delightful. I explored the town, had a private room and bath... rested my destroyed legs/knees, and ate well. The owners were so kind. They realized that after my snack I had forgotten my poles and wandered into town without them. They gathered my poles and put them up by my door to my room. If I recall correctly there was also a laundry machine that I was able to use.

"Sleeping above a tavern" is something I generally associate with 19th century narratives about the 17thC... so it felt quite delightful and out of time/place.

Highly recommend!!!
Surely you must have heard the barkeeps rendition of the visits of Hape Kerkeling of "Well I'm Off Then" notoriety? Perhaps that of Shirley McClain-her...ah//friend? Neither celebrities have written inspiring books concerning the Camino, all three mentioned drank too much brandy and aguardiente with expected results, but makes an amusing story written in the taverns memory book. Aguardiente? Something like grappa, tastes like swollowing a lit match, causes amazing pains felt usually that next morning.
 
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Thank you very much guys Appreciate all the help I got.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
"Sleeping above a tavern" is something I generally associate with 19th century narratives about the 17thC... so it felt quite delightful and out of time/place.
/QUOTE]

When I arrived in O Cebreiro in 1989, before they had built albergues (or most of the other sleeping accommodations there), the rooms above the tavern were full, but they let me lay my sleeping bag out on the floor by the fireplace in the main room. "Sleeping by the fireplace in a tavern" felt positively like a medieval pilgrim.
 
Unusual starting point. Why?

Buen camino to you.
well i dont have 30 days to walk, I only have 19 and I calculated that on average i can walk 25Km a day that makes it around 470 and i was a bit realistic so i might take couple of days off here and there soo 450K and Castrojeriz is 440 Km away :) please correct me if i miscalculated anything I would highly apreciate it
-Joud
 
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Surely you must have heard the barkeeps rendition of the visits of Hape Kerkeling of "Well I'm Off Then" notoriety? Perhaps that of Shirley McClain-her...ah//friend? .....ng.
Sadly, I did not hear these stories....
 
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
I think Castrojerez is a little too far east for the time you have. According to the godasalco site, it is 463 km from Santiago.

You have 19 days and want a couple days for rest, that gives you 17 days of walking - 25km/day on average is 425 km. I'd go with 16 days of walking just to give you a cushion - in case you don't average as much as you think or something else slows you down (weather, blisters, etc.). I would start around 400 km from Santiago. Carion de los Condes (418) or Sahagun (377) are in that range and both are fairly straightforward to get to.
 
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I love Castrojerez. I recommend the albergue, Ultreia. They ask if you want to stay for dinner, and DO IT if you get there in time, as it also includes a tour of the underground wine cellar/Roman tunnel. The host is friendly and hilarious, his wife is a great cook. You can email them in advance and reserve a bed (best to write in Spanish).
 
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I think Castrojerez is a little too far east for the time you have. According to the godasalco site, it is 463 km from Santiago.

You have 19 days and want a couple days for rest, that gives you 17 days of walking - 25km/day on average is 425 km. I'd go with 16 days of walking just to give you a cushion - in case you don't average as much as you think or something else slows you down (weather, blisters, etc.). I would start around 400 km from Santiago. Carion de los Condes (418) or Sahagun (377) are in that range and both are fairly straightforward to get to.
Thank you for your advice, I’ll check those town out later tonight :) much appreciated
 
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Castrojeriz is a great place to start - you’ll have a nice wee hill to climb on your first day and see one of the quintessential Camino views when you get to the top. You can always take a bus for a few km if you need to make up some time.
 
Sadly, I did not hear these stories....
Better left in oblivion - Kerkeling is a German radio personality known for his humor and his preference for...ah... the male gender...walked the Camino with three young women and ... Shirley McClain wrote a book on her Camino, a book which dabbles in penny rate mysticism, her taste in Spanish men-one from Castrojeriz, but mostly herself. Better left in oblivion
 
Better left in oblivion - Kerkeling is a German radio personality known for his humor and his preference for...ah... the male gender...walked the Camino with three young women and ... Shirley McClain wrote a book on her Camino, a book which dabbles in penny rate mysticism, her taste in Spanish men-one from Castrojeriz, but mostly herself. Better left in oblivion
Then why bring up these two well-known authors of two well-known books about their pilgrimages if it's better left in oblivion? Harpe Kerkeling is not mainly known for the fact that he is homosexual and not heterosexual. Like with millions and millions and millions of other people, me included, their sexual orientation is known simply because of the gender of their partner but whether one belongs to the majority or a minority should not be worth even mentioning, let alone aheming about it. Not in 2018. Oh, I checked the EN Wikipedia: On 10 December 1991, in a German television talkshow, the filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim revealed that Kerkeling, among others, was gay. Kerkeling's comment on the ensuing fuss (mostly in the gutter press) was that while anyone of a more sensitive nature than him would probably have climbed into the bath with a hairdryer, he could not see the point: they would be dragging another poor soul through the dirt the next day anyway. He is married, btw, and very much keeps his private life out of the public eye, as is his right.

@Joud Belal: Castrojeriz is a great place to start. I missed the memento mori skull and crossbones on one of the church walls on the way in but we walked up to the castle ruins (really worth a visit for the view and the fact that you can climb the tower) and stayed in Albergue Rosalia which has an interesting history of its own.
 
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A selection of Camino Jewellery
Then why bring up these two well-known authors of two well-known books about their pilgrimages if it's better left in oblivion? Harpe Kerkeling is not mainly known for the fact that he is homosexual and not heterosexual. Like with millions and millions and millions of other people, me included, their sexual orientation is known simply because of the gender of their partner but whether one belongs to the majority or a minority should not be worth even mentioning, let alone aheming about it. Not in 2018. Oh, I checked the EN Wikipedia: On 10 December 1991, in a German television talkshow, the filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim revealed that Kerkeling, among others, was gay. Kerkeling's comment on the ensuing fuss (mostly in the gutter press) was that while anyone of a more sensitive nature than him would probably have climbed into the bath with a hairdryer, he could not see the point: they would be dragging another poor soul through the dirt the next day anyway. He is married, btw, and very much keeps his private life out of the public eye, as is his right.

@Joud Belal: Castrojeriz is a great place to start. I missed the memento mori skull and crossbones on one of the church walls on the way in but we walked up to the castle ruins (really worth a visit for the view and the fact that you can climb the tower) and stayed in Albergue Rosalia which has an interesting history of its own.
It was never my intention to defame disparage or to insult Mr. Kerkeling and certainly not you. His sexual preferences are of no importance for me, a part of his biography at best, the underlying theme of the humor in his book. The book is indeed well known which does not make it a good book – a better written far more humorous account of the Camino may be found in “Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago” by Tim Moore. McClain’s well known book attempts to touch the spiritualty of the Camino, in my opinion it doesn’t even come close, spirituality may be found in “The Pilgrimage” by Paulo Coelho. Thank you for your insights sorry we apparently cannot agree.
 
Loved Tim Moore's book.
Found a great pharmacy in Castrojeriz where I bought a knee brace which was a life saver. So pleased we had time to wander there and by chance found the skull and crossbones on the church.
 
I made no comments whatsoever about the quality of the writing or the level of humour or spirituality in the book(s). In any case, I read only one of the three books you bring up in this thread and they all seem to be of little direct relevance to the OP's question.
Sadly we cannot see eye to eye, not an argument a simple difference in perception. The question concerned Castrogeriz, lodging in the town, and mentioned the Taverna. My comments relate to all however both Castrogeriz and the Taverna have intriguing histories going well beyond practicality and their function - one includes the Roman Army, the Visigoths, the Spanish, the French, and the Camino, the other can claim fame from it's hospitality, it's food, and it's Camino personalities. It is possible to arrive thinking only of where to stay, to wonder where to buy some new bootlaces to find a pilgrims menu or to worry about the climb out upon leaving but there is so much more! For myself I must read and peruse anything and everything I can about places which intrigue me along the Camino, further I need to pass this on so that others may receive a new insight perhaps a new perspective, beyond the maps, beyond the albergues, beyond the nearest cafe/bar - things which may be thought over along the Camino or examined in good literature later at home deepening and augmenting the Camino experience.
 
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Sadly we cannot see eye to eye, not an argument a simple difference in perception. The question concerned Castrogeriz, lodging in the town, and mentioned the Taverna. My comments relate to all however both Castrogeriz and the Taverna have intriguing histories going well beyond practicality and their function - one includes the Roman Army, the Visigoths, the Spanish, the French, and the Camino, the other can claim fame from it's hospitality, it's food, and it's Camino personalities. It is possible to arrive thinking only of where to stay, to wonder where to buy some new bootlaces to find a pilgrims menu or to worry about the climb out upon leaving but there is so much more! For myself I must read and peruse anything and everything I can about places which intrigue me along the Camino, further I need to pass this on so that others may receive a new insight perhaps a new perspective, beyond the maps, beyond the albergues, beyond the nearest cafe/bar - things which may be thought over along the Camino or examined in good literature later at home deepening and augmenting the Camino experience.
Do you recommend any book in which I can read about the towns I’m gonna pass through. Something simple brief, not too complicated please. And I’m gonna read “the alchemist” along the way it’s the most spiritual book I’ve ever read in my life.
 
Do you recommend any book in which I can read about the towns I’m gonna pass through. Something simple brief, not too complicated please. And I’m gonna read “the alchemist” along the way it’s the most spiritual book I’ve ever read in my life.

I have not read "The Alchemist", but the same author wrote "The Pilgrimage", which takes place on the Camino.

I would also recommend eating at Bar Restaurante El Fuero in Castrojeriz. The food was awesome for such a low price.
 
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https://www.abebooks.com/?&intent=B...MI4dmliMWt3AIVLLvtCh15ugVNEAAYASAAEgLNdvD_BwE
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Do you recommend any book in which I can read about the towns I’m gonna pass through. Something simple brief, not too complicated please.

For history, culture and architecture, I've found nothing better than the now-classic "The Pilgrimage Road To Santiago" by David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson. I downloaded the Kindle version and read up on the next day's journey each evening. Enjoy!
 
For history, culture and architecture, I've found nothing better than the now-classic "The Pilgrimage Road To Santiago" by David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson. I downloaded the Kindle version and read up on the next day's journey each evening. Enjoy!
I have carried the book three times and it shows it's wear. Fascinating and detailed.
 
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Hello, I will be starting my Santiago de Camino walk next month at the town of Castrojeriz. I have couple of questions please:
1) Can I get my pilgrimage passport over there ( Castrojeriz) or should I order it online in advance
2) If I arrive there on sunday evening can I stay in one of the Albergues that night or should I fix some accomidation that night before I start my journey the next morning.
3)If lets say some day I cant complete the 25-30 Km for whatever reason can I just stay in any town along the way or are there specific stops I should follow
I apreciate your help, and thank you very much
Ultimately you decide the stages of your journey. If you feel comfortable walking 18 km but not another 9 km to the next albergue, make a short day of it. BTW, the hill outside of Castrojerez is a bit of a grind. Be patient. Take it slow. Stop and enjoy the view. The plateau above is a beautiful windswept place.
 
It was never my intention to defame disparage or to insult Mr. Kerkeling and certainly not you. His sexual preferences are of no importance for me, a part of his biography at best, the underlying theme of the humor in his book. The book is indeed well known which does not make it a good book – a better written far more humorous account of the Camino may be found in “Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago” by Tim Moore. McClain’s well known book attempts to touch the spiritualty of the Camino, in my opinion it doesn’t even come close, spirituality may be found in “The Pilgrimage” by Paulo Coelho. Thank you for your insights sorry we apparently cannot agree.
Did Coelho ever actually walk the Camino - discuss. (And there goes another cat leaping at the pigeons)
 
In April 2015 I stopped in Castrojeriz and, walking into an old church in the centre, discovered it had recently been turned into a museum/art/information centre. Some of the people who had overseen the building's transformation were on site and insisted on giving me a guided tour and a screening of their Camino video - well worth a visit. I was amused by the mention by @Kiwi-family of the 'wee hill, just after the town. I still recall feeling I was about to have a heart attack going up that 'gentle' slope on a very hot day.
 
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In April 2015 I stopped in Castrojeriz and, walking into an old church in the centre, discovered it had recently been turned into a museum/art/information centre. Some of the people who had overseen the building's transformation were on site and insisted on giving me a guided tour and a screening of their Camino video - well worth a visit. I was amused by the mention by @Kiwi-family of the 'wee hill, just after the town. I still recall feeling I was about to have a heart attack going up that 'gentle' slope on a very hot day.
You were lucky. "Back in the day" it was a narrow goat track with loose 4" stones the person in front of you could easily dislodge.
Mind you, if you time it right, you can get a lovely second sunrise after you descend and get out of the ridge's shadow.
 
It didn't take long for changes to take place in the English editions. What I believe to be the first English edition (1992) was called The Diary of a Magus. Three years later it was republished as The Pilgrimage. For what it's worth, the title of the first Spanish edition (1987) was El Pelegrino.

70742.jpg1424.jpg

Details on the various editions can be found at goodreads.
 
Who cares :cool:. What I find more interesting is how the marketing of the book has changed. You see the change in the title page when you compare early editions with recent editions in the original language (Portuguese), and probably also in other language versions (German edition for sure, for example).

1990 edition:
Diary of a mage. Esoteric initiation. Mystical and magical journey on the way to Santiago. A yellow sword/cross that most people don't associate with anything in particular and the shape or shadow of a person that does not look like a person in familiar pilgrim garb, whether contemporary or medieval.

2014 edition:
The Compostela pilgrim (Diary of a mage). Huge Camino shell.

View attachment 44689 . View attachment 44690
I met him once. Or should I say I was leaving the Iglesia del Crucifijo in Puenta la Reina when he shoved me out of the way so he could go in with a Korean TV crew. He then tried to order the people inside to leave so he could film. Didn't go down too well I understand.
Tried reading the book, like Coelho I found it difficult to navigate my way over the Pyrenees.
 
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