The Road from Santiago

  We are in the land of the pilgrim. Streetview has thousands - well, some - on the shots as we go by. The excitement is an airfield. By airfield please do not get your hopes up. We are not talking sporty jets or even lumbering cargo planes. Are microlights your thing. Good. Here is the website. https://www.ulmvillamarco.com/ We are very much in Roman territory here. Leon itself was founded when the Legio VI Victrix did a bit of light camping and then thought, why not. One day we could help tourism by having a rather natty museum. https://londontraveller.org/2019/10/17/romans-in-leon/ The place has lots of remains in it. The town grew as a military base and a place where the gold from Las Medulas came That’s it for another day. Today's photo from the walk is yet another of St Oswald's.

  We are wandering a bit around tracks that are not in the ken of streetview. El Burgo Ranero is one of those places with newly kempt squares and tidy houses next to wastes and scrubs. It always struck me with Spain they had so much land they could afford to be a little cavalier with its use. The tidying up has started but is never in control. El Burgo Ranero has 841 or 647 inhabitants [depends on which nations wiki pages you go on, a flag which announces it is on the camino and a website.  https://www.aytoelburgoranero.es/  It is under the thrall of the PSOE. I must admit, as a humble Deputy Chair of a Parish Council I really like the fact their town council has a Mayor-President, a 1st Deputy Mayor, a second Deputy Mayor and a single ‘Councillor’ from the the PSOE. They also have two Popular Party councillors and one from the UPL. We start near the train station. Jose Manuel Martinez Gil is not a fan. ‘Bad, in poor condition, with terrible parking, and it is not in the ...

A bit late, this happened yesterday. Ok, it is all a bit dull today. If canalised rivers are your thing knock yourself out. We are leaving the camino for a bit of roadside fun over the next few days. Meanwhile, we have to talk about James. For a chap who hung around 1st century Palestine with some other coves who were spreading the gospel of peace he does seem to have got a bit tetchy after he died. Maybe it was the Galician air. The story goes Ramiro I had just become king, after Alfonso II of Asturias had died in 842. The Moors [boo! Hiss the baddies!] had demanded the tribute of 100 virgins - 50 noble and 50 commoners. What the going exchange rate was it is hard to know but stout Ramiro said no! The Moors did not take well to this. Battle was prepared. The night before St James appeared in a dream saying he was to be the new patron saint of Spain, Next day the Christians went into battle at Clavijo shouting ;God save St James] and were victorious. From that day St James became...

  We are entering Calzadilla de los Hermanillos by way of a footpath and streetview October 2013. Possibly it has become a heady fleshpot of sinful desires; probably not. It is a place full of the sort of houses where life is lived on the inside because outside is scorching summers and frozen winters We are now on the camino net.  https://santiago-compostela.net/calzadilla-de-los-hermanillos/  It basically gets praised for not being the surrounding farmland and having a swing. Somebody enjoyed writing a lot on the wiki page - to no great end.  https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calzadilla_de_los_Hermanillos Our first touch of civilization is the Albergue ‘Via Trajana’ Kyle Settle was very taken with in September. He wrote We had a wonderful stay. The accommodations were extremely comfortable and our hosts were welcoming. One of the best showers we had along the camino. Great pot of coffee with breakfast! We could nip down to the crystal shop but the Bar Camino may offer m...

  It is one of those days when we have to fall back on ‘in other news’ because we have no streetview and nothing of note. The landscape photo is looking towards where we have come from, you get the general idea. Tomorrow we have a settlement. Not today. Big Jim, as Saint James the Great was never known was the son of Zebedee and Salome. He was one of Jesys’ first disciples and was brother to John. How he ended up in Spain is explained that either he was missionary in Spain or, after Herod Agrippa did for him his body was carried away and landed in Galicia at Pardon. The ‘his relics were sailed here’ tradition carries has such details as his decapitated body being taken up by angels and sailed on a rudderless, unattended boat. The relics were discovered in the 9th century, just when they were needed. Tomorrow hotels, grills and a crystal healing shop. But not today. This is going out late. Yesterday's photo was of santa but seen at a certain angle looked vaguely Uffingham Hors...

  We are about to go off streetview for a few days. To be honest, looking at the track, I can see why. We have no diverting little cheese shops so will have to fall back on our own resources. The only highlight is crossing the railway. We’ve not really talked about the whole Camino bit. St James, having died and then made the journey to Compostela, first had recorded visits in the 9th Century. Non-Iberians seemed to turn up in the 11th century and the first record of chaps from England can be dated to the period 1092 to 1105. The first official guide book, the Codex Calixtinus, was published in 1140, apparently. The oldest copy dates to 1173. Today 200,000 people do the way, with ever increasing numbers. For the official route descriptions see here  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago_(route_descriptions) We can now wait for the next train or push on. Best push on.

  To be honest it was all looking a bit organised and sparse as we headed along the N-120. The sign post really made it clear were weren’t reaching Leon by Christmas. Then we turned into Calzada del Coto - which google translates to Coto Causeway. We are approaching the pueblo in that time bubble which is streetview August 2021. The town is glorious in its pared down with narrow streets, bleak frontages and harsh lines. It has a small bit of green at the north end and the most glorious town hall - with a balcony for a very small Generalissimo, Father of his People to stand on and address a very small multitude. The balcony was added recently. Maybe they knew something. Currently 218 people dwell here, down from the 939 of 1940. Pablo Carajal Carbajal has been mayor since 1999. He represents the Popular Party. They dominate the local council with 90 votes = giving them 4 seats. The 57 votes of the Citizens Party get them a seat. https://www.aytocalzadadelcoto.es/  The town webs...