O Cebreiro to Triacastela – Stage 30

Stage 30 – O Cebreiro – Triacastela
Total Distance – 21.3 km (13.2 miles)
Adjusted for Climb – 22.3 km (accrued ascent 200 m = 1 km)
High Point: O’Cebreiro at 1,330 m (4,363 feet)

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Please note that some names may be in Galician – you’ll now it when you see it.

Finally were we firmly in Galicia – the promised land! The stage before us had some initial climbs before it went almost completely downhill and frankly I didn’t mind that at all. Usually I’m weary of downhill stages because that’s when you tend to get hurt but I was so happy to be in Galicia, every step taking me closer to Santiago, that I didn’t care. I did begin to notice that the churches that we were starting to see in Galicia were much smaller and older than others on the Camino. Also the countryside was greener – those Atlantic winds and storms being caged in by the mountains made Galicia a green haven.

We started the day in a heavy mist and everything from O Cebreiro down was socked in.

Heavy clouds covering the Valley floor.

Soon we were on a forested trail.

The way through the woods

We had plenty of signs to show us the way!

The first village that we saw was called Liñares. Dating back to at least the 8th century – we know this because it was mentioned in an 8th centruy document – and mentioned in the 12th century Codex Calixtinus or Liber Sancti Jacobi – Liñares was named for its flax fields that provided linen.

The village of Liñares

All along the ridge we were to see fields with Scotch broom and spiky green plants that I found out later were wild absinthe.

Sue walking toward the mist

I had to stop for a picture!

Peregrinos approaching Linares

The iglesia San Esteban in Liñares was built prior to 1120 and restored in 1963.

The iglesia San Esteban

Narrow entrance to the church

My father-in-law will like that this church is still in use!

Notice the scallop shells on this Santiago Peregrino. I like his dog!

You can see where the restoration work was done.

After a brief stop at the iglesia San Esteban we were soon on the move again. At the Alto San Roque (1,270 meters, 4,166 feet) were were soon upon the Monumento do Peregrino. This large statute on a stone base is a tribute to all the peregrinos who decide to walk the Camino. As you can see from the pictures below the statute represents a peregrino with his satchel and hat, balancing himself on a walking stick while fighting the elements, the winds, rain, snow or sleet, that stand between him and his destination. At the time I just stood there to take it all in I wasn’t thinking; “Hey, that’s me!” but now with the fullness of time I can honestly say, “Hey, that was me!!”

 

Once again we are moving downhill

Cyclists were too!!

Monumento do Peregrino near the Alto San Roque (1,270 meters)

I think the statute was also telling me, “You’ve made it this far, past all the really difficult obstacles, now it’s time to bring it home to Santiago!”

Continuing on to another 2 kilometers past this monument we came to the village of Hospital da Condesa (in Spanish, Hospital de la Condesa). This village was the site of a pilgrim hospital that was established here in the 9th century by the Condesa doña Egilo, the wife of the Conde Gatón. The only remains of that hospital is la iglesia parroquial de San Xoán (San Juan) . This church is laid out in the form of a Latin cross and has an exterior stairwell that leads to a cupola. The church once belonged to the Knights Hospitalers of St. John of Malta..

la iglesia parroquial de San Xoán (San Juan)

The outer stairwell leading to the cupola.

Notice the small entrance to the church

Having a conversation with the lady volunteer at the church after getting my credencial stamped

The scenery outside of Hospital de la Condesa

Soon we were approaching the hamlet of Padornelo which although in 1985 had 3 inhabitants had been the home at one time a priory of the Hospitallers of San Juan de Jerusalén.

Yellow arrow showing us the way

Peregrina up ahead of us

A palloza just outside of Padornelo

Sue taking a picture of the bulls in Padornelo. I affectionately like to call this picture, “The Boys are Back in Town!”

Alto do Poio pass (1,337 meters, 4,386 feet) and there we stopped again to see a very rustic chapel.

Sue taking in the beautiful sights

I wish I knew the name of this chapel.

I wish I knew the name of this chapel.

At this point although we had 12.5 kilometers to go to reach Triacastela our final destination we were feeling really strong and as a result we flew and covered the 12.5 kilometers in a little over 2 hours.

Plaque praising the architectural restorations in the village of Ramil and town of Triacastela that were sponsored by the Ministry of Culture.

Village of Ramil

A 800 year old tree

That’s the entrance to Triacastela!

Villar de Mazarife to Hospital de Órbigo – Stage 22

Stage 22 – Villar de Mazarife – Hospital de Órbigo
Total Distance – 14.1 km
Adjusted for Climb – 0 km (accrued ascent 0 m = 0 km)
High Point: Villar de Mazarife at 880 m (2,887 feet)

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The beautiful Albergue Antonio de Padua from where I started out from that sunny day.

Before describing this solitary stage for me I need to say something about the village of Villar de Mazarife (Pop. 398). This village is very much like a number of small villages that you encounter on the Camino Francés in that it is quite small and one that exists solely for the Camino. Even the grocery store is called Frutas del Camino de Santiago and the church is dedicated to St. James!

Ever the historian – it’s what I studied in college – I have a deep-seated need to know more about what the village was in the past and also a need to communicate that to others. So – here goes..

The village owes its existence and name to a certain man named Mazaref who in the late 9th century was the head of a mozarabic family from Córdoba that enjoyed certain privileges conferred upon him by the kings of Asturias and León. With royal blessings he began the great enterprise of repopulating the area of the high Páramo with his descendents and succeeded in spreading his family all the way to the banks of río Cea.

Of course there had been pre-Roman settlements in the area but with the Romans and the Roman road the area became strategically important in the maintaining of communications between the important cities of Astúrica Augusta, Bílbilis, Cesaraugusta and Tarraco. This road became the Pilgrim road with the popularization of the pilgrimage to Santiago and continues to be so.

My experience in Villar de Mazarife was limited to my stay in the beautiful Albergue Antonio de Padua. I was sorely in need of a nurturing place to stay and luckily, after having no luck at the overflowing Albergue Tío Pepe, found a private room at the albergue. I was offered an opportunity to partake of a vegetarian paella with all the Peregrinos there but I opted to rest and recuperate with some chorizo and cheese in my room. Theresa who was also staying there enjoyed the excellent paella and the company of all the others at dinner. While at the albergue I met two women from Norway who had visited the small and eclectic museum dedicated to telephones and telegraphs that was nearby. They enjoyed this somewhat unusual museum and also told me about the art gallery of the artist called Monseñor. This gentleman specializes in neo-Romanesque religious works of art.

In the shadow of Monseñor or was he in my shadow?

Breakfast at the albergue was delicious and an opportunity to meet some more of my fellow travellers. Theresa had left much earlier that morning and I did not get a chance to see her before she left and indeed the evening before was the last time I saw her on the Camino. While having breakfast I consulted my guidebook and determined to cut the next stage, that Brierly said was 31 km, in half so that I could spend some quality time in Hospital de Órbigo (Pop. 1,100). Its location on a strategic crossing point on the río Órbigo led the Romans to establish the town. This has made it the site of many battles, the most famous one being the defeat of the Moors here in 878 by Alfonso III (866-910). The town was also once owned by the Knights Templar and the site of a famous pilgrim hospice which gave the town its name. It has one of the longest and best preserved medieval bridges in Spain dating from the 13th century that is built over an existing Roman bridge. The town is also noted for having been a Commandery of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John (no doubt they took over the Templar possessions here).

I said in my introduction that this was to be a solitary stage for me and indeed it was. This was one of those rare moments where I did not walk with anyone from the start of the stage to the finish.

Walking out of town, just me and my shadow!

A local woman in the distance was walking between towns. Judging from her pace she regularly did this.

I did see other Peregrinos!

The 15 km to that I had to travel was very flat and a mixture of roads and trails. As such I was able to arrive in record time and had plenty of opportunity to shower and rest before lunch.

What is this? Grain storage?

I always took pictures of the flowers for my wife to enjoy back home.

At least I knew I was on the right path!

When I arrived I made sure to take many pictures of this beautiful and splendid Medieval bridge. As you can see it was well worth my time to have extended my time on the Camino!

A wonderful view of the bridge!

The town is in the background.

You can clearly see the lower part of the bridge that is the original Roman bridge.

The majesty and beauty of this bridge is undeniable and in addition to this it also has a place in history for one of the most chivalrous acts ever. The name of this act is called El Passo Honroso (The Honorable Pass). It was here in 1434 that the noble Leonese knight Don Suero de Quiñones, after being scorned by a beautiful woman, defended the bridge against any and all knights from all over Europe in a jousting tournament. Only Peregrinos with a letter from their Parish certifying them as such were allowed to pass. The tournament began on July 11, 1434 (two weeks before St. James Day in what was a Jacobean year)) and continued for two weeks during which Don Suero successfully defended the bridge until the required 300 lances were broken and regained his honor. After successfully defending the bridge he and his knights completed their Pilgrimage to Santiago. The irony here is that he later married this same woman!! Also, significantly, his chivalrous act may have been an inspiration for Cervantes in his writing of Don Quixote.

Imagine yourself defending this bridge against all comers.

My wife when I told her this story said, “What a woman!” to which I replied, “What a man!!”

After photographing the bridge and while on my way to lunch I noticed the stork nests in the church belfry. I was to see this same sight in many towns and villages in northern Spain.

My quality time in Hospital de Órbigo consisted of a leisurely lunch, plenty of time for photos, a haircut (oh, what a simple luxury!) and a trip to the pharmacy for toothpaste. It doesn’t sound like much but believe me it was a pleasure to take care of these needs. It was also a pleasure to have stayed at the Albergue San Miguel. I chose it because of its name (Gee, I wonder why!) and it turned out to be the right choice for me. The hostess was from Brazil and she was very friendly and helpful and I also met Marta from Argentina who I would start my walk with the next morning.

The Albergue San Miguel is a peaceful place to rest and is filled with artwork done by the visiting Peregrinos. Some of it is quite good and my friend Marta even contributed her own work to the collection.

I greatly enjoyed my stay in Hospital de Órbigo and was rested and ready to tackle the next stage to Astorga!

Frómista to Villalcázar de Sirga

Stage 16 – Frómista to Villalcázar de Sirga
Total Distance – 15.0 km
Adjusted for Climb – 15.2 km (accrued ascent 50 m = 0.2 km)
High Point: Villalcázar de Sirga at 830 m (2,723 feet)

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The stage from Frómista to Villalcázar de Sirga was to be a tranquil and short one, thankfully lacking in any of the issues that I had dealt with the stage before. I was ready for the walk after resting well and eating lightly the night before.

Immediately upon entering the outskirts of Frómista I saw Patricia walking ahead of me. As she was walking slowly I caught up to her rather quickly. We greeted each other and shared the latest news about our stay in Frómista. She had stayed in the municpal albergue and told me that it was a rather good one. Eventually we had to separate because she could not keep up with my pace and that was the last time that I saw her on the Camino. Because of her determination to walk, even while clearly injured, I’m sure she arrived in Santiago even if it may have been much later than I did. Hopefully right now she is at home in Alicante continuing her studies to become a teacher. I wish her well!

The first village that I walked by was the tiny Población de Campos (Pop. 136 in 2012). I did not walk through the village but I did see – far off in the distance – the massive 16th century parish church that is dedicated to Mary Magdalene and my first thought was that the church must of been a Templar Church because of its’ imposing fortress-like appearance. My guidebook was silent on the historical details of the town or church and my curiosity went unrewarded.

Poblacion de Campos

Iglesia de Santa Maria Magdalena

This lack of historical information brings me to one of my sore points. Having studied history at university I was acutely aware that most of the small villages and towns a modern-day Peregrino walks through has a larger than life story to tell from its’ past. I wanted to know that history, to dream about the past and to put it in perspective with the present day. That is why in this blog I will try to bring some of that history to light.

Here goes.The origen of the name Población, is from the latin “Populatio”, and the village was certainly in existence since the 9th century. Most assuredly from remains found nearby one can deduce that there was some sort of settlement her prior to that time – possibly a pre-Roman native tribe or a Roman settlement.

The geographic location of the village on high ground leads historians to speculate that the village was fortified with a castle and a defensive wall. The very name of the neighborhood “Castillo” on the highest point of the village would seem to confirm that hypothesis. The puerta del Sol de Madrid was most probably a gate of that defensive wall. Since the 9th century Peregrinos have walked the streets of the village and they continue to do so in order to rest at the albergue municipal and the two Casa Rurales located there. At its’ height the village boasted two pilgrim hospitals – Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia and San Miguel.

Since the middle 12th century, Población de Campos was owned by the military order the Knights Hospitallers of St. John. There exists a document that certifies that Alfonso VII de León in Salamanca on June 24th, 1140 granted the Order the deed to the village.

In 1900 the village had 861 inhabitants, 735 in 1930, and under 500 in 1960. The village is dominated by the Iglesia de Santa María Magdalena – the patron Saint of the village. It was constructed in the 16th century in a Baroque style, with 3 naves. It is possible that the church was built on the site of the old fortress of the Knights Hospitallers. Inside you will see a 15th century baptismal font and various 18th century altarpieces. The church suffered a fire in 1985, losing some works of art of great importance and was restored in 1989.

Also in the village is the Ermita de Nuestra Señora del Socorro. It dates from the 12th and 13th century and is the only remaining structure that survives from the almost 700 years of the reign of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John. The Ermita de San Miguel at the edge of the village is also thought to have been constructed in the 13th century.

After passing by the village – I did not enter it – most of my walk was alongside the small río Ucieza and while walking along it I could hear the wind musically blowing through the branches of the trees that lined the river like faithful soldiers guarding its’ banks. Also on duty that day were a platoon – at least – of croaking frogs intent on making their presence known to the occasional solitary Peregrino that walked the riverside path. When not walking by the river I walked on a path between fields that were well-served by small irrigation canals.

Villovieco in the distance

The bridge at Villovieco

I soon decided that an invigorating espresso was in order and had one at a small outdoor cafe outside of the village of Villovieco (Pop. 100) that was just across the bridge over the río Ucieza. It was a pleasant spot that also doubled as some sort of recreational center for the village. Indeed, the young man and woman team that worked there told me – between their puffs of cigarettes – that the cafe was owned by the municipality.

Soon I was off again looking forward to my arrival at Villalcázar de Sirga. While walking I was joined by Theresa. Theresa was a Peregrina from Ireland that was a corporate banker and from our conversation I could tell that she was at a crossroads in her career. Again, it was not unusual to find people walking the Camino to reflect on their careers and possibly move in a different direction as a result. Theresa and I were walking when the symphony of frogs was at its apogee and she remarked that she hated the sound because it reminded her of a night she had spent in Thailand where hundreds of frogs had kept her up all night!! Theresa was a short woman, about 5′ 2″ but she had short powerful legs that propelled her at a rapid pace. Unbeknownst to me them I would meet Theresa again later and be tested by her incredible pace! The rest of our walk into Villalcázar de Sirga was uneventful and we separated there since she was heading into Carrión de los Condes.

Church of Santa María La Virgen Blanca

Church of Santa María La Virgen Blanca

Villalcázar de Sirga was originally named Villasirga (sirga meaning road as in the pilgrimage road) and the name changed because of the castle like aspect of the church; so Villasirga then became Villalcázar de Sirga (alcázar being a castle. It is thought that sometime around 1157 the Castillian King Sancho III invited the Templars to protect the pilgrimage road to Santiago. A base was established in Villasirga and within 40 years they had constructed an immense fortified church and residence. The church is all that remains to this day.

Stork’s nest on the belfry of the church

Upon entering Villalcázar de Sirga I thought to myself, “this looks like a any other village” but that thought rapidly left my mind when I saw the spectacular 13th century Templar Church of Santa María La Virgen Blanca. It is a massive church built upon an equally massive foundation. A Spanish national monument because of the tombs of royalty and nobility it is well worth a visit. Since I arrived a little after noon I thought that since I had plenty of time I could then have lunch and hopefully see a little bit of the church. That was not to be since the church closed at 1 p.m. I asked the woman at the Las Cántigas cafe/bar just across from the entrance to the church and where I ate when the church would reopen. She said that there usually was a Mass at 6 pm. Usually being the operative word here because the Priest either showed up for it or he didn’t. I had booked a room at the Las Cántigas Casa Rural that was run by the Cafe and decided that there being nothing to do that an afternoon nap would be in order.

When 6 p.m. rolled around I rolled out of bed eager to see the church. I wasn’t the only one there because just outside the church entrance I met two young American college students that spoke excellent Spanish. In fact, at first we mistook each other for Spaniards!! The two young men were studying in Spain at Salamanca and that was the reason that their Spanish was so good. It was 6 p.m. and no Priest had come to open the door but since I was keen on seeing the church I stayed put and was rewarded at 6:30 when a man arrived to open the church door. He was a grumpy sort of fellow who was in charge of collecting the entry fee. Inside the church was magnificent and while waiting with about 10 other people for the Mass to begin I saw the grumpy man duck into the sacristy and lo and behold grumpy man came out in his priestly robes!! After hearing Mass I was hopeful that the Priest would give us Peregrinos a pilgrim’s blessing but for some reason none was offered. I was disappointed but consoled by the beauty of the church that wrapped me like a warm and comfortable blanket.