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Published: July 31st 2010
Farewell Pamplona and San Fermin, weré off to hike a 100kms of the pilgrims walk, from Pamplona to Logrono.
The Pilgrims way to Santiago is a thousand year old route that goes in total over 800kms and we are about to walk 100 of that.
Santiago was one of Jesus Christs 12 Apostles who according to tradition preached in Hispania before being decapitated in Jerusalem in 44 AD. Legend has it that his body was taken in a boat to the end of the Western world where he was buried. 8 centuries later 812 a hermit saw miraculous shining lights found a cemetry with his tomb in what today is a Compostella de Santiago at the most western point of Spain. Within a few years the Compostella became a pilgrimage site as important as Rome and JerusaleM and therefore special charters were given to the towns and bridges , hospotals and refuges that were built along the route. by the 12th century the pilgrims had reached their peak and plague wars and religious divisions had a declining effect until the 20th century and then with thanks to the work of the Jacobean associations local authorities and Pope John Paul II the
way of St James had a major resurgence.
There is a saying that the pilgrims walk to Santiago begins at your own doorstep and I suppose that's also true for us as with our love of walking friends talking to us about it and reading a book by Shirley Mclaine some 15 years ago it seems that we were being led to the walk. So on 13 July 2010 we began a hundred Ks of the 1000 year old route through the region of Navarre and Roja in Spain.
Day 1 for us was Pamplona to Puente de la Reina.
With our red sash from our San Fermin outfits as our mascot tied on the back of Corrie's pack- nicknamed Barb - off we went. We had booked the hike through one foot abroad who moved the 29ers for us each day and booked our accommodation. As we walked through the streets of Pamplona there were many bodies laying in the park from the fireworks the night before stil dressed in their white and red which made us laugh. The Camino was well marked to guide us out of town as it was all the way mainly with a
yellow arrow or a scallop shell, but Ian's trusty directions were also a great help. Soon we were well on the outskirts of Pamplona and starting to pass by fields of sunflowers Lavender and cereals and of course occassionally passing felow Camino jokers - all who would say Buenos Dias or Bein Camino. We met 4 interesting sets of Characters this day that will give you an example of the many walks of life you meet along the way.
The first were a heavily body pierced Austrian couple in their 20ies walking with their 2 dogs - she was struggling with a bad knee - so after passing by them Corrie quickly made the decision to go back and give her, her old Kakadu knee brace. As the days passed we passed this couple and they passed us many times.
Our second connection was with a young 30ish gentleman named Morten from Norway - he had lost his Iphone at one of his rest stops. We ended up having dinner with him that night at our hotel in P d l R. He gave us a gift and we belive we gave him a gift also.
The "gift" is a
symbolic and spiritual significance as one walks the Camino.
The third person was a New Yorker Pamela 60+ a September 11 but survivor who was doing the Camino as part of a thesis but also to deal with some of her residual pain from Sept 11 - we gave her as much encouragement as we could wished Her well but unfortunately we never saw her again but often wondered how she got on as she was a particularly slow walker.
It seems most people that attempt the whole 800 ks tae somewhere between 1-2 months to complete it .
The fourth person was not a Camino hiker but one of life's characters - his name was Daniel, an enterprising character who at the El Perdon mountain pass where there is a sculptured monument to the pilgrims - and we are sure all hikers would not only stop for a photo but kill for the cold drinks he had set up in the back of his van, and low and behold on the inside wall of his van he had a photo of himself, Martin Sheen - ex Jed the president in West Wing -Martin had been there and walked part
of the Camino while making a new movie called 'the Road' - all about the Camino - soon to be released(can't wait to see it).
By about 2 pm and 30+celcius Ian spotted in the distance the beautiful church bell tower in the medieval town of P d l R. In Corrie's excitement of spottig the destination in the distance she took her eyes off the track below her and threw her self down prostrate to pray for a safe arrival- got up grazed and bruised with her best hiking trousers ripped and wondered what was the "gift"? - a little worse for wear but very happy we then made our way down the rest of the hill across the bridge and to our pension Jaku. Siesta, a tour of the town, purchased some lunch supplies for day 2 and then an interesting dinner with Morten and off to bed.
Day 2 all packed up and breakfasted by 8.30 am and Cs body parts all in tact - thankyou lord.
Through the narrow streets of the P d l R village and across the old original bridge where 2 sections of the Camino join looking for thr reasuring signs of
the shells and the yellow arrows we headed off for the next 20+ Ks.
The route we were on through the region of Navarre borders the Pyrenees mountains in France in the North East, the Iberian peninsula in the North and of course the compostella in the west is know as the French Way. The other 700ks winds it's way through south of France and many parts of Spain. This morning we had little shade and by 9 am 23degrees andby lunch time it was 30 degrees.
We had one glorious stop this day under an old stone bridge where we were able to take off our socks and bath our feet in the Rio Salada. As we redressed to prepare ourselves for the next stage of the walk, our Austrian couple with their dogs came by and the bigger of the 2 dogs headed for the water and then got out and gave us his gift!!
Not a lot of shade this day- many vineyards to walk past and in some cases between the vines. Our accommodation this night was at the Yerri Husa in a beautiful little town of Estella. Estella was founded by the King of Pamplona
in the 13 th century and has a beautiful Romanesque style palace. On arrival here siesta sounded really good- dinner then an early night.
Day 3 -Estella to Los Arcos
Breakfasted and on the road by 8.30am and off to the monesterio de Irache dated 11th century which was the first hospital for the Pilgrims, now a very peaceful and spiritual stop which gives you energy in a quiet sort of way for the day ahead and then not too much further up the road was a stop not to be missed, where a very old established winery provides each of the Pilgrims with the offer of a two tap fountain - one supplying cool fresh water and the other Red wine!!!! - as it was only 9am instead of settling in for the day and still 23 ks to go we just had a taster and went on our way.
Today was a good day for shade - 3 of the ks were in Oakwoods and then croced hills. Each day the terrain would vary a little but there always seemed to be 2 constants. Somehow each day about late morning there would be a gentle breeze come up,
which in 30degrees of heat after walking some 12 Ks was something you could not help but belive was a "gift". The other constant was the welcoming Medieval villages and the church bell tower that seemed to be showing you the way and many times gave us the time of day- we came to love them.
Many of the villages were built on natural springs and would have a shaded plaza with a drinking fountain just for the Pilgrims, often in Calle Mayor - the main street. Most people in the villages you would pass would greet you with Bein Camino - it was like an injection of encouragement.
In the village of Villauerta we stopped to visit a church and then got guidance to a local cafe for some lunch. The afternoon was hot but by 3.30pm we had reached our destination of Ezequiel - siesta was good and then dinner with a South African couple we had spotted along the way and asked to join us and they shared info and tips for South Africa. after dinner practising our limited Spanish dictionary we managed to negotiate a breakfast to go for our next and biggest day of 27ks-
and due to the heat we really felt we needed a good early star. So on Day 4 our last day after stretches our vitamins and a Celebrex (after a Banana Barb and Jill) at 6.30am we headed off towards Logrono. Half way through the day we crossed to the region of Roja- one of Spains top regions for wine and agricultural production A-so we passed by many vineyards, olive groves and a few fields of Fennel, cereals and other crops we did not recognize. This day we picniced and had our siesta in the shade of a farmers 20 ft high haystack. Our Barb sash served as the table cloth- it had been such a help along the hike in serving many purposes.
27Ks seemed a long walk but since we got away before sunrise and our fitness was adequate we were making good time and in fact we passed many other Pilgrims who had big packs and we wished then Bein Camino as we passed them.
We shared our walk that day with a lovely Dutch girl called Lisa- she had a great spirit and we chatted about lots of things. At one point we even passed 2
of the Spanish Guardia Civille on horseback checking the track - very reassuring and very handsome Lisa commented.
With the change of province we noted that the Camino's guiding signs were a little different - still the shells and the yellow arrows but Rija's shells were often in Brass and a little artist or more creative than Navarre's but still they left you in no doubt which way to go. About 2pm we started our walk into Logrono, the capital of Rioja, stopped at the tourist information to get a map and then across the bridge to our accommodation F&G on the edge of the old quarter. Made it to the Cafe Bar for a celebratory Coke Light and then to the Boudior for a Siesta.
About 5.30 we took ourselves up into the old town, sat in the square and enjoyed some of the local festivities and many glasses of the local wine. Dinner was fantastic and enjoyed some good music and some ice cream which they are famous for and hit the hay to get ready for the next day's 1000Ks jump on 300 kph trains to Cordova - it was a great taster of Bein Camino -
who wants to come back for the full 800Ks? Next year!
Love to all - hope you enjoyed the hike - Corrie and Ian xoxoxoxoxo
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maree and John
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well done
Congratulations well done on the walk really gives u a feel for the real country does it not . we drove near some of these places only as my walking is not up to that and J not into that as well. Loved the Pamalona story so funny to think we were there same time last year ! Keep enjoying Have had Kylie here for 4 days and did girly things @ gold coast Love Mand J.