Camino Day Seven Great night’s sleep on the 3rd floor of an apartment building . We had two bedrooms , but shared two baths with others in two separate bedrooms. Very nice accommodations for ‘pilgrims’. Today, we agreed to sleep late, get breakfast and tour the town of Estella. At 10:45am, we put on our backpacks and headed west. Very easy hike, with rolling green hills and mountains in the background. We passed the Palace of the Kings of Navarre, a 12th century structure, on the way to the town of Ayegui. Later, saw the Iglesia San Pedro de la Rua, a 12th century Romanesque church. The highlight of the day came a mile or so later when we climbed a hill to the Fuente Dr Irache , the famous fountain of wine. After taking a sip of red wine from the fountain ( except Dee – who absconded with a few ounces in her water bottle) we headed across grassy plains and climbed steeply to Villamayor de Monjardin. Right before entering the small town we passed a famous 13th century cistern (Fuente de los Moors). Because of our long day yesterday we decided to call it quits for the afternoon around 3:00pm. We found a small house in a building beneath a multi-story alburgue. Very nice, with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths.
Day 7
Day 6
Well, after leaving Uterga at 7:30 a.m. with blue skies and a crisp 48 degrees we ended up in Estella ~ nearly 20 MILES later!! By far our longest day – and one that not only pushed the edge of our envelope – but challenged our weather protection skills. The ambient temperature probably reached the high 40’s, but often felt much colder because of the strong winds and threatening skies that had us putting on and removing our rain gear all day long.
We arrived at our Pension at about 6:00 p.m. and immediately showered and washed our clothes. After a late (Spanish) dinner, we are heading to bed.
Day 6
Day 5
Camino Day Five We had originally planned a ‘day-off’ in Pamplona, not knowing how we would all fare after hearing how difficult the first four days on the Camino could be. Instead, we decided to just sleep in and start our walk around noon. We felt that 10 or so miles would at least keep us moving forward – and none of us were really sore or tired. The first 3.1 miles were very ‘ urban’ – as we trekked through and out the western edge of Pamplona. The next 4 miles started out through open fields, but then climbed significantly to the town of Zariquiegui. I think all of us were surprised by the steepness of this section. And compounding the issue for some of us, a hard rain /hail encounter brought out the rain gear for the first time! The next 1.5 miles continued steeply uphill – in mud – until we came to the famous ALTO DEL PERDON, several steel statues of pilgrims on the crest of the mountain. Astonishing views surround a very significant work of art. The last 2 miles dropped us 885 feet , down a very steep and rocky trail, essentially a watershed. We arrived in Uterga around 5:30pm, at a private alburgue. Had a delicious ‘pilgrims meal’ , and planned for a possible 18 mile section tomorrow.
Day 5
Day 4
Another 14 + mile day, as we left Zubiri about 7:30 am. Warm day, continuous ascents and descents. Entered the historic fort walls guarding old Pamplona, Spain. Today we spoiled ourselves a little by making reservations at a beautiful hotel /spa in the heart of the historic district – 50 yards from the start of the Running of the Bulls. Felt a little guilty – but great change.
One of our fellow pilgrims, Carolina, who happened to be from Pamplona, and her boy friend, Tim, from the U.K., arranged a personal tour of Pamplona. It was fantastic ! Walked the entire route the bulls run, stopped by several unique bars, and ended up at the famous Hemingway’s for dinner.
P.S. for our banker followers, we were able to find and use our first BBVA ATM. Felt right at home!!
Day 4 ~
Awoke at 5:45 am this morning and started our walk 2 hours later. Still struggling with organizing stuff bags, after washing clothes daily. Seem to be constantly opening and closing backpacks, typically looking for things or adding objects we overlooked earlier.
Huge group of pilgrims started the walk with us – as we started our 14.5 mile hike to Zubiri. Started out in the enchanted forest (supposedly haunted) and passed through three or four beautiful villages in the first 10 miles. Continue to add to a growing list of international pilgrims we have met and walked with periodically throughout the day, as an example: Mary, Mary Elizabeth, and Mary Katherine – from Ireland, Tim and Carolina (England & Spain), Evelina (Germany), Anna (Holland), Bruno and Margaret (Germany), Georg and Sylvia (Austria)and Vanessa (Switzerland) – along with two or three other couples from the US. The last two miles of our hike was a very steep and technically difficult descent into the town of Zubiri. Beautiful village adjacent to a majestic river. We were very lucky to find accommodations in a small private albergue – as several pilgrims arriving after us had to keep hiking toward other towns further down the Camino.
It has been three difficult days, but all five of us have had an incredible experience – and best yet, no blisters !
Camino Day 2
This morning we watched an incredible sunrise on the deck of Orisson Albergue. Began our hike at 8:00am and immediately started climbing, almost continuously, for 2,800 feet. On the way, had incredible views of the French Pyrenees, saw beautiful horses, the famous statue of the Mother Mary, and markers of pilgrims that had died on the Camino. About 5 hours into the hike we entered Spain. At the apex of the walk we looked down at our destination, the former monastery at Roncesvalles – now a 183 bed albergue. Three miles and 2,600 feet downhill later -we arrived at our lodging for the night. Not a great night’s sleep – as lights came on every time anyone entered the bathroom and the flushing of toilets echoed like a jet engine all night long. Still, a beautiful sight, with a small cathedral. Saw the famous old albergue that Martin Sheen stayed in his first night on the Camino.
