350 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
350 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
sponsored
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travel
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brittany-ferries-to-santander
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7881839
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-----
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# The Camino from Burgos to Len in Northern Spain via Santander
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## On the second day of his return trip to Northern Spain, Derek Bishton
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takes the Camino from Burgos to Leon.
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Derek Bishton 4:00PM BST 09 Jul 2010
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**_Day Two: Burgos to Leon_**
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![Burgos Cathedral, Santander (Northern Spain)][1]
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Burgos Cathedral, Santander (Northern Spain)
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The cathedral of Burgos dominates the city skyline. Early in the morning we
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climbed the hill that overlooks the intricate roofline. It's the best place to
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appreciate the filigree turrets and towers, which I think look like something a
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medieval precursor of Antoni Gaudi dreamt up after a hard night on the bottle.
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The graceful aesthetic of the French gothic style has been given a proto-
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surreal Spanish makeover.The first stone of the present cathedral was laid in
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1221 and work continued on it for another 400 years. Almost every great master
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builder, sculptor, artist and craftsman of the middle ages and later had a
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hand in creating it.
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The sheer quantity of decorative friezes, sculptures and carvings, the
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overwhelming ornamentation, both inside and out, would take weeks to
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appreciate fully.
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The impact on a medieval pilgrim who had been wandering across the remote
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hills must have been stupendous.
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## Related Articles
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* [Camino part 3: Len to Santiago][2]
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09 Jul 2010
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* [Camino part 1: Leaving Pamplona][3]
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09 Jul 2010
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* [Derek Bishton's Camino][4]
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14 Jul 2010
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But some people find the cathedral of Burgos a difficult place to like. The
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legendary travel writer Jan Morris said that it "remains in your memory not as
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a joy, nor even an inspiration, but as an iron glower in the mind". For me,
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too, there is something slightly sinister and disturbing in such an
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overwhelming architectural statement.
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Burgos, with the scores of monasteries, convents, pilgrim hospitals, churches
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and chapels that surround the cathedral, is where the Camino starts to flaunt
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its power and riches.
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I get the same uneasy feeling when I look out at the skyscrapers of Canary
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Wharf from my apartment in the East End of London.
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**Battle for hearts and minds **
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One artefact from the thousands on display encapsulates my disquiet -- the
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16th-century statue of St James as Santiago Matamoros, the Moor-slayer. The
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transformation of the humble fisherman disciple into a bloodthirsty action
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hero, crushing the infidel Muslims underfoot, reveals in a flash the main
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driving force behind the creation of the Camino in the first place.
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In the 10th and 11th centuries, this route marked the front line in the battle
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to define Europe's soul. The Moorish empire had spread across Spain and into
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France. On all fronts, Islam threatened the very existence of Christianity.
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The pilgrims that St James drew along the Camino to Santiago formed a vital
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economic and human barrier in the battle for hearts and minds.
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I can't help but feel uneasy at the way the simple, blind faith of millions of
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people was channelled into a religious and ideological struggle that still
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continues to haunt us all today.
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El Cid, the city's most famous son, has been claimed for the Christians and
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his remains now rest in the cathedral. But in reality he was a mercenary,
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fighting for both sides, and he led the Moors to a famous victory in Logroño
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where he burnt the old town to the ground. History is so much more fluid than
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we realise.
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Ultimately, Burgos is just too big and too brash: we needed to get back to the
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simple business of the walk. I recalled the relief I felt when I left the city
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and started into the isolated countryside beyond. I wanted the film crew to
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capture something of that.
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Outside the town of Castrojeriz, we waited in the warm heat of the early
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afternoon to film some pilgrims making a slow ascent on the path as it trailed
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away into the far distance. Then Andy and Chris, the video team, filmed me
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nattering away about the joys of walking in the countryside.
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What followed was one of those serendipitous moments in which the Camino seems
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to specialise. Just over a mile out of town, Rick, the photographer who was
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co-piloting the Bentley, realised we were going the wrong way.
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We turned round and as we passed our starting point, there was a woman -
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obviously a pilgrim with her walking poles and rucksack - limping along the
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side of the road, trying to thumb a lift. That's how Ilde became one of the
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stars of our video. We packed her in the car and set off for Fromista, where
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she could take a day to recover and wait for her friends to catch her up.
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**The kindness of strangers **
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As we drove along, I thought about Fromista, where there is one of the most
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exquisite Romanesque churches you are ever likely to see. Small, simple,
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perfectly proportioned and built in the same year that Harold was losing it on
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the beaches of Hastings, it is the antidote I craved to the excesses of
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Burgos.
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When I first saw it, I felt that the Camino had come back to me on a more human
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scale. If I were a believer, this is the kind of church where I could
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contemplate praying.
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Ilde, who had come from Italy, was spilling the beans about life on the road,
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the new friendships she'd made, the camaraderie of the pilgrim hostels and the
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problems of aching limbs.
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Most important, there was the unexpected kindnesses she had received from
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complete strangers along the route, of which this latest rescue was another
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example. Chris, sensing his video was now becoming a documentary, filmed all of
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this and more from Ilde, cinema verite-style, as we sped along.
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Ah yes, the kindness: I had almost forgotten about that as I struggled to come
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to terms with all the architecture and its history. As we sat shaded from the
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sun in the pretty square that encircles my favourite little church, Ilde and I
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talked about kindness.
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I told her about Markus and Maria, the Swiss couple I had met on my Camino,
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and how Maria had almost single-handedly nursed my swollen ankle, proffering
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her magic cream. Sometimes I wouldn't see them for a couple of days and then
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Maria would pop out of a cafe as I limped by, anti-inflammatories in hand.
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We left for Leon on a high, our encounter with Ilde having brought a human
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dimension to our journey.
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[X][5] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][6]
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* Share: [Share][5] [ ][7] [ ][8]
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[Tweet][9]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/7881839/The-Camino-from-Burgos-to-Leon-in-Northern-Spain-via-
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Santander.html
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Telegraph
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## [Brittany Ferries to Santander][10]
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* ### [Sponsored »][11]
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* ### [Travel »][12]
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[X][5] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][6]
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Share:
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* [ ][5]
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* [ ][7]
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* [ ][8]
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* [Tweet][9]
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* ![Brittany Ferries and Santander][13]
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[VIDEOS: PILGRIMS' ROUTE »][14]
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### [Travelling in class to Santander][15]
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[![Brittany Ferries to Santander introduction video: Derek Bishton's
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Camino][16] ][15]
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Derek Bishton heads to Santander with Brittany Ferries as he returns to
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Northern Spain to take another Camino to Santiago de Compostela.
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### [Retracing the Camino: day one][17]
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### [Retracing the Camino: day two][18]
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### [Retracing the Camino: day three][19]
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[Derek Bishton's Blog »][20]
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### [Blog: Santiago or Bust][20]
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[![Derek Bishton's blog: Santiago or Bust][21]][20]
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Read Derek Bishton's blog as he takes his Camino across Northern Europe to
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Santiago de Compostela.
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[Picture gallery »][22]
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### [Derek Bishton's Camino][4]
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[![View of Burgos, including Cathedral, Northern Spain][23]][4]
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Great photographs from Santander to Santiago de Compostella in Spain.
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[Picture Galleries »][24]
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### [The Picos de Europa][25]
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[![Potes][26]][25]
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Beautiful mountains, countryside and historic cities.
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### [Spain's north coast][27]
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[![Frejulfe Beach, Asturias][28]][27]
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Magical coastlines, culture, and delicious seafood.
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[Picos and further afield »][29]
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### [Stunning Picos][30]
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[![The market town of Potes with the Picos de Europa in the background][31]
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][30]
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Between the two main pilgrims' routes in Northern Spain lies a dramatic area
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of outstanding beauty.
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### [Eastern promises][32]
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[![Aragon, Spain][33] ][32]
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A leisurely drive from Santander are the delights of Aragon, Navarra and even
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France.
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[1]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01676/Burgos-
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Cathedral_1676223f.jpg
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[2]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7881947/Completing-
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the-Camino-from-Leon-to-Santiago-in-Northern-Spain-via-Santander.html
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[3]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7881343/Travelling-
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the-Camino-the-pilgrims-route-in-Northern-Spain-via-Santander.html
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[4]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7889579/Picture-
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gallery-Derek-Bishtons-Camino-in-Northern-Spain.html
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[5]: #
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[6]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/4590190/Share-this-article-
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What-are-these.html
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[7]: mailto:?subject=A Telegraph reader thought you would be interested in
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this article&body=Depending on your email program, you may be able to click on
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the link in the email. Alternatively, you may have to open a web browser, such
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as Firefox or Internet Explorer, and copy the link over into the address bar.
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%0A%0Ahttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/7881839/The-Camino-from-Burgos-to-Leon-in-Northern-Spain-via-
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Santander.html %0A%0AFor the best content online, visit www.telegraph.co.uk
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[8]: javascript:print()
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[9]: http://twitter.com/share?via=Telegraph
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[10]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/
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[11]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/
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[12]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/
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[13]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01676/sponsor_brittany_16
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76015a.gif
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[14]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/7881948/Brittany-Ferries-to-Santander-introduction-video-Derek-
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Bishtons-Camino.html
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[15]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7881948/Brittany-
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Ferries-to-Santander-introduction-video-Derek-Bishtons-Camino.html
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[16]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01676/Derek-Bishton-
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Vid1_1676356g.jpg
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[17]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7882042/Derek-
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Bishtons-Camino-Day-one-video.html
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[18]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7882215/Derek-
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Bishtons-Camino-Day-two-video.html
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[19]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7882393/Derek-
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Bishtons-Camino-Day-three-video.html
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[20]: http://my.telegraph.co.uk/bishtonblog/
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[21]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01676/Derek-Biston-
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Bentl_1676275g.jpg
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[22]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/7889579/Picture-gallery-Derek-Bishtons-Camino-in-Northern-Spain.html
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[23]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01678/Burgos-Cathedral-
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v_1678782g.jpg
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[24]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/7875099/The-Picos-de-Europa.html
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[25]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7875099/Northern-
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Spain-picture-gallery-The-Picos-de-Europa.html
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[26]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01673/NSpain-Teleg-
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Picos_1673508e.jpg
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[27]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7873218/Spains-north-
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coast-the-Northern-Pilgrims-Route.html
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[28]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01673/NSpain-Teleg-
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Coast_1673005e.jpg
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[29]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-
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santander/7881532/The-stunning-Picos-de-Europa-in-Northern-Spain-via-
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Santander-with-Brittany-Ferries.html
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[30]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7881532/The-stunning-
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Picos-de-Europa-in-Northern-Spain-via-Santander-with-Brittany-Ferries.html
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[31]:
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01676/SceneryPeak_1676387g.jpg
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[32]: /sponsored/travel/brittany-ferries-to-santander/7881779/Visit-Aragon-
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Navarre-and-France-via-Santander-with-Brittany-Ferries.html
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[33]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01678/Spain-
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Aragon_1678922g.jpg
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