Month: September 2022

Logroño to Navarrete – 13 Kms, 18,968 steps

I got a nice early start out of Logroño today, which was really quiet for a Saturday morning. Despite some nonsense in the Brierley guidebook about difficulty finding one’s way out of town, I found regular, clear waymarking all the way and had no problems.

I noticed this structure as I went along, and I wasn’t sure if it was a chimney, a carillion, or a celebration of Spanish malehood:

Speaking of celebrations, here’s a statue I walked by at the edge of Logroño, featuring familiar characters:

The first part of my walk today, once I cleared town, was in a really nice park. The Camino path became part of a wider path network, busy this morning with joggers, bicyclists, and families. The weather was perfect: sunny, cool, and with a slight breeze, and I made great time.

The Parque de la Grajera includes a large reservoir lake, which I walked beside for a while. I saw a lot of ducks, swans, moorhens, and other wild fowl in the shallows. Then the path went back to meandering through farm fields and vineyards, where the soil changed to the rich, red clay of the La Rioja region, eventually climbing into the hills.

Today’s path highpoint was only 540 meters, which was good because the temperature started rising after 10 AM, headed for 90 F. I was soon on the outskirts of Navarrete and happily walking beside wineries.

Navarrete is a historic town of 2,900 that’s been well-maintained, with original period houses sporting handsomely-carved family crests and armoral shields. I arrived in the main plaza and shed my pack for a long wait until my hostal accommodation opened. I was happy to see fresh water, lots of shade, and plenty of seating there.

There’s an imposing 16th century Church of the Assumption opposite the plaza. Someone was having their baby christened shortly after I arrived, so I was treated to a view of many of the townsfolk in their finery entering the church. Really high heels are apparently a fashion thing in Spain for young women.

Eventually my hostal opened and I got settled in there. I followed this up with a nice lunch of tapas and wine at the adjacent bar.

Tomorrow, I’m off to Najera, a somewhat larger, grittier city of (now) 8,900 that was the capital of the Kingdom of Navarre in the 6th and 7th centuries. My walk will be 16 Kms, including a climb to an adjacent pass (+100 meters) and the weather is supposed to be just like today was, i.e. cool then hot.

Viana to Logroño – 10 Kms, 16,889 steps

I enjoyed my stay at the three-star Palacio de Pujadas last night. As you may be aware, European floor numbering differs from the US. The European “first” floor is #0, and the next floor is #1, and so on. This hotel tossed in a new twist: my room, #102, was on floor #2! The elevator controls were weird, too, looking like a keypad:

The reception staff explained all this very smoothly at check-in, probably having had to do it a jillion times.

Here’s a photo of the duffel bag I’m having transported each day and of the huge suitcases a couple, also on the Camino, is sending. These folks wear only a light day pack with water while hiking during the day but wear quite a wardrobe in the bar at night. Ah well, as they say, everyone’s Camino is their own and no one else’s.

I had a short, 10-Km walk planned, slept in late, had the hotel breakfast, and left Viana at a thoroughly decadent 9:00 AM.

I’m either getting stronger/faster or kilometers are getting smaller but I was in Logroño just two hours later. In a way, it was a mini-rest day.

Along the way, I met up with an Italian pilgrim with a strip of solar panels on his backpack! He used them to charge his devices as he walked. Pretty cool. He was carrying a tent, so maybe he wasn’t staying in places where he could access power easily at night.

Logroño embraces the Camino. From specially-designed local stelae to unique pavement markers, they’ve gone all in.

I arrived a few hours before my accommodation opened, so I had to cool my heels in the plaza over coffee and maps. Not a bad way to pass a morning.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of the UK’s Queen Elizabeth. I shed a tear when I heard the news and I’m so glad that I spent this summer in Canterbury and enjoyed the Queen’s Jubilee festivities, celebrating her 70 years on the throne. She will be missed.

I noted a quote in the Washington Post that brought her passing into perspective: “And for the first time since 1952, the UK national anthem will now be sung with the words ‘God Save the King.’”

Los Arcos to Viana – 18 Kms, 26,682 steps

My afternoon and evening in Los Arcos was very pleasant. The bar on the central plaza serves a perfect Sangria and, my accommodation, the Pension Los Arcos, was just right. After my previous lousy night, it was a joy to sleep in a comfortable bed beneath a ceiling fan.

During Happy Hour in the plaza, I met three Irish pilgrims who told wonderful stories, in a thick brogue. We got on famously and found we shared our feelings about the former U.S. president. Apparently, the Irish have no love for his golf course nor his assault on democracy. When I told them I knew the song “Fields of Athenry” (a traditional rugby anthem) they stood and we all sang it together, to the amusement at those at nearby tables. We may or may not have gotten all the words and/or notes right, but it was a great bonding moment. My Irish ancestors from my mother’s side were smiling down, I’m sure.

As sunrise becomes later and later, the crowd of pilgrims waiting to leave then gets larger. I departed Los Arcos in the cool morning air with a lot of company and set my sights on Viana.

I seem to be meeting a lot of Australians this week. The Pilgrim Office says 451 Americans completed their Camino last year and 103 Aussies. It’s not surprising that 68% of the pilgrims are Spanish. In all, pilgrims from 168 countries completed their walk last year. Those numbers should be larger this year due this being a Holy Year and pent-up demand,

I was able this morning to help another pilgrim. A woman emerged from the bushes ahead of me (where perhaps she had answered Nature’s call) and proceeded to continue straight down the farm road. I realized the Camino turned right just there and crossed the highway, a turn she had missed. I called out, got her attention, and pointed out the change of route. She might of walked on some distance the wrong way if I’d not been there (or, possibly, my presence kept her from noting the signage). But, whatever, it was nice to do a good deed.

The rock sculptures I come across now and then, piles of rocks carefully arranged, are interesting but sometimes seem a little obsessive.

At the highest point of my walk today, I passed a hermitage featuring the mosaic shown above. It says “Bless the town of Bargata and protect the pilgrims”.

Today I entered the great wine-producing region of La Rioja. Along with vineyards, there appeared the ancient stone “beehive” vineyard observation huts. These were apparently where guards slept, to protect the vineyards during harvest from pirates. Yes, grape pirates.

It was so beautiful today and I enjoyed fantastic vistas across fields and valleys. It wasn’t hard to remember to be “in the moment”, instead of just “on the way”. Sadly, a photo doesn’t provide the awesome scale of the view.

I arrived in Viana just after midday and remembered that it was the town, on my last Camino, where they had their own “running of the bulls” going on at the time. I also remembered how abused and pathetic the bulls looked and how cruel the whole event seemed. No bulls today, thankfully.

I’m staying in a 3-star hotel and it’s nice but in some ways not as nice as my 1-star hotel last night. For example, today’s hotel has no laundry facilities and small, shallow bathroom sinks. It’s a hotel right on the Camino but it doesn’t seem to understand that pilgrims have to do their laundry daily. Oh well, at least my room has an antique-looking desk. And to be fair, there is a fine-looking breakfast buffet on tap for tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow will be a short Camino day for me, just 10 Kms, to Logroño, a larger city of 155,000. It appears I’ll just be missing their wine harvest festival (and the hangover that comes with it), which is okay with me. Onward!

Villamayor de Monjardin to Los Arcos – 12 Kms, 18,314 steps

After a poor night, but without banging my head again, I left Oasis Trails at dawn. The path headed downhill gently, for a change.

Dawn is a fine time to begin a day’s walk, but some pilgrims like to get out sooner if their day will be long and/or hot weather is promised. They strap on a headlamp to let them see the path and Camino way markers and head out in the dark. In October, I’ll probably do the same, as dawn is coming later and later.

Today’s Camino segment wound through farm fields, mostly flat or downhill, with temps in the 60s and a nice cloud cover. Really ideal hiking conditions, and we were treated to a pretty dawn display on the clouds.

About an hour along, a small police jeep cruised by me on the farm road I was walking on. The officers waved hello and continued on. That’s the first time I’ve seen anything that looks like cops patrolling the Camino, and I’m glad they are. I occasionally read online about solo female pilgrims being flashed by local nutjobs, and a police presence of any kind must be reassuring to those pilgrims.

Today’s route was 12 Kms, without any towns along the way. The Brierley guidebook indicates a spot where a cafe movil (food truck) can usually be found along the Camino but it’s not something you can depend on. It’s smarter to bring along some food, just in case. Which is what I did this morning and, sure enough, no food truck. However, some magic of the downhill terrain or my deep desired to get away from Oasis Trails or something, got me to Los Arcos in very quick time – about three hours.

This put me in Los Arcos way too early to check into my next accomodation, a pension (1-star hotel), even with its earlier-than-most noon check-in time. So I cooled my heels over a cafe con leche and a pastry in the main square and caught up on email and blog posts.

In what was a weird Camino moment, I finished writing my blog posts about last night’s horrible albergue, put my backpack on, and left the square to go to my lodging. I rounded a corner and came face-to-face with two of the people who run last night’s horrible lodging. Yes, hours away in Los Arcos. They recognized me and said hello as we passed. Cue Rod Serling…

I’ve now completed the Pilgrim Ritual: shower, lunch, and laundry, and am heading back to the square in a bit for some Sangria and chat. Tomorrow is a longer walk of 18 Kms to Viana.

Lorca to Villamayor de Monjardin, 14 Kms, 27,379 steps

I spent last night in really fantastic casa rural in Lorca. This is a class of self-catering tourist accommodation, usually belonging to an association and meeting specific (high) standards.

Casa Nahia in Lorca is stunning, as you can see here: https://casanahia.es/en/ , and I slept very soundly. Not your typical Camino accommodation.

The next morning I was off to Villamayor de Monjardin, a hill town, where I balanced my Casa Nahia stop with an entirely different experience.

Today’s walk took me through more farm fields and along shaded riverside paths. Temps climbed during the morning and it was beautiful but in the low 80s when I got to the town of Estella.

Several well-reviewed places to eat, cited in the Brierly guide, were gone or closed, so I had a snack at a local gas station, a sort of Spanish Sheetz. Not too healthy but no one said anything about me being in there with my backpack and hiking poles.

I passed by the Irache Monastery’s Fuente de Vino: a couple of spigots in the wall of their winery offering free wine to passing pilgrims. A gaggle of young folks was excitedly helping themselves, but it was 10:30 am and a little early for me.

I finally made it to Villamayor de Monjardin, with its 12th century church and tower. This is a small town. One bar (no food), one tiny convenience store, and no restaurants. There’s one normal albergue and one, run by a Danish religious order, called Oasis Trails, where I had booked a room. I had read a few online complaints about overzealous proselytizing but, to be fair, I encountered none of that. The three-person staff was welcoming and friendly, if somewhat disorganized.

However… my stay was a nightmare. The building is 400-years old and its facilities are just not sufficient for the number of pilgrims they take in. I had a private room on the top floor and banged my head into the ceiling beams three times, cutting my scalp. The top of the door frames came to my shoulder! I spent half my time bent over at the waist. Twelve people shared a single small bathroom and small sink, and a separate phone booth-sized shower. The shower had no temperature controls and you pressed a button repeatedly to get 20-second bursts of water. The room furniture was minimal and the mattress weak. No WiFi inside, unsecured (really?) WiFi in one corner of the courtyard. And, the church bell rang the hours throughout the night. My advice to anyone thinking of staying in this town: plan to keep on walking!

And you thought the Camino was nothing but glamour.

So, I scrounged up lunch and skipped dinner (the albergue offered dinner but I wasn’t inclined) and I didn’t get much sleep. And I banged my head again. Whoopee.

Unsecured WiFi is not uncommon, by the way. Seems ridiculous in these times that such a basic service isn’t offered correctly. I use several strategies to secure my comms and avoid unsecured networks altogether. This post, for example, was delayed a day due to the lack of secure WiFi at last night’s Albergue Horribilus.

Tomorrow, I have a shortish walk to Los Arcos, almost all of it downhill, and I look forward to staying in a decent pension tomorrow night.

Puente de la Reina to Lorca – 14 Kms, 22,03 steps

The town of Puente de la Reina (literally “bridge of the Queen”) is named after the bridge shown above, built in 1036 by the Spanish Queen Muniadona to help pilgrims cross the river on their way to Santiago. I walked across the bridge this morning on my way out of town and stopped to take the picture.

My walk today, under cloudy and then sunny skies, with temps up to 85 F, crossed farm fields and rivers. I went up to and through three mountain towns. Camino Rule of Thumb: when you go downhill, you know you’re in for an uphill. And there’s usually an uphill at the end of the day.

I’ve begun to run into people I met last week and haven’t seen for days. This is part of the Camino fun: you make an acquaintaince, don’t see them for days, and are then reunited at Happy Hour somewhere down the path. I never feel alone out here as a result.

Hill towns have rich histories, often of resistance to central authority. This is reflected in their buildings. I guess the locals must get used to having to contend with steep streets every day. For me, it’s a workout getting into and out of town,

It’s amazing that anything grows out here, as the soil is incredibly rocky. Obviously, olives and grapes grow well, but plowing fields for hay and other crops must be hard on the farm equipment.

I passed a guy today going the other way, against the flow of pilgrims, who looked familiar. I was sure I had seen him last night; he had a distinctive, square-jawed, boxer’s face. No backpack or hiking pole. Then a few hours later I saw him again, going the other way. But I was sure he hadn’t passed me headed in my direction. What the heck was going on? The third time I saw him, I stopped him and asked. Was this Camino magic? No, he was a bus driver who leap-frogged ahead of his tour group clients and walked back a bit to rendezvous with them, before driving the bus to the next stop and repeating the process. “Tu no es loco” he said, letting me know I wasn’t losing my marbles in the heat.

The Spaniards generally do a great job of highway flyovers (as you’ll see later in my trek) and also immense irrigation aqueducts. The one above reminds me of the Roman Pont du Gard aqueduct I saw in southern France last Fall.

The Camino is extremely important to these small towns and they go out of their way to welcome pilgrims, to provide clear signage, and to offer services. I’m enoying my walks immensely and am getting used to the physical demands. I’ve had no foot or leg issues (other than some fatigue) and my recovery time after a steep incline is improving. I am very happy to be here.

Pamplona to Puente de la Reina – 24Km, 34,053 steps

Today I said goodbye to Pamplona and headed for the Alto de Perdon pass outside of town, with its many wind turbines. I left town as the sun came up at 7:35 and joined a river of pilgrims going out of town.

Pamplona has excellent signage marking the route of the Camino through town, which made it easy to navigate, even at dawn. It was Sunday, so there was zero traffic and few other pedestrians, which made it very pleasant.

Basically, the day was broken into the first half, climbing up to the ridge with all the wind turbines, and the second half, descending from that ridge into rolling farm fields.

After a few hours of walking, including a dog attack, I turned back to see hot air balloons rising over the city:

Dog Attack!? Say what? Well, there I was, walking along, minding my own business, in a park-like area and a young fellow appeared off to my right. He might have been a pilgrim or perhaps was a homeless person with a backpack and tent. And a German Shepherd, not on a leash. The dog didn’t like my looks and charged me. I stood still and the dog’s snarling mouth came within a few inches of my hands and legs. The guy dragged the dog away eventually but I was pretty pissed off. If I’d been bitten, what were the chances the mangy beast had his shots? Or they guy would have helped me? It was an annoying way to start the day.

On that subject, I grew up with a dog, and like dogs generally, but it seems that dog owners have gotten less and less responsible as time has marched on. Leash laws are there to be ignored, apparently. And I have seen at least half a dozen dogs so far, walking the Camino with their owners. From little tiny lap dogs to a St. Bernard. This is a hard hike for humans; I just can’t think it’s much fun for the dogs.

Four hours passed and the wind turbines on the hill became larger and larger. So close, and yet still so far away.

I finally reached the top and took a well-deserved half hour break. There was a pretty good breeze up there, which was nice. I did my daily sock change drill, putting on a fresh pair and hanging the others on my pack to dry.

Everyone wants to have their photo taken with the famous ridgetop pilgrim artwork, even me.

And, of course, what goes up must come down, so there is a nasty descent over really rocky terrain for quite a while. The view, though, was spectacular.

My path took me though several small towns and farming communities. You can always tell you’re in farm country when those massive hay bale stacks appear.

I’m looking forward to dinner tonight and to pressing on to Lorca tomorrow, in what will seem like a relaxing short walk of only 14 kms.

This Camino I decided to have just two rest days and more short-distance days. Today was my first rest day, in Pamplona, and my legs were appreciative.

With 200,000 residents, Pamplona is a jarring contrast to the small towns I’ve been in all week. And kind of a shock. There’s an intersection near my albergue, where hundreds, if not thousands, of young folks and pilgrims hang out at night. The noise level is amazingly high and it’s an intense urban experience.

It was great seeing the two brothers who run Casa Ibarrola and they are still a lot of fun. My Spanish skills get a real workout (though they speak English and other languages), which is great. Sadly, there was a lot of late coming and going in the dorm last night, so I didn’t get a good night’s sleep, air-conditioning notwithstanding.

I went to Calle Estafeta last night, which is pincho Ground Zero and dug in. For 4-5 euros, you get a pincho of your choice and a glass of wine (and a healthy pour, at that). My favorite last night was a sauteed artichoke and sweet onion plate. While it’s financially feasible to go from bar to bar, having a pincho at each stop, the amount of wine you get would slow you down quickly. I cut myself off at two pinchos, determined not to court a hangover this morning, Sitting outside along the street lets you enjoy your pincho and wine and take in the passing scene.

As I sit writing this, I’m amazed how many pilgrims are showing up at Casa Ibarrola, sans reservation, looking for a bed. There are several categories of accomodation along the Camino but only one kind, the “municipal” albergues, don’t take reservations. This is a Holy Year, with special activities in Santiago, and there’s also a huge pent-up Camino demand, so arriving here mid-afternoon without a reservation is a formula for sleeping in a church pew.

In case you’d forgotten, Ernest Hemingway wrote a few popular books set in Spain. The Spaniards have not forgotten him and are still trading on his history here.

Sugar in all its fascinating forms are on offer here as well and I thought the following items were fun. Especially the “dentures” made of sugar – what a foreshadowing of what will happen if you eat too much!

I’m not sure what the shoes are made of, marzipan maybe, but I was assured that, for a hefty price, they’re edible.

As part of my rest day and health maintenance plan, I had a 30-minute leg and foot massage this morning. Wow! It was terrific and really ironed out some kinks in my quads and calves. I’m not much of a massage customer generally, but this was really worth it and I know my legs will be ready to go tomorrow. (No photos, to protect the innocent)

I also located and visited the local Decathlon store. This is an international chain of sporting goods stores, something like Dick’s in the U.S. I popped in there to replenish my supply of energy gel. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an edible, syrupy gel in foil tubes that provides quickly-absorbed glycogen. It was developed for endurance sport athletes, marathoners and bicycle racers, and provides a boost when muscle fatigue sets in. I find taking it 3/4 of the way through a hard or long hike gives me the boost I need to finish the day without exhaustion. Unlike some booster drinks, no caffeine is involved.

The area of Pamplona that I’m staying in has a lot of albergues and the Camino goes right through town here. But there are several large squares and it was interesting to get away from pilgrims and get a good look at urban Spaniards up close. Generally, they’re well-dressed and groomed, even the hip youngsters. And families are a Thing – with three, four, and even five children out for a Saturday walk with their parents. They’re a handsome people.

When I was taking “ALM Spanish” in junior and senior high school, one of the first food words we were taught was albondigas. Perhaps because spaghetti with meatballs was on offer every Wednesday in the school cafeteria. So when I decided to eat lunch at a plaza-side cafe today and a familiar menu item caught my eye, I had to order it.

The downside of a rest day is that it throws your daily routine off and I now need to start seeing to my backpack and stuff, reviewing my 24 Kms route tomorrow (yes, another long one), and getting ready for an early, possibly rainy, start tomorrow. And that’s no bull.

Zubiri to Pamplona – 21 Kms, 30,452 steps

I was off with the sunrise this morning, prepared for a 50-50 chance of rain that never materialized, and looking forward to a relatively flat walk to Pamplona.

I had plenty of company at times but was all alone for long, pleasant stretches, too. I’m becoming less enamored of other pilgrims chatting away non-stop in my vicinity. It seems at odds with the natural beauty around us.

The sunrise over the mountains, with clouds, was beautiful. Unfortunately, my walk took me initially past a monstrous magnesium plant, with huge mounds of raw materials. I guess it’s a strategic product as there were a lot of signs ordering us to remain on the path at all times.

Naturally, just about everybody passes me, especially younger folks. So I was shocked this morning to pass a few others; kind of a rare moment. Later I was passed by a young lady with a backpack and a small dog. The dog, apparently, is also walking the Camino! I can’t imagine his step count.

My path today wound through a number of villages, mostly along narrow tracks on hillsides and in deep forests. One path followed along the Arga River for quite a while and I was serenaded by the nice sounds of the water rushing by. Judging by the washed-up debris, the river level gets really high when it floods.

The passion for Basque culture and separatism runs high here. The violence that marked it in the past is largely gone, but the independent streak is alive and well.

I encountered more Europeans and Australians today while walking. And more bicyclists, many of whom were not on the Camino, just on the Camino as a fun off-road ride. These guys zoom by with little warning and I’m surprised I haven’t seen a collision yet. At least they’re usually wearing helmets.

As before, there are official Camino sign posts and stelle, and then there are a slew of yellow arrows. These often appear, painted on the street, on fence posts, on sewer caps, etc. when the other signs are missing and they are very welcome. Natually, some wags can’t resist adding some graffiti to them.

I was happy to reach the outskirts of Pamplona and this year I decided not to take the stressful, loud 4.5 Km walk through the suburban downtown streets into town, and instead took an alternate route through a riverside park. It was slightly longer but so much more pleasant.

I was very happy to arrive in Pamplona itself and at the Casa Ibarrola albergue, one of the best in town. It has a unique dorm area with custom bunk modules, and is air-conditioned. Outstanding!

After 6-1/2 hours of walking today, I have a rest day planned here tomorrow. I’m looking forward to enjoying some local pinchos (tapas) and vino tonight and doing a little exploring tomorrow.

Inquiring Minds Want To Know: Since you asked, my legs and feet, while tired, are holding up very well to the daily effort. My back is a little sore from carrying the pack but not too bad. I think I’ll get a leg and foot massage tomorrow.

Vizcarret-Guerendiáin to Zubiri – 10Kms, 13,721 steps

Roncesvalles to Zubiri is a typical stage but I decided to give my legs a break in the first week by dividing the stage in two. Today, I went to Zubiri, a relatively short distance at 10 Kms, but a challenging walk at times nonetheless. At the end specifically, I went down some steep paths over sharp rocks and large rock slabs – good opportunities for a Camino-ending fall.

The two long-haulers in our albergue jetted off at dawn and will probably go all the way to Pamplona today. The Irish lasses passed me in the first 20 minutes and disappeared. I caught up with the Aussies and walked with them on and off throughout the day.

The day started off with a nice, long, steep climb out of town and then the beech trees were replaced with pine. The way was mostly on forest paths but not necessarily easier on the feet.

The weather was simply outstanding! Sunny, low humidity, and with a nice breeze. I passed through several smaller villages, ever vigilant for the Camino markers.

The fields are pretty brown now, what with the drought and unusually hot weather. The path had a lot of brown deciduous leaves littering it and other plants were dried out too.

The thing about the walk to Zubiri is that the last kilometer or so is really hard. It’s a steep downhill and the path goes over jutting rocks and slabs. As I mentioned earlier, it’s dangerous and requires careful attention to where you’re putting your feet. Imagine my surprise when, in the middle of this section, I found I was sharing it with a herd of cows!

The cows were calm, even shy of me as I passed by, but then they followed and I didn’t want to be crushed by a cow on a descent! They had no problem negotiating the rocky surface with their hooves, probably do it every day. Nonetheless, it as a surprise to encounter them.

I have such horrible memories of how bashed up my feet and legs were when I arrived here in 2019! How nice to arrive in good shape, if tired, this year.

I arrived at 12:30 and was pleasantly surprised when the hospitalero let me right into my albergue (usually they open around 2:00). I showered, got my laundry going in a machine, and had lunch. Very civilized.

Tomorrow is my first really long walk, 21 Kms, to Pamplona. There’s a rumor of rain but I have yet to check on that. Thanks for coming along.