Since literacy levels were low in the middle ages, artists used a variety of iconographic means to communicate to their audiences, not least to help the viewer identify the subject of their works. Saints, in particular, were recognizable by how they dressed and by items associated with a defining event in their lives or theirContinue reading “Santiago peregrino (‘the pilgrim’): a saint just like you?”
Category Archives: Menu del Peregrino – a blog about the Camino
Remembering John Brierley (1948-2023)
A while back I was asked to pen a tribute to John Brierley (1948-2023), for the Camino Society Ireland. He was the author of the most significant set of guides to the Camino in the English language (I discussed the maps in them previously) and a key figure in the modern history of the CaminoContinue reading “Remembering John Brierley (1948-2023)”
The Quintana façade: cover-ups in plain sight
The history of the Quintana façade is that of a cover-up, and I mean that literally, not metaphorically — after all, the historical links between the square and fascism are still openly on display, and that is an issue that many places on the Camino have sought to remove from memory. Instead, this cover-up isContinue reading “The Quintana façade: cover-ups in plain sight”
Eucalyptus — a (un)welcome smell on the Camino?
Eucalyptus is one of the smells I associate with the Camino, particularly stretches of the Camino del Norte/Primativo, and while I enjoy the sweetness that fills the air as its thimble-like seed capsules crunch underfoot in the early morning, I can’t help but wish it wasn’t there. Perhaps that’s because one interloper rarely likes another?Continue reading “Eucalyptus — a (un)welcome smell on the Camino?”
So the donkey stuff again…
So I was asked to clarify about the donkey stuff in my first blog post (‘The oldest guide to the Camino’) — specifically about how it’s done! I mean, really? That’s what you want to know? Well, in lieu of finding and posting a video to something that would probably get me fired should myContinue reading “So the donkey stuff again…”
And they say that he got crazy once and that he tried to touch the sun…
One of the most beautiful sights on the Camino is the sky above. I recall lying in a field one night in August 2016 along with my friend Jay and a group of five or six other companions outside Carrión de los Condes, watching the annual Perseid meteor shower over the Meseta — the inspirationContinue reading “And they say that he got crazy once and that he tried to touch the sun…”
A recipe for pleasure: Tarta de Santiago (Santiago’s Cake)
Tarta de Santiago (or Torta de Santiago in Galego, the language of Galicia) is one of my favourite deserts and is a wonderful expression of what is best in Spanish cooking — good ingredients used simply but effectively. Essentially, it’s a flat cake of almonds, eggs and sugar, in roughly equal measure, which mightn’t soundContinue reading “A recipe for pleasure: Tarta de Santiago (Santiago’s Cake)”
The wine of La Rioja
La Rioja is the smallest of Spain’s autonomous regions and is synonymous with quality wine in the way that Bordeaux is in France or Napa Valley in the US. Indeed, it’s sometimes known as the Bordeaux of Spain, not least because French winemaking techniques were introduced to it in the later nineteenth century, which reallyContinue reading “The wine of La Rioja”
The botafumeiro: the oldest swinger in town
Apologies for the bad pun in the title, but one of the most impressive of all sights for pilgrims who reach Santiago de Compostela is the swinging of the botafumeiro — the great incense burner that hangs from the ceiling of the cathedral. The botafumeiro (‘smoke expeller’) is essentially a version of the thurible (hand-swungContinue reading “The botafumeiro: the oldest swinger in town”
Yellow arrows and the Shell symbol
The yellow arrows and the scallop shell vie with each other for the honour of most recognisable symbol of the Camino and I think every perigrino’s heart has lightened on seeing them on those rare occasions when we’ve gone off the beaten track. While the shell has a long association with the Camino, the yellowContinue reading “Yellow arrows and the Shell symbol”
Denis Casey 