Puente la Reina

Though warmer today than yesterday, a beautiful walk to Puente la Reina.  This medieval bridge was built on orders from the queen at the time.  This is where the Camino Frances and Camino Aragones join.  While this wraps up this year's walk, I hope one day to walk east on the Camino Aragones to such lovely spots as Lourdes, Avignon, and Arles.

Vistas

There is a sweet delight in walking against the flow of pilgrims to get to see their faces and engage in conversation. 

Today also brought a lot of gorgeous scenery.   It was a blessing to soak it in.  

Estella

A glorious day for a walk...  cool temps in the 60s, nice breeze, sunny sky.  Made it over to Estella on this next to last day of walking.   So grateful for all the miles of praying.  

Los Arcos

Nice long walk today under beautiful skies.  I am so glad temperatures are back in the 70s.  I enjoyed the view going into Torres del Rio/ Sansol since these sister villages both have parish churches and are 1 kilometer apart.  The harvest is in full swing for the wheat.  :)

Logrono

Viana had no room in the albergue so stopped in Logrono instead.  Easy walk today....  resting before long walk tomorrow.   

Senda

Most of the walk today was on earth/rock path. Here in Rioja there are lots of vineyards with the little grapes coming along for a September harvest.   

Made it to Navarrete which now uses this 12th century arch as the gate to the cemetery. Originally it was the entrance to the Pilgrim hospice.  

San Suso

Went up into the hills above San Yuso monastery to San Suso today.  Great views down the Rio Cardenas Valley.  It's a 6th century monastery founded by San Millan as a community gathered around him at his hermitage cave.  

Afterwards I rolled down to Najera to rejoin the Camino.   

San Millan

Took a little side trip off the Camino today to visit the double monasteries in San Millan.  Here in the 10th century the Spanish language was first written by an anonymous monk.  I hope to tour the big monastery today and the smaller and older one tomorrow before heading back to the Camino. 

Santo Domingo

I made it safely into Santo Domingo de la Calzada today.  Early this morning I walked through Viloria de la Rioja, which proudly proclaims itself the birth place of Santo Domingo.  He was turned down by the monastery in San Millan (which I hope to go by tomorrow) because he was illiterate.   He turned his life then to helping care for pilgrims.  He built hospitals, roads and bridges to make the pilgrimage to Santiago safer.  He died here in the town that now bears his name.  

Mural

On the outskirts of Belorado, I came to this lovely mural.  In one picture it summarizes my pilgrimage so far....  a walk into Santiago; then a jump to Leon and the walk out to Belorado.  It has been a delightful and buen Camino!

Villafranca

It stormed through the night and finally the heat wave broke.  After a week near 100, the high today was 80.  Lovely walk as the hills return.  Made it to Villafranca de Oca.  

Happy Father's Day!

Atapuerca

After going to the Museum of Human Evolution in Burgos, I came on out to Atapuerca.   The museum exhibits the amazing fossils from Atapuerca which date back a million years.   Lovely to take in a little history.   

Miraflores

Most of Burgos, including the museums, is closed today because of a local holiday.   But I was able to visit the Carthusian monastery on the outskirts of town.  Our Lady of the Annunciation Abbey is a lovely peaceful place of prayer.  The lavish appointments in the sanctuary were gifted to the monks by the royal family in the 15th century to adorn their tombs.  

Burgos

Sauntered up the Mule-killer hill and across the last of the meseta today.  Arrived safely and gratefully into Burgos through the Arco de Santa Maria.  Weather here is still crazy hot, but expected to drop back into the 70s over the weekend.   Going to take a rest day here in Burgos tomorrow to see a couple of museums and try some of the local cuisine.   

Shrines

The walk is lovely.  The weather is sunny and very hot.  Spain provides a cornucopia of delightful shrines to visit as the Camino unfolds.  At dawn I walked by the large church of Our Lady of the Apple.  In the next town, Hontanas, there was the large church of St. Mary's and the little hermitage of St. Brigid of Sweden.   Continuing across the meseta, there was San Bol with its spring of cold waters.  Tis good to be here!

Call

I howled with glee when I came across this phone in Itero de la Vega.  It's been a minute since I have seen one.... and it still works!

More meseta

A good walk today of 20km to Castrojeriz.  After days of completely flat fields, a little rolling hillside returned today.  Yesterday I passed through Fromista. From now on I am walking along the path from 2014.  The weather is hot, high temperature today is to be 100 degrees.  But there was some reprieve this morning with cloud cover.  It is a blessing to have this pilgrimage.   

St. Anthony

Today brought lots of lovely blessings.  The walk started before dawn in order to avoid the heat later in the day.  The path today was mostly a gravel path by the road lined with flowers.  East of Fromista, the canal gave a refreshing backdrop for 2km.  But the delight of all unplanned blessings came when I checked into the albergue in Boadilla and the church bells started ringing like crazy.   Turns out that St. Anthony is their patron here.  So there was Mass in the middle of the day which the whole town attended.   It started with a procession of their St. Anthony statue through the whole town accompanied with their little 3 man band.  It was great!  The hostal had a feast for everyone.... there is a concert in the plaza tonight.  I suspect it will go all night.  There may not be much sleep.... but I suspect it will be a blast!

Straight

Rarely does life give one a road as flat and as straight as the Calzada Romana to walk.  Out before dawn (which is just peeking out in the picture) to enjoy the walk before the scorching heat expected this afternoon.   Lovely vistas across lush fields ripe for the harvest were the gift all day long again today.  Paused in Carrion de los Condes, where they put in this new pilgrim shrine in 2016, for a bite to eat.  Landed in Villalcazar de Sirga in time for Mass on this Trinity Sunday...  a lovely day to celebrate being a priest.