Blogs from Navarre, Spain, Europe - page 4

From Lorca,Sunday. I lost a day somewhere and was convinced it was Friday yesterday. I now know its Sunday today. Back to the blog. Starting in Zariquiegui on Saturday 24th. A creak of a bed , a whisper from a male American voice 'what time is it:, a whispered response from his American friend,' about 6 o' clock'.Else where in the room a rustle of a bag, the slide of a zip, a rucksack quietly opening. So the activity starts for the day. Some have little torches, we all fumble quietly in the dark until the last person is out of bed when the light can go on. Freshen up, dress, collect washing (still damp),strap to bag with camping washing line, mini croissant and cakey biscuit, at the bar downstairs conversation with others. I explain I ... read more

We were ready by 6am for our walk to Los Arcos and walked out of the sleeping town of Estella towards the Monestario de Irache, where there is wine for free on tap at a decorative barrel on the wall. On learning that the hole in the wall was empty we ventured into the dark towards Los Arcos and about 400 meters from the monastery, Arena asked me where were my sticks. Great! I ran the distance back by torch light and recovered the sticks and recommenced the walk. In the dark we somehow missed a turn and ended up off course. This deviation added about 2 kilometres to the day so it was OK. The climb to Luquín was quite steep as this was the alternative route over the mountain, rather than around it to ... read more

Yesterday afternoon was spent relaxing and exploring Cizur Menor. Not much to see but a small park with soft, lush grass became my bed for about 40 minutes. I sat and chatted to 2 Americans and a young Korean guy for a while and was amazed to fear he had walked 49 kilometres that day. He had pressure bandages on both knees and feet full of blisters; not bad for day 2! Dinner was eaten at the local pub and we shared a table with two German women. It was a very quiet session as they knew no English and our German is nicht up to scratch. They do about 25 kilometres of the Camino every year but by the look of them, I don't think they will ever see Santiago; they're as young as me. ... read more

Started the day off well and walked 4 kms before stopping at Zuriáin for breakfast. We started early and didn't see many other pilgrims ( travellers/walkers) until we approached Pamplona. On the way we visited the church of Saint Stephen, yes there's more than one of us, and climbed the bell tower to give them a ring. These bells are the oldest in Navarre and it was an honour to be allowed. A kind nun encouraged us to do it and the chimes would have been heard throughout the hills. I did a quick SIM card purchase at an Orange outlet, had an Iberian jamon bocadillo for lunch, visited the Cathedral, and set off to Cizur Menor. My feet are hurting for a few reasons but swelling is the main one. The walk from Pamplona was ... read more

7 September 2016 Wednesday. Weather: Blazing hot in the high 90´s Distance from Pamplona to Cizur Menor: 7.1 km or 4.4 miles I caught the 7:30 AM train from Barcelona Sants, arriving in Pamplona at 11:17 AM. Here I would begin my pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. When planning my pilgrimage, I debated whether to spend the night in Pamplona or start my walk right away. In the end I decided to walk the 7 kilometers to Cizur Menor where I had reservations at the highly rated Albergue (hostel) de Maribel Roncal...they care for perigrinos (pilgrims) blistered feet...not that I would need help having just started the walking part of my Camino. And besides I was anxious to get started! I figured the walk to Cizur Menor would take two hours, which would leave me ... read more