A very pleasant stay in Islares, despite the hospitalero being sultry to the point of seeming rude. Still, no big thing. Another clear sky.
We ate yesterday's supplies for breakfast - nice to have large quantities of butter and jam, especially when there's absolutely no fear of putting on weight!
I set off again with Roland at a relaxed pace, Joanna preferring to make her own time. We walked in the cool, clear air of morning. The church door was nicely illuminated by the morning sun:
A fair amount of walking beside the main road (but not the motorway) that wasn't terribly busy, and then we hopped up into a eucalyptus forest before spilling out into the town of RioSeco - a name that I suggested to Roland belonged in a Western, the sort of place one would expect John Wayne (were he not dead) to stumble out of a bar. We passed the convent of Santa Maria.
We took a very short detour to the church of San Vicente with its Renaissance facade. Needless to say.... yup, it was closed. But the facade made interesting viewing, with its depictions of Adam and Eve. I checked the niches and found that nothing had been hacked or broken off - these must have held statues:
Off we went again, beside the road. Everything green in the morning sun:
At least we weren't about to get lost!
We left the town and headed back into a forest. We climbed slightly, passing traditional buildings and discovering occasional exposed views:
I thought this house was rather smartly restored:
We passed another ancient waymarker, this one obviously in a different style:
Time to pass under the motorway again - an impressive piece of engineering, before we dropped down into Liendo:
There is an albergue in Liendo but we had our sights on something only slightly further along. My leg was fine and it was only midday.
After a lemonade and makeshift sandwhich stop we popped by the church of Nuestra Señora de Liendo. The guidebook had told us of its collection of Renaissance retables (Ruth - what are these called?) but of course...
No!! It was open - primarily because it was being restored. So of course we went in. Oh!
I did however rather like the way the fan vaulting crossed above the altar:
Nearly there - not long to go now. A short while later we saw Laredo - our destination was near.
Here's a view looking due north towards the old part of the town:
Down some steps and through an ancient archway, passing by the convent of San Francisco
I liked the way they marked the camino, and the view into the old part of town. There are distinct advantages to walking out of season, such as the fact that everything is NOT swarming with tourists...
Down onto the beach in the sunshine :0) Rather than walk past all the hotels we decided to just head across the arc of the beach - save some time and enjoy the walk. What a lovely way to mark one month on the camino. A beach in the warm sunshine :0)
Our destination was at the other end of the beach - the short ferry crossing to Santoña, just for the hell of it :0)
A walk over the protected dunes found us waiting on the beach for a few minutes while the ferry pulled up. Nice and relaxed, "Spanish style" :0)
We hopped off the other side, planning to walk to an albergue listed in the guide, when we happened to pass by the youth hostel of Santoña. Under 10 euros for a bed, breakfast and free wifi! A no-brainer ;0)
That's it folks. We've found Rosa and Antonio already here, plus another, and we're all off out for supper now - most likely fresh fish :0)
We ate yesterday's supplies for breakfast - nice to have large quantities of butter and jam, especially when there's absolutely no fear of putting on weight!
I set off again with Roland at a relaxed pace, Joanna preferring to make her own time. We walked in the cool, clear air of morning. The church door was nicely illuminated by the morning sun:
A fair amount of walking beside the main road (but not the motorway) that wasn't terribly busy, and then we hopped up into a eucalyptus forest before spilling out into the town of RioSeco - a name that I suggested to Roland belonged in a Western, the sort of place one would expect John Wayne (were he not dead) to stumble out of a bar. We passed the convent of Santa Maria.
We took a very short detour to the church of San Vicente with its Renaissance facade. Needless to say.... yup, it was closed. But the facade made interesting viewing, with its depictions of Adam and Eve. I checked the niches and found that nothing had been hacked or broken off - these must have held statues:
Off we went again, beside the road. Everything green in the morning sun:
At least we weren't about to get lost!
We left the town and headed back into a forest. We climbed slightly, passing traditional buildings and discovering occasional exposed views:
I thought this house was rather smartly restored:
We passed another ancient waymarker, this one obviously in a different style:
Time to pass under the motorway again - an impressive piece of engineering, before we dropped down into Liendo:
There is an albergue in Liendo but we had our sights on something only slightly further along. My leg was fine and it was only midday.
After a lemonade and makeshift sandwhich stop we popped by the church of Nuestra Señora de Liendo. The guidebook had told us of its collection of Renaissance retables (Ruth - what are these called?) but of course...
No!! It was open - primarily because it was being restored. So of course we went in. Oh!
I did however rather like the way the fan vaulting crossed above the altar:
Nearly there - not long to go now. A short while later we saw Laredo - our destination was near.
Here's a view looking due north towards the old part of the town:
Down some steps and through an ancient archway, passing by the convent of San Francisco
I liked the way they marked the camino, and the view into the old part of town. There are distinct advantages to walking out of season, such as the fact that everything is NOT swarming with tourists...
Down onto the beach in the sunshine :0) Rather than walk past all the hotels we decided to just head across the arc of the beach - save some time and enjoy the walk. What a lovely way to mark one month on the camino. A beach in the warm sunshine :0)
Our destination was at the other end of the beach - the short ferry crossing to Santoña, just for the hell of it :0)
A walk over the protected dunes found us waiting on the beach for a few minutes while the ferry pulled up. Nice and relaxed, "Spanish style" :0)
We hopped off the other side, planning to walk to an albergue listed in the guide, when we happened to pass by the youth hostel of Santoña. Under 10 euros for a bed, breakfast and free wifi! A no-brainer ;0)
That's it folks. We've found Rosa and Antonio already here, plus another, and we're all off out for supper now - most likely fresh fish :0)
Hi Alan - Hope the leg is feeling better - the Ibuprofen cream should help (don't also take aspirin if you're using the cream)- plus taking things a little easier for a day or two should help...
ReplyDeleteA retable in English is ... a retable! Sometimes it's a reredos ... which is another kind of retable really. That a definitely a retable to be proud of in that church!
I think that "retable" in Spanish is err.... "retable" :0)
ReplyDeleteHi Alan!!! after a few days of rest in Barcelona, I follow your adventure from here, as I promised. Courage, hope your leg is better and remember Ultreia!
ReplyDeleteHey Toni!! Nice :0)
DeleteGood to hear from you. I hope all is well with you. My leg's completely fine, thanks. All going well, weather's poor for next couple of days. I'll be in Santiago in a couple of weeks! Keep reading ;0)