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| San Anton Convent to Rio Pisuerga Palencia, WW | |
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| | San Anton Convent to Rio Pisuerga Palencia, WW | | | |
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San Anton Convent to Rio Pisuerga Palencia, WW
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| Hiking | 8.20 Miles |
569 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.20 Miles | | | |
| 569 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Camino de Santiago/Camino Francés - Day Three from the Convent of San Anto to and through Castrojeriz, finishing on the other side of the Puente Fitero over the Rio Pisuerga, Palencia. That was a mouthful. After spending our last nite in Burgos, we gathered in the lobby to get our picnic lunches which usually consisted of a sandwich, piece of fruit and a chocolate bar. We had to walk a ways to get to the bus as the old town areas where we usually stayed, were very narrow. However, it's always usually not too long of a walk and through more of the city.
We drove about 45 minutes to what was previously the palace and orchard of King Pedro I of Castile, and are the ruins of the old monastery of San Antón, run by the Antonians, who were dedicated to caring for the sick who arrived on the Camino de Santiago, especially those who suffered from the disease known as the fire of San Antón, sacred fire, fire of the sick. Today only the arch that formed a tunnel remains standing, through which pilgrims entered and left.
and in the same spot a monastery was founded by Alfonso VIII in 1146. Carlos III suppressed the Convent of San Antón de Castrojeriz in 1791. The monastic complex was abandoned until the Confiscation of Church Property by Mendizabal, when the monastery passed into private hands. Since 2002 there has been a refuge for pilgrims in the old style.
We walked around the ruins for a while before starting on the Camino toward Castrojeriz between the fields (including sunflowers) with hills to our north and the remains of the castle on top of the hill in front of us. The history in this area is diverse and fascinating. Castrojeriz a beautiful village of ancient origins, probably Roman or Visigoth, and every pilgrim will be familiar with its castle, clearly visible from the road, which was a witness to many battles between Moors and Christians.
We didn't go inside the former church. Collegiate Church of Santa Maria of Manzano dates back to the 16th century and presents Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque features. Nowadays the church houses a museum with objects related to Christianity.
I learned a lot about church designs and styles while on this trip including a few of those, "Oh ya, now it makes sense" moments. Also, how many churches upon churches and how long they took to build. As a builder/architect, it would seem hard to know you're building something you will never see come to fruition. And it was interesting as the churches were added on, renovated and all the chapels built for certain people after their death and where they now reside. I am still amazed the tall walls and ceilings of the churches held together with the vaulted technique  .
We would pass by two more churches; although one is a museum now. It's just hard to grasp walking through history so profound as this from as old as the 9th century and many cultures. We are walking on stone streets between stone buildings for about a mile, the longest through town on this part of the Camino. There are still spring flowers in fall and everything seems so clean. Granted, it is a small town of many that we will go through, but you have to appreciate cleanliness when you see it.
At the fountain (it is my understanding that all water is potable unless designated), we parted ways with some who stayed back to tour the town while the rest of us crossed the plains and up the Alto de Mostelare (a big ... hill). About 3/4 mile out of Castrojeriz the track joins a restored section of roman road originally built to provide a solid route across the boggy Odrilla valley. We cross the Río Odra via the Puente Largo de Bárcena, a medieval stone bridge—low, narrow, and long—with several arches.
Off to the right, before the big hill, you can see the remnants of mica mining by the Romans. However, I didn't know that the cut-outs were from that; I just took a picture because it seemed out of character for the hillside. The Alto de Mostelare (455 feet in 3/4 mile) really was not that bad, as it was a road. The views going up are spectacular so it took a while as I looked over the valley toward beautiful Castrojeriz and could see the castle. In the other direction I saw lots of wind turbines (a very popular form of power in Europe) and below me a terraced hillside where they were planting trees.
At the top of the hill was a Pilgrim's Monument, a place where you could leave stuff too. There was also a bit of a covered lean-too for us to eat our lunch. It was a little windy so it was nice to have the cover. We next headed across the top of this plateau for a short while before going down the 18% grade of the hill into the what they call the cereal plains of Spain. But first, I had to zoom video all those wind turbines across the way. They extended across another plateau to the southwest of us.
As we started down this cemented rock hill, we could see rain falling ahead. We all put on our rain gear and it worked, as we didn't get rained on as it was a fast moving storm. It was awesome to see though. We walked and enjoyed what they called View of "The Granaries of Spain": The Meseta ( flat fields between Burgos and Leon.). At about the 7 mile mark (from San Anton) you will come to the Fuente del Piojo (a fountain and picnic area). You'll have to see the photo for the description of what this place used to be  . There was a handsome Spaniard there with his RV full of snacks and drinks. We rested for a moment and enjoyed the sun that had come out to greet us.
And now to finish the last of our hike today, as we made our way down to the Pisuerga, a well-known Spanish river. We saw many more fields including with sunflowers and wind turbines in the distance. As we neared the river we could see the San Nicolás hostel, restored on the ruins of the old hermitage and hospital of San Nicolás, thanks to the work of the Confraternity of San Jacobo de Perusa. It was built in the 13th century in a transitional style between Romanesque and Gothic. This building belonged to the village of Puente Fitero, which has now disappeared.
At the bridge were many young trees all decked out in autumn gold. It was a site to behold.  Needless to say, a lot of picture taking ensued. Puente Fitero (bridge), with 11 arches, is said to have been built at the beginning of the 12th century at the request of King Alfonso VI. It allows crossing the Pisuerga, a 283 km (about 176 miles) long river that is one of the main tributaries of the Duero.
We loaed on the bus for our drive to Leon (90 miles) via a stop at Fromista for a beer and a visit to the Church of St Martin. As usual, the beer was good; that would really be the case for the entire trip. And, of course, the church and it's history was interesting. The plaza with the London Plane trees was so pleasant as well. The drive to Leon provided a golden lightshow with the falling rain in the distance.
When we arrived there was a military wedding party outside the Cathedral but we didn't get to stay and gawk as we made our way to our hotel in Plaza Mayor. That evening we would walk to a late dinner in what was once part of a Roman tower. On the way back, we ran into a couple groups of bands playing as it was the National Day of Spain. What fun!
Day Four LEON
Part 1 Drive from Burgos to San Anton Monastery Ruins and at San Anton [ youtube video ]
Part 2 Hike to Castrojeriz [ youtube video ]
Part 3 hiking through Castrojeriz [ youtube video ]
Hike from Castrojeriz to Fromista and evening in Leon is a four-parter:
Part 4 hiking from Castrojeriz, Pt 1 about 2 1/2 miles [ youtube video ]
Part 5 hiking from Castrojeriz Pt 2 to Palencia border at Rio Pisuerga [ youtube video ]
Part 6 to and around Fromista including St Martin Church [ youtube video ]
Part 7 drive from Fromista to Leon and then around Leon including dinner at the Bodega [ youtube video ]
WATCH for the day showed over 28,000 steps and 13.2 miles burning 925 calories. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
lots of Rose Hip, Brown Thistle |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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