A quiet day today doing chores but we did manage to do a
short tour of the town. The town was once very important, receiving a royal
warrant in the 10th century and it is still an important stop on the
Camino de Santiago. It is pleasantly low key, without the large amount of
tourist tat that we have seen in other Camino towns but it does have a large
amount of accommodation and restaurants for pilgrims, although many of these
places are closed at this time of the year. The buildings are a mixture of high
status stone buildings and humble mudbrick houses, some of which are in a poor
state of repair. And, of course there are many religious buildings – large
churches, a convent and ruins of a monastery.
We spent a pleasant hour in the afternoon walking around the
town and then went to the campsite restaurant for a drink and a meal. Our
neighbours on the campsite were also British and arrived just after us. Marion
and Derek come from Southampton although they currently split their year
between Ireland and southern Spain. For many years now they have called in at
Camping Camino de Santiago on their way south. Derek is very keen on rugby and
coaches a team in Ireland when they are there. We had all chosen the restaurant
special – leg of lamb cooked in a wood-fired oven, so we decided to sit
together. They are a lovely couple and it was a great evening. The food was
excellent and was washed down with lots of red wine followed by too many
brandies and whiskies.
Photos: The castle from our pitch at Castrojeriz; The main
street and Camino route in Castrojeriz; Detail of the fountain in Plaza Mayor; Our
Lady of the Apple Tree church taken from Santa Clara Convent.
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