Sahagun - rest day - May 23, 2015

I do love rest days - can sleep in (although rarely do) and the day stretches ahead with possibility.

Sahagun is a small town (pop.2000) which once had a famous and powerful Benedictine monastery, associated with Charlemagne.It has been associated with pilgrimage for over 1000 years, sheltering those on their way to Santiago de Compostela. There is very little except ruins left, partly because of the lack of stone for building as many buildings were made of brick.

There is a former 15th century Franciscan convent just off the Camino, Iglesia Senora la Peregrina, which is currently undergoing restoration and for now is also an art gallery. This is where my grocer friend told me I could get a certificate for achieving the halfway mark of the Camino Frances.

It was a lovely, airy space.

Arco de San Benito - part of the remaining ruins from the 12th century

Iglesia Senora la Peregrina

Replica of Codex Calixtinus, first "travel guide" to the Camino, written in 1140 by priest Aymeric Picaud in honour of the pope at time, Calixtus II, who was a great proponent of the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago.

My "Halfway Compostela ". In Latin, so don't try to read it ;-)

The most expensive wine my grocer friend sells a (€6.90) and a slab of Manchego cheese, one of my favourites before coming to Spain. The grape is Prieto Picudo and it is a Crianza. I had a superior version later in the walk but this was pretty darn good. He told me the Prieto Picudo is a grape of the region, so I was experiencing some of the terroir, even if from only a supermercado.