Author: Dee Dee Heslop

Left our rural house in Villamayor de Monjardín at 8:00 a.m., after making our delicious breakfast in our well equipped kitchen. From a topography standpoint, this was the easiest day so far. We began with a 7.5 mike stretch to Los Arcos, with (once again) breathtaking views!

Highlight of this town was the Iglesia de Santa Maria de Los Arcos, a 12th century Romanesque structure, with Gothic and Barouque architecture added over the years. After a leisurely lunch the five pilgrims headed west to Sansol and Torres de Rios, some 5 miles away. We enjoyed drinking wine and talking to dozen of other pilgrims from France, Africa, and England. We ended the night with a wonderful pilgrims meal outside the Casa Mariela albergue.

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.

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.

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.

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!!