Church spires

My first day began from the Cathedral of Valencia, and I quickly and surprisingly discovered that the route, in fact, led from church to church, just as a caravan route leads from oasis to oasis. That feature of the route was not pointed out to me by the meeting of the  Asociación Amigos Camino de Santigo Comunidad Valenciana (and should have been), and that morning was my introduction to the guidebook and collection of maps having purchased them the previous evening. The churches and their spires on that early first stage were well within my line of sight as I went along and they helped with navigating around all kinds of construction obstacles blocking my progress. I'm certain that the task would have been more difficult without church spires as navigation aids. Churches and their spires remained an important navigation feature and aid throughout this rather tough pilgrimage.

Church spires, of course, were not always within my immediate line of sight as usually they were spaced far apart but they always were a most welcoming sight indicating that the day's destination was almost within reach. However, there were times, when I was weary, when the church appeared unreachable, and appeared to resist me reaching it. Of course, churches were the marker for the location of the Plaza Major: bars, municipal offices, police, accommodation, information, and such like. Churches proved a useful reference (if the name was known or that of the place) to quote when asking for information or requesting confirmation for being on track. That was equally important as a psychological boost particularly when doubt was starting to creep in. Praise for the builders of Spain’s churches!