Author: Dan Triggs

Leaving Nájera it seemed that virtually every available space was devoted to vineyards. Then as we walked toward Cirueña once again there were fields of wheat alternating with the vineyards. And closer to Santo Domingo de la Calzada nothing but wheat fields. It was quite a climb to Cirueña which is situated at 745 meters. We have very basic accommodations for tonight in an albergue run by the Cistercian nuns. We got a bit of extra rest, then attended a pilgrim mass at a small church across from the cathedral and received the pilgrim blessing. For a change of pace we got vending machine food on the way back to the albergue.

Day #9

Santo Domingo de la Calzada 

Population 6,600 / Elevation 640 meters

Albergue Cistercienses

Distance walked today 21.3 km.

Weather warm and cloudy early, clearing later.

The first 9 or 10 km on our way out of Logroño was in what amounted to a beautiful park shared with pilgrims, walkers, runners, and bikers. We had breakfast at a café on a lake while a family of swans including 8 young lounged on the grass close to our outdoor table. Today was one of the longest planned stages of the entire pilgrimage with few sites or villages along the way. I ran out of energy several kilometers before our destination and, as usual, Isabella got her second wind and kept me going. We are still in wine country with acres and acres of vineyards. We have checked in at the municipal albergue which is a lot like what we figured would be typical – room for 90 pilgrims in one large room filled with bunks. The facility is nice, but very basic.

Day #8

Nájera

Population 8,500 / Elevation 475 meters

Albergue Santiago Apóstol

Distance walked today 28.9 km.

Weather cool and cloudy early, clear and warm later.

We got another early start today and it was so chilly we each wore an extra layer. The sun came out just long enough to cast long shadows ahead of us on the Camino path. There are occasional signposts that not only show the way to go, but remind you how far you have to go – and today was a very long day. Many of the villages along the Camino are built on top of hills – did I mention how much we love the steep climbs? Isabella loves to stop and admire the “Camino” dogs. We are now in the famous wine producing region of La Rioja – immaculately cultivated vineyards are everywhere. Wildflowers are more and more abundant. And the church interiors are mind blowingly ornate. As a special treat, a fellow Newnanite, Caleb Burdett, who lives in Logroño, met up with us to have dinner and tour the city center including the cathedral and the nearby parochial church. We ended the evening with some of the best best ice cream ever. True southern hospitality here in northern Spain.

 

 

 

 

Day #7

Logroño Population 155,000 / Elevation 380 meters

Albergue Santiago Apóstol

Distance walked today 27.8 km.

Weather very cool, mosty cloudy.

The day started off very cool and cloudy with a strong breeze. We got lucky and stayed dry in spite of scattered showers near us. The walk was much more level than any of the previous days. In the first town I had orange juice and a potato tortilla. Later, at a food truck I had another orange juice. I sure would love to have one of those juice machines at home. Today was the day for passing thru Irache with its famous wine fountain. I still haven’t convinced Isabella to try wine – she is only drinking water. We have checked in at the Isaac Santiago albergue. It is run by a couple of volunteers from Belgium who are super cordial and lots of fun. We are heading out shortly for dinner and the pilgrim mass.

Hey guys,

Blisters suck.

¡Buen Camino!

-Isabella

 

Day #7

Los Arcos

Population 1,200 / Elevation 450 meters

Albergue Isaac Santiago

Distance walked today 21.5 km.

Weather very cool, cloudy early with partial clearing later.

We got another early start and were looking forward to an easier day with less severe elevation changes. And again, just like the last few days, the weather forecast called for rain. Today we did actually run into just enough rain a couple of times to get out the ponchos. Other than that it was a beautiful day for walking. We decided that the theme for today is “food”. At 8:45 we stopped at Pan el Portal for the most amazing flaky pastries with dark chocolate filling. At 9:40 we stopped at a trailside “donativo” stand for an apple and a pear. It was one of the sweetest, juiciest pears I have ever eaten. Around noon we stopped at a small bar for fresh squeezed orange juice. After we checked in at the albergue Isabella wanted something from a vending machine. There was a pack of crackers that had not fallen, so she selected the same item and got both packs. After a nice long walk down town and thru the riverside park we had the best pilgrim menu meal yet.

Day #6

Estella 

Population 14,000 / Elevation 425 meters

Albergue Hospital Perigrinos

Distance walked today 21.9 km.

Weather mild with scattered light showers.

Today’s walk was the easiest so far – not easy by any means, but not as challenging as the previous days. We saw lots beautiful scenery, much of it wh eat fields about ready for harvest. The middle part of the day was a very steep climb to (and descent from) the top of Alto del Perdon, well over 300 meters. This is the site of the famous wrought iron sculpture of medieval pilgrims. On the way up we found a beautiful  church, San Andres, in Zariquiegui. We’re talking a tiny church in a tiny village with the most amazing interior. I realized that today is the feast of Corpus Christy, one of my favorite feasts. I was able to find a time for quiet (and emotional) meditation. We are getting ready to find dinner with two young guys from New York (company for Isabella) and a middle aged woman who has bicycled alone all the way from Holland. One of the great things about the Camino is the people you meet.

Day #5

Puente la Reina 

Population 2,800 / Elevation 360 meters

Albergue Padres Reparadores

Distance walked today 23.8 km.

Weather mild and bright.

So grandpa and I started out the day early this morning with a wake up time of 5:30, and by the time we got completely packed and ready to go, it was 6:30. We decided that we didn’t want to eat breakfast right away so we walked for a little while and snacked on a little bread left over from yesterday when we stopped in a small bakery. On the way we passed a water station that had a bunch of cats but none of them would get close enough to let me pet it. We kept walking and decided to stop at the cafe that was right beside the path instead of going into a town to find some place to eat. This cafe had amazing orange juice and a really good chocolate chip muffin. There were also chickens, cats, and even a duck! The duck wanted us to give it our food, and I assume it thought I was going to when I was holding the last bite in my hands, because it stood by my chair and looked up at me expectantly and when I didn’t give it my food, it bit me! Okay, so maybe it just pecked my leg a little, but it sounds better when I say it bit me… anyway, after we finished our food we got back on the path and continued our easiest day of walking so far. We went up and down in slight elevation change several times, but other than that the walk was pretty easy. We walked through a big city called Trinidad de Arre and ended up meeting up with several pilgrims that we have seen on the way from the last few places we have stayed. We all walked together to Pamplona and then we went our separate ways while we were looking around the city, but we all ended up at the same albergue again. The city itself is really busy, but it has been really cool to see the cultural difference between here and home. I’m really sore from the climbing up and down that we have done the past few days, but I got a Powerade and Twix bar from the vending machine here so I’m pretty happy now. Anyway, that’s all I have to say.

¡Buen Camino!

-Isabella

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Our albergue for tonight is housed in what used to be a church.  The facilities are amazingly great including free washers and only 1 euro for the dryer. After showering and doing laundry, we went out with a friend to find dinner. In the old part of the city they’re having a festival this evening celebrating the end of the Franco regime’s restriction of the use of the Basque language. There were an amazing number of people downtown, with lots of drinking and lots of music – really fun and exciting. We almost couldn’t find anywhere to eat it that was not too crowded. We had a so-so dinner of salad and pasta with meat balls, the went to a small shop for ice cream cones.  The chocolate was more like dark chocolate, really wonderful. So it’s to bed now so we can get up for another early start.

– Dan

Day #4
Pamplona
Population 200,000 / Elevation 450 meters
Albergue Jesus y Maria
Distance walked today 20.9 km.
Weather mild and bright.

 

It rained hard before we started and it turned to light rain for the first hour or so, then cleared off so we could put the ponchos away.  This stage turned out to be a good bit tougher than we anticipated and it pretty much wore us out.  Our hike started out in a very pretty wooded path and wound thru several very old tiny villages. We got to see a number of cows close up, then came up on a gorgeous old cemetery. Toward the end of the day we made a long difficult steep descent to Zubiri where the path went down a slippery rock outcrop.  Isabella led most of the way down and she was the first to encounter an elderly man who had lost his footing. Fortunately he was not hurt so she was able to help him up. We had discussed going a bit further today, but were both bone tired. We checked in at the municipal albergue, then went to a local restaurant for a Pilgrim dinner. It included a choice of drink (spring water for Isabella and white wine for me), a first course of pasta with light tomato sauce and cheese, a second course of vegetable lasagna, and finished with chocolate coated vanilla bean ice cream bars.  Delightful!  We’re not too concerned about the carbohydrates since we are burning lots of calories. It’s time to turn in and get some rest.  We plan to get up extra early in the morning and see how far we can get.

Day #3
Zubiri
Population 400 / Elevation 520 meters
Albergue Antigua Escuela
Distance walked today 21.9 km.
Weather light rain early, turning mild bright for most of the day.

The day dawned bright and clear and the mountain fog lifted enough for us get an absolutely spectacular  view of the valley.  Very appropriately, today was the feast of the Visitation, commemorating Mary’s pilgrimage into the hill country to visit Elizabeth. (Isabella’s name, of course is derived from Elizabeth.) So, we continued our pilgrimage today as far as Roncesvalles. This is an extremely difficult part, with a climb in elevation from 810 meters to 1450 meters, then an even more difficult descent to 950 meters.  We appreciated the fact that we did not try this yesterday. We are weary, but very excited to continue tomorrow. We had another fantastic 3-course dinner and attended another pilgrim mass.  It was a beautiful liturgy with 4 concelebrating priests and including a pilgrim blessing in several languages. The albergue is modern and comfortable and we plan to sleep well tonight.

Day #2
Roncesvalles
Population 30 / Elevation 950 meters
Albergue Colegiata
Distance walked today 15.8 km.
Weather cool and bright, perfect for hiking.

Isabella did not sleep well last night, too much head congestion, and she got up feeling pretty tired and weak.  A lite breakfast seemed to help and we set out on our pilgrimage. The first few kilometers were really steep and we quickly discovered how ill prepared we were and how poorly Isabella felt.  However, the scenery, what we could see thru the mist and fog, was spectacular. After 3-1/2 hours of hard hiking we made it to Orisson, only a third of the way to our intended destination. After a nice break and a little food and drink, we decided that it would be best to stop for the day and not try to continue on. We spent part of the afternoon napping, showering, etc. The weather cleared just enough late in the afternoon to reveal an absolutely beautiful view from the albergue deck. We had another wonderful 3-course dinner with lots of sharing especially with a couple from Florida, a man from Austria, and a woman from Norway. There were pilgrims from at least a dozen other countries. We are feeling much better and starting to get excited about tomorrow’s walk.

Day #1
Orisson
Population 0 / Elevation 810 meters
Orisson Albergue
Distance walked today 7.8 km.
Weather overcast with mist, mountain fog, and some light rain.