Category: Spain

Wednesday, June 14
Day 14
Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Belorado

On entering Belorado, one of the first things we stumbled upon was this plaque, set into the pavement stones, showing Martin Sheen’s foot and hand print and signature. As we walked through the town, which obviously has gone to a great effort to beautify the streets, we saw many more of these plaques for others associated with the film The Way.

It was fun to seek out Emilio Estevez’s plaque and to try to figure out to whom the other plaques pertained.  I was told that in the  Tourist Information  Office they give out maps showing where all the plaques are. It’s Belorado’s own version of the Hollywood  Walk of Fame. Obviously the cast of The Way beat us to Belorado. Nobody asked us for our hand/footprints.  For more photos of Belorado, see our page of photos.

We walked from Santo Domingo to Redecilla del Camino, then took a bus the rest of the way. It was another great day for walking–cool, overcast, and good road surfaces. We ducked into the local church for a quick look. The priest was leading choir members and pilgrims in an international religious sing-along. Then we went to a local restaurant where we were invited to join five other pilgrims  for a convivial  dinner. Great fun!

Steps Today: 23,137

See more photos at June 14, 2016: Santo Domingo to Belorado

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, June 13, 2016
Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Day 13

What a change from Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada!

The cathedral was open for  business, and full of visitors there to see the famous cock  and hen, kept in a lovely coop high up on the cathedral wall. These are the only chickens in a church in Christendom, allowed to be there by a specific Papal ruling. The chickens are supposed to be the direct descendants of the original miraculous chickens. In this story, a cooked cock and hen sprang back to life, fully fledged, in order to prove the innocence of a falsely accused pilgrim.

Santo Domingo himself, who is buried in the cathedral, is a delightful saint. Turned away by two snobby monasteries who thought he was too stupid to be a monk, he dedicated his life to helping pilgrims and ended up with a town and cathedral named after him.

Although James was still not feeling well, we did walk half-way to Santo Domingo. While James slept in the afternoon, I explored the cathedral and a souvenir shop or two.  In the evening James and I returned to the cathedral for a guided tour.

The  guide was a very erudite gentleman who seemed to take delight in debunking some Christian myths. He pointed out what I already knew–from living in Portugal–that the story of the chicken(s) springing back to life is a common tale from many places in Europe. Santo Domingo de la Calzada has the distinction, though, of backing up the story by keeping chickens in the cathedral and by having had a pope give his backing to the miracle.

Steps Today: 21,976

Be sure to check out the additional photographs at June 13: Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Saturday, June 11, 2016
Day 11
Logroño

The Saint Bernabe Fair was in full swing in Logroño. Buskers and fair-goers dressed in medieval and regional costumes were out in full force. Stalls were everywhere, with huge cheese wheels and delicious regional sweets on sale. The streets were thronged with families out until midnight. Rick Steves in his book on Spain says Logroño is skippable, but we found the fair to be great fun.

We also visited St. James Church, where Josemaría Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, worshipped and discovered his vocation.

In our photo today, notice the bagpipes. Evidently bagpipes are historically an instrument of this region.

This was a rest day, and we needed it. James is feeling really poorly with his cold.

Steps Today: 6,760

You can see more photos of the fair and the town at June 11: Logrono.

Friday, June 10, 2016
Day 10
Viana to Logroño

Leaving Viana, we saw a beautiful portal and stepped through, expecting to see a historic church. Instead, all was ruin, the evidence of time.

Coming into Logroño, we saw storks flying overhead, and then their nests on top of poles and spires. We crossed the bridge over the Ebro River and made our way to the Pilgrims’ Fountain, which has above it the escutcheon for Logroño (pictured above).

A medieval  fair is in town, and we briefly stopped at some booths along the route to our hotel. Later, waiting for my laundry, I sat near an elderly gentleman who clearly delighted in feeding the doves. He didn’t mind having his picture taken, either!

Your pilgrims are suffering from the walking and the constant moving from day to day. I caught a cold in Pamplona, which has now jumped over to James. Lots of aches and pains.

Steps Today: 28,432

Check out additional photos as June 10, 2016: Viana to Logroño.

Thursday, June 9, 2016
Day 9
Los Arcos to Viana

We left Los Arcos fairly early. The road was a good surface, through vineyards and wheat fields, growing golden in the sun. I met four pilgrims from Louisiana, and we chatted at Sansol after hop-scotching each other up the road. Just up the road from  Sansol we caught the bus at Torres del Rio to take us into Viana.

The Camino surface was generally hard and firm, good footing. There was little shade, though, so when we made it to Sansol we sat down for drinks at the first cafe we came to. Then a long lunch at Torres del Rio while waiting for the bus. I used the time to upload photos. I’m  still struggling with the technology!

Steps Today: 18,300

Photos: June 9: Los Arcos to Torres del Rio

Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Day 8
Estella to Los Arcos

Our day started with a stop at a monastery and went on to include a memorable church.

Our first stop after leaving Estella, just out of town, was the Irache Monastery, where Benedictine monks make wine. The monks have a fountain offering free wine and water. Their sign asks visitors to enjoy a cup of wine on them, but for more to please purchase a bottle. James partook, but it was too early for me.

Earlier in the day we had walked past an iron worker’s workshop. We stopped to admire some of his pieces, and he invited us in to see others. Wonderful work, but very, very heavy.

Late in the afternoon we visited the Church of Santa Maria, which had a fabulously beautiful cloister, in the center of which was a rather overgrown, unkempt bed of roses. There is symbolism there–the religious fervor of those earlier Christians who built the church versus the inattentiveness of the current era.

We also saw roses everywhere throughout the day, some with huge blooms. I plan to post more photos on a page, which you might like to check out.

Tweaking our updated travel plan, we took off walking early in the day Spain seems to be having an unexpectedly early heat wave, and we need to take advantage of the coolness in the early mornings. This turned out well. We had time in the late afternoon to visit the church and admire its beautiful cloister.

Steps Today: 18,777

See more photos as June 8: Monasteries and Churches, Iron and Roses.

 

Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Day 7
Puente La Reina to Estella

Walking from Cirauqui to Lorca  we saw our first (of many) sizeable vineyards and olive orchards. The ground is dry and rocky. The sun is very hot. The sky is very blue.

Implementing our new walking policy, we planned to take the bus to Lorca and then walk into Estella from there. When we stepped onto the bus, however, we were told that our only two choices were to get off at Cirauqui or to ride all the way to Estella. Having to make an instant decision and wanting to walk at least part of the way, we elected to get off at Cirauqui.

We found the Camino and started off. It was very hot, an unexpectedly really hot day. For a good part of the time, we walked along a Roman road–rounded, uneven stones. Historic, but treacherous  footing, so I was inching along. And then my bad shoulder  started aching again, so I gave my water to James. When we staggered into Lorca we dropped at the first bar and guzzled liquids. The kindly bar keeper gave us an excellent gazpacho (cold) soup for lunch and then phoned a taxi for us. And off to Estella we went.  Our new travel policy still needs tinkering!

Steps Today: 13,912

Monday,  June 6, 2016
Day 6
Pamplona to Puente La Reina

Puente La Reina (The Queens’s Bridge) has spanned this hamlet since the 12th century.   The guide books say that historians are not sure which of two queens had it built. What?  If a king had built it….but let me not get off on that particular hobbyhorse. How many millions of pilgrim feet have traversed these stones? What a timeless, serene, and beautiful image it is for this town.

On this day, James and I started our new regime of going by bus halfway and walking the rest of the way, about 10 kilometers.  Better and easier for us!  More time for reading and napping and having a leisurely lunch.  I think we may have finally hit our stride.

Steps Today: 23,510

Sunday, June 5, 2016
Day 5
Pamplona

This red door marks the end of the journey for the bulls who run through the streets of Pamplona during the Festival of San Fermin. Behind the red door is Pamplona’s bullring, and by the end of the afternoon the six bulls who thundered through the streets in the  morning, bowling over the runners, will themselves all be dead. To the left of this view, outside of the frame of this photo, there is a bust of Hemingway. Supposedly at the end of his life Hemingway regretted having made Pamplona, San Fermin, and the Running of the Bulls famous, since it “ruined” everything by attracting too many tourists. In Pamplona, however, the townspeople seem to love Hemingway and what he has done for their city, since Hemingway’s image is everywhere.

After our late Saturday night out, first at Pablo Carbonell’s show and then our midnight visit with Hemingway at his bar, we slept in and had an easy Sunday. In the afternoon we took a walking tour around Pamplona as recommended by Rick Steeves in his guidebook.

Steps Today: 7,825