Friday, April 12, 6:16 p.m.
It’s hard to tell from the photo, but this scene in Saint Jean Pied de Port is looking down a rather steep road. This is the street in the old section of town on which the albergues are located.
Friday, April 12, 6:34 p.m.
This is another view from the main road in the old section of SJPdeP, looking off to the side.
Friday, April 12, 7:42 p.m.
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This is the proprietor of the albergue I stayed at in SJPdeP. She was taking a break in front of the almost shuttered windows.
Friday, April 12, 7:42 p.m.
My Copenhagen buddies relaxing after dinner at the SJPdP albergue the evening before we all started on our trek.
Sunday, April 14, 6:04 p.m.
This is the first picture I took after leaving Saint Jean Pied de Port. I took it shortly before arriving in Trinidad de Arre. It doesn’t match the awesome beauty of the views I encountered going over the Pyrenees, which were truly breathtaking, but I never took the effort in the steady 40-mile-an-hour winds to retrieve my camera and take a photo. However, I often admired the view when I paused to catch my breath.
Monday, April 15, 7:18 a.m.
I set out from the albergue in Trinidad de Arre without breakfast, but on the way out of town I stopped at a bar that was open to get a bite to eat. This poster was on the inside wall just to the right of the entrance.
Monday, April 15, 8:15 a.m.
Villava seems pretty much a bedroom community on the outskirts of Pamploma, but at least one of the folks living there has a wonderful sense of whimsy.
Monday, April 15, 10:55 a.m.
This and the following three pictures were taken in a rural setting midway between Villava and Pamplona. The heart of old Pamplona is off in the distance.
Monday, April 15, 10:55 a.m.
To the north is a suburban stretch of Pamplona with the Pyrenees in the distance.
Monday, April 15, 10:55 a.m.
Other peregrinos taking a break on their way out of Villava.
Monday, April 15, 10:55, a.m.
A bench was put next to the spot where a peregrino had died. There are quite a few such memorials all along the Camino. On the right is a typical stone marker with the sign of the Camino—a clamshell.
Monday, April 15, 11:46 a.m.
Atop the Alto de Perdón, about 10 km west of Pamplona, there is an iron sculpture on the side of the path and windmills in the distance along the ridge of the Sierra de Erreniega. The altitude is about 2,500 feet and the wind blows briskly.
Monday, April 15, 11:47 a.m.
A friendly peregrino volunteered to take my picture with my cell phone. I’m one of the few pilgrims with pouches ever to walk the Camino. As I was taking a backpack break a few minutes later, an enterprising Spanard with a large cooler trudged up the hill, opened his cooler, and began selling cold drinks. He did a pretty good business.
Tuesday, April 16, 3:11 p.m.
On the way up a hill just past the center of Irache is located one of the most popular amenities on the Camino: a fountain with wine on tap. I had hear about this and had carried a plastic cup just for the occasion. The wine was pretty bad, but the experience was fun. Shortly thereafter the plastic cup cracked and had to be discarded. It lasted just long enough to fulfill its destiny. The sticks against the wall belong to Ken. We walked together intermittently on the day this picture was taken. I have a vague memory of him emptying one of his water bottles and filling it with wine (but I could be making that up.)
Tuesday, April 16, 12:56 p.m.
It’s a glorious feeling to walk past fields of flowers.
Tuesday, April 16, 8:28 p.m.
This and the following two pictures were taken from the flat rooftop of the albergue I stayed at in Villamayor de Monjardín. The village rested on the side of a mountain, close to the top, on which was located the Castillo de Monjardín. I didn’t take a picture of it because the sun was low in the sky next it.
Tuesday, April 16, 8:29 p.m.
This and the next photo are basically the same view, but in this one I am zooming in on the scene for a more dramatic effect.
Tuesday, April 16, 8:30 p.m.
I took this photo without the zoom just as a point of reference for the previous shot.
Wednesday, April 17, 1:28 p.m.
A typical path in this part of the Camino, right before entering vinyard country.
Wednesday, April 17, 2:12 p.m.
I spotted this cactus, almost hidden from view, on the other side of an Olive Tree Grove I was walking past. It seemed so out-of-place that I just couldn't resist detouring through the grove to capture this anomaly up close. In the distance are rows of hillside grape vines, which became ubiquitous in the day ahead.
Friday, April 19, 7:58 p.m.
I was really surprised to see this text message screen image among the photos I downloaded. It was only on August 2nd that I finally learned what caused this screen to be captured on my Android mobile device. Swiping a screen with the narrow "pinky side" of one's hand will capture the current screen. The shot can then be viewed by clicking on the Gallery app.
Friday, April 19, 9:07 p.m.
In the kitchen/dining area of the albergue I stayed at in Santo Domiingo. Ward is the thin guy with his head down. The woman with the bad tendon is sitting at the head of the table. The guy with the blue shirt on the right, George if I remember correctly, is a marathoner from California. The two guys in the foreground are Italian. They, George and Ward were all traveling together. The one in the blue shirt on the left made the delicious carbonara.
Monday April 22, 7:05 p.m.
This communal dinner in Hotanas was not well attended. The paella looks great in this photograph, but it didn’t taste so good. Too dry, too salty, and too little of everything except rice.
Wednesday, April 24, 10:26 a.m.
As I approached the entrance to find a place to relieve myself, this donkey seemed intent on barring my way. As I moved closer to the entrance, so did he. Then the owner came out and shooed him away. As soon as I was inside, the donkey resumed his post as the guardian of the entrance. Since the bathroom was outside and around the corner, I had to again maneuver around this vigilant sentry.
Thursday, April 25, 7:10 p.m.
An old and unusual building in Sahagún
Thursday, April 25, 7:11 p.m.
A statue along the side of the road in Sahagún.
Friday, April 26, 9:14 p.m.
Everyone seemed drawn to the singing Italians in the albergue in Mansilla de las Mulas.
Saturday, April 27, 12:59 p.m.
The open air market in Plaza Major in León.
Saturday, April 27, 1:55 p.m.
I don’t remember taking this picture, but it’s obvious why I thought this wall was worth capturing. I think it’s a scene from the lobby of the hotel I stayed at in León.
Saturday, April 27, 2:13 p.m.
The “cave” in the basement of La Trattoria where I ate lunch--twice.
Saturday, April 27, 4:12 p.m.
After emerging from a long and indulgent mid-day meal, I was greeted by this scene: the aftermath of the open air market.
Tuesday, April 30, 6:02 p.m.
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View from the front porch of Domus Dei, the albergue in Foncebadón.
Wednesday, May 1, 8:49 a.m.
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This is what it looked like on the side of the road just after I started trekking in the morning.
Wednesday, May 1, 8:49 a.m.
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I must have been pointing to a road sign.
Wednesday, May 1, 8:49 a.m.
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I took this seemingly silly shot to document that the snow was two inches thick on top of the rocks scattered on the ground, but where there were no stones or large pebbles, the ground was bare. I think the photo came out looking like a scene of melting snow, which is completely misleading. In fact the snow was dry and very light.
Wednesday, May 1, 8:49 a.m.
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This is the sign I was pointing to.
Wednesday, May 1, 8:54 a.m.
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A view from the road about a a kilometer past the road sign. The air was still below freezing. You’d never know it from looking at it, but this is a color photo.
Thursday, May 2, 12:25 p.m.
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I don’t remember exactly where this photo was taken, but I remember liking the view.
Friday, May 3, 12:06 p.m.
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I stopped to rest on a hillside. A cellphone camera just can’t do justice to a beautiful landscape.
Friday, May 3, 12:07 p.m.
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Same spot, different direction.
Friday, May 3, 12:52 p.m.
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A farmstead I passed. I think the juxtaposition of architectural styles and building materials is intriguing.
Saturday, May 4, 12:08 p.m.
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Yes, that’s the Camino they just started down. I had to follow them for a couple of kilometers to the next village. There was no way around. Notice the two dogs. The adult focused on herding the cows while the puppy sometimes played and sometimes tried to imitate the adult.
Saturday, May 4, 12:08 p.m.
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She and I followed the herd together.
Saturday, May 4, 12:12 p.m.
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It was a slow walk to the next village.
Saturday, May 4, 2:49 p.m.
A fountain on the side of the road in a wooded area.
Saturday, May 4, 2:51 p.m.
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I saw a lot of cows on the Camino, and I was struck by how extraordinarily healthy they all looked. This is a particularly post-card-like scene.
Saturday, May 4, 6:09 p.m.
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The Camino often goes through picturesque woods, but the path is not always so level and smooth.
Friday, May 10, 12:09 p.m.
I was really taken with the stonework I saw. This is a particularly fine example of drystone construction. What I appreciate most about this building is that the same level of technology and abundance of resources that was required to put those enormous pieces of stone into place and to take the time to meticulously create such a well crafted drystone wall, could have instead been used to build with modern bricks or something equally fast to build with and easy to use. This building exists because the builder chose craftsmanship and traditional aesthetics over utilitarian efficiency.
Saturday, May 11, 10:42 a.m.
This is one example of a type of structure that dots farms and small villages throughout the central and western areas of the Camino. It was days after seeing my first one, and wondering incessantly what purpose they serve, that I learned they were (and in some cases still are) used to store corn and perhaps other grain. In the US the scale of everything associated with farming has been so large and has elevated efficiency above aesthetics for so long that we Americans have forgotten how charming small scale rural economic activity can be. Think of an American steel grain storage silo as you look at this image.
Saturday, May 11, 1:53 p.m.
That’s me taking a picture of a cat looking at me from behind a window.
Saturday, May 11, 3:45 p.m.
Eucalyptus trees are plentiful in this area of the Camino.
Sunday, May 12, 10:32 a.m.
Look closely and you will see what looks like a faded yellow arrow, the universal Camino directional symbol. This particular arrow, however, is just a natural configuration of orange fungus.
Sunday, May 12, 10:33 a.m.
I find it appealing when the natural world and the human-built world blend together.
April, 12, 1:38 p.m.
Proof that stone masonry is a living craft in Galicia.
Monday, May 13, 11:00 a.m.
The front of the main Cathedral in Santiago looks over a large square in the fortified old city, the Praza do Obradoiro.
Monday, May 13, 11:21 a.m.
At one end of the Praza do Obradoiro, which is surrounded by very old buildings, a modern contrivance can be seen in the distance.
Monday, May 13, 7:45 p.m.
I captured this scene in a large mall on a hill two blocks from the albergue I stayed at in Santiago.
Monday, May 13, 8:50 p.m.
The anchor store in the Mall was the “hypermarcado” Carefour. This shows only one corner of the ham section, which extends considerably beyond what you see here.
April 14, 11:55 a.m.
Here we see a dyed green concrete wall built as an extension of a steep and exposed rocky hillside, topped with a hand-built drystone wall.
Tuesday, May 14, 5:06 p.m.
This flower was ubiquitous in Galicia, west of Santiago. This picture was taken in the suburbs of Santiago.
Wednesday, May 15, 9:54 a.m.
Windmills off in the distance are a typical sight all along the Camino. And sometimes they are not so far away. These particular windmills were close enough that I could hear the incessant hum they give off. I’m not sure I could get used to the noise if I had to live nearby one.
Wednesday, May 15, 1:08 p.m.
These were the thinnest cattle I encountered along the Camino. I said hello as I passed but they didn’t respond.
Wednesday, May 15, 3:30 p.m.
Another typical grain storage building.
Wednesday, May 15, 3:30 p.m.
A view of Río Xallas, midway between Olveiroa and Logoso.
Thursday, May 16, 10:48 a.m.
This yellow bush dots the hillsides in this part of Galicia. Notice the windmills in the background.
Friday, May 17, 4:29 p.m.
The shrine of the Virgen de la Barca and a church down by the rocks where legend has it the Virgin Mary made landfall in her journey to Spain to help St. James spread the Gospel.
Friday, May 17, 4:35 p.m.
Looking down on the village of Muxía from Monte Corpiño, a small rocky hill between the town and the point where myth has it that the Virgin Mary made landfall.
Friday, May 17, 4:36 p.m.
Another view from Monte Corpiño; looking south to Fisterra.
Friday, May 17, 4:51 p.m.
The boulders at the tip of the peninsula on which Muxía sits are more accessible and more dramatic than the more fabled peninsula tip near Fisterra.
Friday, May 17, 4:51 p.m.
Shortly after I took this picture, the guard on duty motioned me and a few other thrill seekers toward the land, saying that it was not permitted to go so close to the water.
Friday, May 17, 4:55 p.m.
Dry land has its own charms.
Saturday, May 18, 1:15 p.m.
You have to use your imaginations with this one. On the way from Muxía to Fisterra, I passed two dogs going at it, with several people watching. By the time I got out my camera the episode was over.
Saturday, May 18, 4:30 p.m.
Scene from a house I passed in Fisterra.
Sunday, May 19, 11:02 a.m.
View from the road between the village of Fisterra and the tip of the Finisterra peninsula.
Sunday, May 19, 11:34 a.m.
Outdoor art in front of the light house on the cliff overlooking the ocean.
Sunday, May 19, 11:51 a.m.
Looking down to the sea from the cliff at World’s End.
Sunday, May 19, 11:52 p.m.
A trio of gulls cruising Finisterra.
Sunday, May 19, 12:01 p.m.
A fellow traveler admires the view.
Sunday, May 19, 1:11 p.m.
I encountered these translucent shadows of banners flapping in the wind as I came back from land's end. That is to say, the banners were flapping in the wind. The shadows that you see pictured here were wiggling on the pavement below.
Sunday, May 19, 1:15 p.m.
The tail end of the parade I encountered on the way back to the village from the promotory at Finisterra.
Sunday, May 19, 1:18 p.m.
Another view of the parade. The float is off camera and down the road on the right.
Sunday, May 19, 6:29 p.m.
Cee surrounds a bay on three sides. This shot is taken from Pasio Maritmo behind a tile fence.