It's all in the details

There are lots of houses and churches along the Camino, and many of them look the same. However, when studied more closely, there are many details that are worth noting. There are also buildings that are so different that they stand out more obviously. Here's a peek at some of the places that have caught my eye over the last four days on the Camino.

The Churches

 This was one of the churches we saw today. I absolutely love the façade of this church because the ivy really softens up the stone. It also has the Romanesque features of the semi-circular arch and the small windows. This church also has a representation of St. James as Santiago Matamoros (St. James the Moor Slayer) on the inside, but we weren't able to see it because the church was closed. 

This was one of the churches that I saw yesterday. It doesn't have an arched entry, but it does have a small window, which is one of the features of a Romanesque church. 

This was also one of the churches that I saw yesterday. I like it because the stone looks really old, which reminds you how long these churches have been standing. I also really like the detailed part right above the doorway.

This was a church along the Camino on day one. It definitely has the features of a Romanesque church because of the entryway with the arch and the columns. Like the previous pictures, this church has a bell tower. This feature was likely added later and was not original.

This is the church in Portomarin. The entry is a Romanesque entry and the top looks like a castle because the church likely doubled as some kind of fortress when it was built. This church is particularly interesting because it was rebuilt brick by brick when the village was moved further away from the river. One of the features I like about this church is the rose window, although it is not quite a full rose window. I also got a cool stamp here :) 

The Houses

This green door added a lot of personality to this home. It kind of represents a mix of the old and the new, with the old stone on the left side and the new stucco and door on the right side. 

The blue color of this house and gate was a lively pop of color on an otherwise rainy and gray day. It is also a variation from the earth tones and stonework that dominate most of the other houses along the Camino.

Another pop of color! This terra cotta color blended nicely with the green landscape and although it is still in the same color family as most of the other homes, it had an added flair.

This was the side of an abandoned house or shed along the Camino. I love the stone walls - it looks like they were simply stacked together without any kind of mortar. These kind of structures are very common along the Camino. It's amazing how they have stood for centuries. I also like the Spanish style roof. I've seen this style emulated on homes in the US, but there is something nice about seeing it in its original context.

Lastly, I love this cute little window that I passed the other day. It has stickers of a pilgrim and it was a nice reminder that the people in the villages along the way recognize the importance of the figure of the pilgrim. I also just like how the flowers and the stickers give the window a happy feeling and made me smile as I walked by.