Estella to Los Arcos (20 Kms). 7 May

From the bridge leaving Estella

Today I managed a whole stage of the Camino for the first time. I walked through beautiful rolling countryside: poppies, thyme, wild borage and a grove of pink tamarind in flower. The high spot was the famous wine fountain at the Bodegas Irache, but the free wine was only coming out at a trickle, so I couldn’t fill my 250 ml bottle as I had intended. There was quite a gathering of pilgrims, some of whom had been there before when it was gushing out! I had to settle for wine and water mixed, but this was OK and kept me going throughout a long day.

 

 

Monasterio de Irache

The famous wine fountain at Irache

I passed by the Fountain of the Moors, with its twin arches and the water deep down inside. I reached Monjardin by 11.00 a.m., so it was too early to stop there for the day. There was nothing else available till Los Arcos, so I had to keep going 9 kms more on a gentle downhill slope, but my legs were very tired in the last hour and I was thirsty. At Los Arcos, I downed a beer very quickly in the sunny main square where lots of pilgrims were sitting outside, then went in search of accommodation. I walked round for a while before finding Pension Mavi, with a nice modern single room for €30, including a make-your-own breakfast.

Fuente de Los Moros

I discovered that the public library had free Internet access, then I had a nice Sangria for a change back in the square, with a quick visit to the church which was cold inside. I had dinner at Restaurant Mavi (€13): salad, trout with chips, flan au chocolat.

Villatuerte to Estella (4 Kms) 6 May

Everyone was up at about 6.30 a.m. The Rumanians in my room had already left without a sound. I met Donna, the Canadian, as we were putting on our boots at the door and we went in search of breakfast. The Panaderia only opened at 7.30 a.m., but we decided to wait and had café con leche and croissants. I walked with her to Estella. She was going on, but I wanted to see the town at leisure, since there were said to be many buildings of interest in what had been a very important staging post on the Camino. I stopped to take my bearings near the 14th century Gothic church of Santa Sepulchro at the edge of town.

Santa Sepulchro

Cloisters at San Pedro

I checked in early at San Andres Pension, a bargain at €25: a small room at the back with half a bath. I visited the San Pedro Church and its 12th century cloisters with unusual twisted columns. The church was built on top of a cliff, with a long flight of steps up to it. Unfortunately , the Palacio de los Reyes de Navarra was closed on Mondays. It is said to be a rare example of civil Romanesque architecture.

I had a magnificent lunch at 1.15 p.m. at La Cena Restaurant:

Mixed fresh veggies tossed with ham

Red peppers (4) stuffed with minced beef

Raspberry “sorbet” (more like a milkshake)

translation:

Salteado de verdures frescas, con taquitos de jamon

Pimientos del piquillo rellenos de tenera, con salsa de Oporto

Sorbet de frambuesa.

That will do me for the day! Early to bed with a suspicion of a bad cold coming on.

 

San Andres Pension

 

Puente to Villatuerte (18 Kms) 5 May

Pilgrim monument outside Jakue

I left c. 8.00 a.m., having enjoyed a quick breakfast at Jakue for €4 and taking a photo of the pilgrim monument outside. It was another perfect day for walking the Camino: sunny and clear and not too hot. I left town over the historic bridge, passing 3 pilgrims who were cooking breakfast on a portable stove. Out in the country, cuckoos were singing and again there were lots of wildflowers beside the track, including thyme and wild garlic giving off their scents.

On the road to Cirauqui

I stopped for drinks at Maneru, Cirauqui and Lorca, where I had a final beer to give me enough strength to do the last 5 kms into Villatuerte. There were no single rooms in the private albergue, so had to settle for a dorm with 6 beds. I have a little cubicle area to myself, so I hope no-one else arrives later to occupy the last bed! The albergue has an enclosed garden behind, where I sat and relaxed for a couple of hours, chatting to Donna and a girl from Canberra.

Paella

A delicious pilgrims meal was served: chicken broth, salad, big vegetarian paella and a very runny cinnamon dessert: plus good company from the 3 large tables of pilgrims. I slept O.K. in the dorm, because Simone, the Brazilian owner, put no-one else in my adjoining bed and a late-arriving group of Columbian cyclists were consigned to the attic area.

 

Uterga to Puente la Reina (10 Kms) 4 May

It was a perfect Spring day: a joy to be walking the Camino! I departed at 7.45 a.m. for Muruzabal, where I knew I had to turn off for Eunate. I got completely lost (it had been so early, nobody was around to ask the way). I wasted an hour, retraced my steps back to Muruzabal and enquired of a man doing his garden. He took me to a viewpoint over the valley and pointed out the tiny church in the distance. I finally arrived at Eunate at 10.15. This was OK as the church was only opened at 10.30. It was a perfect octagon: “a jewel of the Camino” said the guide book.

I

Eunate

I went on to Obanos and then to Puente. It was getting hotter, with poppies bright on the road side. I finally saw it was 19 °. I arrived at Albergue Jakue and secured a single room in the basement of the hotel for €40. The albergue was right on the edge of town, but I wanted to do some sightseeing during the afternoon. As I walked along the narrow main street, I met Donna, a Canadian girl I’d talked to at the Alto. She had got lost after Eunate, looking for the way to Puente. (The moral is stay on the Camino if you have a poor sense of direction!)

Exploring Puente

Back at Jakue, an excellent pilgrims meal was served for €13 Euros: a large buffet of salads, then pork escalopes with chips, and many different kinds of dessert from the buffet, with wine and beer on tap (free flowing!) Eat and drink as much as you like! On my table, I talked to a “Crisis Manager” from Budapest who had 5 desserts! At bedtime, I took a sleeping pill (in case of noise from other pilgrims going past my door) and slept soundly till 7.00 a.m.

The bridge after which Puente is named

Pamplona to Uterga (16 Kms) 3 May

Signpost at the edge of town

I skipped breakfast in order to make a 7.30 a.m. start in drizzle, though the receptionist said that sun was forecast. There were hordes of pilgrims heading out of Pamplona. It was impossible not to know the way! After an hour or so, I arrived at Cizur Menor, desperate for a coffee and found one off track (Padrillo?).

Church at Zariquiegui.

From there the way led to Alto del Perdon (alt. 790m.) It was hard going up hill, with a long row of wind turbines up ahead, marking the line of the summit I made a brief stop for a drink of water and a banana at Zariquiegui, sitting on a low wall outside the church with its Romanesque doorway.

It was very cold and windy on top. I had lunch just before the summit, in a semi-sheltered spot with a picnic table beside the track, but nearly froze as I took out my bread and chorizo! There were views all round, back to Pamplona and ahead to Uterga, Eunate etc. The metal pilgrim monument of people bent into the west wind provided a good photo opportunity for everyone en route. There had been quite a mass exodus from Pamplona, but most had overtaken me by this time, including a noisy school group of teenagers and their teacher.

Pilgrim monument at the Alto.

I arrived at the Alto at 1.45 p.m., with another 4 kms to go to Uterga, all downhill, but on a very stony track, hard on the feet, which I took very carefully using my stick, as I didn’t want to risk a broken ankle. For the first time, I managed to overtake someone. Cuckoos were calling.

My booked albergue and private room at the Camino del Perdon was a welcome end to the day. As I sat having a beer in the bar, they were turning people away who arrived with no booking. The sun came out and warmed pilgrims resting in the garden. After a hot shower and pilgrims meal, I had a good night’s rest.

Albergue Camino del Perdon

 

 

 

 

Pamplona 1 and 2 May

I had booked a train ticket yesterday at Barcelona Sants. This was fortunate as long queues built up at this busy station, especially on the May Day public holiday. My train departed at 9.30 a.m., arriving at Pamplona at 13.15 p.m. and cost €61.60. Breakfast in the stylish and elegant K and K Picasso Hotel was not served till 7.30 because of the public holiday, but the kind waitress let me in early and even allowed me to take a generous doggy bag which would comprise my lunch! The train fromEstacio Franca (which was in walking distance of the hotel) to Sants only took 15 minutes.

The Pamplona train was going to Vigo as its final destination, speeding along at 170 km per hour, even 242 km per hour at times. It was a lovely sunny morning, and 15° degrees outside, according to a sign at the end of the carriage. I was thrilled to be back in Spain and watching the familiar Spanish countryside going by.

.Cafe Iruna

Arriving in Pamplona, it felt markedly colder than in Barcelona (13°) and dull. I took a taxi to the Hotel Puerta de Camino, which was just near to the Francia Gate, but quite a long way from the station. I explored the town in the afternoon. The place was packed because of the Pinchos Festival, with people spilling out of the bars onto the narrow streets. I found the Hotel Perla and the Café Iruna in the main square (haunts of Hemingway); got a Credencial de Peregrinos from the Municipal Albergue and also found a Barclays Bank ATM near the closed Tourist Office where a big bronze statue commemorates the Running of the Bulls festival.

Running of the Bulls

I woke up to the sound of rain falling outside, so I had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel before venturing out. It was even colder than yesterday, with the Pharmacy illuminated signs announcing 10°. First stop the Cathedral, where a mass was being sung by 6 monks and an organist. It was very soothing , and surprisingly warmer inside the Cathedral than out! At 10.30 a.m. the Cloisters opened, which included an exhibition on the history of the site going back to Roman times. Then on to the Tourist Office to obtain an updated list of accommodation on the Camino.

After a coffee at Café Iruna, a visit to the Museum of Navarre, which has many Roman mosaics and medieval wall paintings. A late lunch at a Pincho Place (anchovies on toast & Pimientos de Padron – delicious!) After a siesta, I made a quick trip to a small Carrefour supermarket to get supplies for the Camino (cheese, ham, chocolate). Then the hotel receptionist kindly phoned Uterga to book a single private room for me tomorrow. I was now as prepared as I could be.

 

Slow road to Santiago

Each year thousands of people decide to walk the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. In May I was one of them. Leaving Barcelona, I took a train to Pamplona, a city famous for the running of the bulls along its narrow streets. From there I planned to walk 220 kilometers to Burgos. This is the middle section of a route that starts in St Jean Pied de Port in France and ends, some 800 kilometers later in Santiago. My rationale was that I had already tackled the Pyrenees part some 15 years previously, and just 2 years ago completed the last 160 kilometers on a group tour, where our luggage was carried for us in a little bus. Now I had to prove that I could do it alone, carrying my pack like a real pilgrim.

On the Camino with Fresco Tours in 2011.

I had researched my trip meticulously, I thought. I’d read at least five accounts of life on the Camino (German, American and Australian), as well as seen the Martin Sheen film The Way. I knew that my backpack must only weigh one tenth of my body weight. For me this meant no more than 7.5 kilos, but with all the warm clothing, wet weather gear, first aid kit, toiletries and face creams, emergency rations and one litre of water, I could not get it below 9 kilos. Nevertheless, at the airline check-in in Perth, the man congratulated me on having such a light pack. He had also been on the Camino!

I had always loved Spain, having gone there every year camping in my twenties. I loved the sound of the language, the historic buildings, the small villages seemingly unchanged over time and of course the food. (It was a challenge though, to wait for the traditional Spanish dinner time of 9.00 p.m. when one had been walking all day and were starving!) What came as a big surprise was the fact that most of the pilgrims were attacking the trail, like any other long distance footpath, intent on getting from A to B as quickly as possible. In doing so, they ignored pain in their ankles, knees, shoulders and acquired blisters as a badge of honour. None of this for me! I was going on a slow road to Santiago, determined to see every sight, visit every church and take plenty of rest stops for a café con leche or a cerveza. My guide book by John Brierley divides the Camino into daily stages. He takes 9 days from Pamplona to Burgos. I planned to take 18. I would never need to hurry, I thought. I would never do more than 15 kilometers a day, and I would never arrive at days end too tired to look for a nice place to stay!

Relaxed outside my hotel after a day on the track.