This morning started casually as we knew that we only had about 3 or 4 miles to go to the center of Pamplona and the start of the race.  The hotel we stayed at was about 1 km. off the Camino, but was far enough that we had no pilgrim crowds.

On reaching the Camino, there they were! The streets were alive with pilgrims working their way to the next rest stop. Many had likely started at Loarisoana, about 7 miles back. We lazy pilgrims just started about 1km. back. Well, a pilgrim must walk their own Camino.

We reached the gates to the old city about 11:00,

We then began both exploring the old city and looking for where the race started. Here is one of the buildings in the old city

We finally reached the square where the race was to begin and it was buzzing with excitement

After each of the riders signed in and we’re introduced, they lined up for their 100+ mile ride (they do this every day for 3 weeks … and we complain about walking a few miles!)

The picture below is what an amateur photographer takes and explains why real photographers still make money. It’s bad! But imagine if you will, 180 cyclists lined up at a starting line ready to ride.  Well, that’s sort of what this picture was supposed to capture.

After the race, we enjoyed a late lunch, then back on the road. While warmer in the afternoon, we like the quieter nature of the Camino then. Most pilgrims have found their hostel by then, so it’s just us misfit pilgrims still on the road. But as I said, we do like it that way.

Again we chose a hotel for the night. At roughly 50 euro for a 3 star place, we’re becoming accustomed to this lifestyle.

We have already searched out the local “menu de Peregrino”, so we know what’s for dinner tonight!

More later …

Day 5 and we’re still making forward progress! We left Zizur Maior and returned back on to the Camino. Once on the Camino, we were greeted by the many, many Peregrinos who were waiting for us. Seriously, over the course of the next several hours, we ran into quite a few of the folks we’d met from the train ride on. That was cool!

We traveled about 15 miles today, crossing over the windmill ladened hills to the west of Pamplona.  At the top of the ridge, there are metal statues of Pilgrims (see the movie, The Way, for more about them). Here’s Diane with some of our friends:

A few miles later, lunch called us as it did a few score of our fellow pilgrims. Here’s the scene outside the first restaurant that the group saw since the hills.

Our last stop of the day was to see the small cathedral of Eunate. Possibly built by the Knights Templarfor the pilgrims in the 12th century, it is a rare 8 sided church.

Most of the Peregrinos did not make it out here. It adds about 3 miles to the trip which can be a lot. Also, there seems to be a shortage of space in the main hostels, so people are trying to get to the hostels early. If you have some flexibility, there are many secondary hostels, Casa Rurales, or hotels available … but that may require more walking and a bit more Euros.

Readers have asked us, how do we know where the trail is. Are we worried about getting lost? (Actually, no reader has asked us that … but they should have! )

The first clue that you are on track is the crowd. Just follow the crowd.

The next trick to staying on track is to look for signs. Sometimes, really big signs. Some are on the ground:

Some big signs are on walls:

Some free standing:

In some of the towns, they put these silver plaques in the sidewalk every 15 feet or do:

Now, most of the time, you are not in towns but on country trails. There, the solution is yellow paint!  Anything that can be painted will be painted with yellow arrows:

Also, the oldest signs used a white and red stripe to indicate the trail, as:

The net here is that is very difficult to get lost on the Camino!

We are starting to feel the rush for rooms!  It seems there is a major car race this weekend in Logrono (our stop for Sunday). Add to that a week-long festival in Los Arcos (tomorrow’s stop), and everything is booked!  Making a long story short, we were blessed with meeting a woman who got on the phone and just stared calling everyone she knew … and she knew a lot of people, and now we have rooms.  So, Willow, to your question: yes, we do know how far we’re going … at least when we are unsure of room availability.

Numbers: This is our 6th day of walking.  Today, we covered just under 15 miles. Our total is: 80 miles.  Our longest day: 22 miles.

On leaving Puente la Reina, the first thing you do is cross the Puente la Reina! Seems one of the queens, several centuries ago, had the bridge built for the safety of the pilgrims.

The views on today’s hike were awesome. We are now 2 mountain ridges west of Pamplona. Here was the view looking back east this morning:

And now, looking west:

One quick bit of Peregrino background. The Peregrino does 2 things of first importance on arriving at the new location. The first is to clean up!  6 -10 hours of trail dust is pretty gnarly.  The second is to wash their clothes so that there is enough time for them to dry. Most Peregrinos only have 2 sets of clothes, so keeping the backup set clean is really important. I snapped this picture of the clothes line at one of the hostels in Puente la Reina.

For those of us in hotel rooms, we wash our clothes in the sink, then hang them about in our rooms like the Beverley Hillbillies!

Hasta Manana!

Just a short post about an event yesterday. We were feeling pretty strong so we were hiking a good brisk pace. Behind us were 3 women, Brazilian we believe. We could here them talking behind us. We’d speed up, we heard them. We’d stop for a snack and back on the trail, we’d hear them. We felt like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid being chased by that posse that never gave up. Butch would keep saying,  “who are those guys? “. So, yesterday we kept saying,  “who are those gals? ”

We saw them again today …

First, my apologies to Estella; it’s not Estrella.  Oh well.

Regardless, the town of Estella is a great town to visit. The town square is worth the price of entry!  There was a large group of traditional dancers who made their way through the square in the late afternoon. We sat at a plaza cafe and ate paella while watching the events. With the sun not setting until 8:00 and the day staying light until 9:00, the plaza is a great place to be.

Now for the hike to Los Arcos. 13 miles of hay and vineyards, vineyards and hay. I tried to capture both with this photo, but we’ve already acknowledged my lack of skill there.

About 6 miles before we arrived in Los Arcos, we knew where it was. The Spanish national motorcycle championships were taking place there and you could HEAR the race!

On arriving in Los Arcos, it was a small village of about 1500, with a spectacularly beautiful church. Built between the 12th and 14th century, it was done in a no holds barred fashion. Here’s a photo:

This was also the first time I saw many of the Peregrinos show their faith. Both catholic and protestant Peregrinos were in that church praying. Many more than you might have thought. So, even today there is a spiritual quest in this Camino.

Okay, a bit dramatic, but it is amazing how many of our fellow Peregrinos are suffering significant injuries. From very serious blisters to strains, sprains, bad knees, Achilles issues, etc. And they are not run of the mill;  they are typically pretty serious. Many are talking lay days, short days, or the bus. Some are simply calling it a day.

We are not without injury. Bill tweaked his Achilles running a couple of weeks before the Camino and it has become worse with the hiking. The hiking poles are a blessing as they take some of the load off of the Achilles.

Now for the hike: we left Logrono figuring to only go 8 miles to Navarette.  On making it there, we felt good so decided to push on to Najera, another 10 miles down the road. We stopped long enough on Navarette to sight see. Once again, this town had a beautiful church.

As we continued, we saw mile after mile of Rioja grapes. Here is a sample bunch:

Diane has become very Spanish and is now managing the mid day sun with a parasol!

And so, after completing a back to back couple of 18 milers, we arrived in Najera. Wow, this is a stunning town!

Apparently, the royalty of the Navarre region lived here a short 800 years ago or so. Here is another poor picture of s cathedral built into the side of the hill.

At bit of trivia, first. At Los Arcos, we completed our first week on the Camino. 93 miles of walking, approximately 400 to go. The trip to Logrono was another 18 miles.

Okay, 18 miles to go today and the days have been pushing the high 80’s and low 90’s. Many of the Peregrinos figured to get an early start on this day. We certainly did!

We woke up at 6:00 and were on the road at 7:00. Now, at 7:00 it is just starting to get light, but we could make out the signs. Many Peregrinos started at 6:00 or 6:30 and used flashlights to make out the trail and the signs.

Where yesterday was the day of hay and vineyards, today was the day of races! In the village of Viana, they were holding a 10k race there. In Logrono, it was a triathlon! 

Leaving as early as we did on a Sunday, there was no place for us to get a breakfast before starting. So, we ate a saved Clif bar and left.  Fortunately, about 4 miles down the road we came to a village with a market open. We bought fruit, bread, cheese and some chocolate and dined “on the road”. Tasty!

The village of Viana:

By the time we hit Logrono 14 more miles down the road, we were looking at anything that might be edible …I had to keep my eyes on Diane!

Diane, on the trail  to Logrono … safely ahead of me

We found a cafe in downtown Logrono and looked like castaways enjoying their first meal in weeks! We were famished!

With food in stomach, we searched out our hotel, found it, and found that it actually has a respectable Internet signal. Now, for the shower, the laundry, and a walk about town!

Now for the count and the amount: we have now been hiking for 10 days and have completed 152 miles, for a 15.2 mile average. We’ve stayed in 1 alburgue,  2 Casa Rurales, 3 hostales, and 4 hotels. On a later post, we’ll explain the differences.

Today was a very pleasant walk to Santo Domingo. We left Najera at a very civilized 8:30, and arrived here at 1:00, just in time for lunch! A total distance of 13.2 miles.

We had thunderstorms throughout the night, which cleared the air for this morning’s walk. Very refreshing!

Coming into Santo Domino:

If you’re a map checker, you won’t find Quintanilla on the Camino. Once again, we’re a bit off the path in a wonderful Casa Rural, La Aldea Encantada. It is near Villamayor del Rio … if you’re checking.

Now, for the first: Even with our earliest starts, we’ve been able to either make coffee or buy coffee, first thing. Today, Bill took a wrong turn on leaving the hostal and we found ourselves outside of Santo Domingo … without coffee. And, 6 kilometers to go before some could be purchased. Diane took the news well. Here is a photo of her before coffee:

Fortunately, we walked briskly and made it to Granon where a great cup of coffee was found and the beast was tamed.

On today’s walk, we crossed into our third region of Spain, Castilla y Leon.  Interestingly, the border crossing was much better marked than the crossing from France to Spain.

Another 12 miles in the bank today. Laundry, shower, eat, Internet, sleep. The life of a Peregrino!