Geo: 42.3762, -3.50689We walked out of Logrono with Andrea and Suzanne (from New Mexico) and were in such good conversation that we missed all the coffee spots and had to do a long 13 kilometers to Navarrete. Shortly out of Logrono, we stopped at a bench on the trail and had yogurt and the rest of our trail mix, this would have to hold us to Navarrete. The first hour was on a paved trail that had many local walkers and runners who seemed to all wish us a "Buen Camino". The trail circled a pretty lake/reservoir with a large park at the head of the lake. From there, a pretty steep climb which offered great views back to Logrono.By the time we reached Ventosa, there was light mist and we stopped for lunch at one ... read more

Geo: 42.6703, -2.03326Puente la Reina to Estella We both slept quite well despite the loud snoring. Sometimes dorm rooms get up in the middle of the night, but no one in this room stirred until 6:45 and guess who got up first?! Yes, we got everyone going and since there was no breakfast, we went a couple of blocks away and had great coffee, yogurt, and a couple of bars. We did not want to cross over the beautiful pilgrim bridge in the dark. We got to the bridge around 8:00 am. This bridge is depicted on our credencial and what a beautiful bridge it is!There were very picturesque villages along the way. There was a big climb out of Puente la Reina and we stopped again for coffee and a nectarine at the first town, ... read more

Geo: 42.82, -1.64296The noise and lights coming on and off had us up, packed and on the Camino by 8:15. The bar area of the albergue was packed with those needing a caffeine fix before starting their trek. We opted to do a few miles to Viscarret where we had a couple of caffe con leche and a boiled egg each; which were very good with olive oil and ground pepper. We thought all the elevation gain was over the pass in the Pyrenees, but we were mistaken. This was a hard day of up and down; with rugged rocky trail, pavement and smooth gravel. There was thick forest and open stretches of high grass land, very diverse but never flat.We stopped in Zuburi where we found a small market and bought a baguette, salami, cheese, ... read more

Geo: 42.9785, -1.36637After a breakfast at the albergue of good coffee, a great baguette and assortment of jams, our Camino officially started. Our first day of trekking was over before we knew it. We began walking at 7:30, just before sunrise. We only had 8km today, but it was all uphill, probably about 2,000 foot elevation gain. We arrived at the albergue Refuge Orisson about 9:30.The hike up was spectacular with constant views of the hillsides dotted with small farms and grazing cattle or sheep with their bells ringing. The houses, barns and out-buildings were all white stucco with red tiled roofs. We were almost always within sight of other pilgrims. Several passed us in the first kilometers and all but a few were passed by us before we reached Refuge Orisson. The last 30 minutes ... read more

Geo: 43.164, -1.23711Unfortunately, neither of us got much sleep on the flight from JFK to Madrid, the good news was that we arrived about a 1/2 hour early. It turned out that we needed it. Customs was a breeze but a mile walk and then a shuttle from Terminal 1 to 4, for our flight to Biarritz on Iberia Air. Iberia had several check in areas and after we found the right one we were in line for nearly an hour and were told our packs could not be carry-ons and we had to pay 30 euro each.On our flight to Biarritz, at least half of the passengers were pilgrims. We left right on time at noon and arrived at 13:00. Our bags arrived quickly and we headed to the bus for the Bayonne train station. ... read more