Category: El camino de Santiago

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Belorrado to Ages 

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We didn’t have rain today, it was an easy walk, especially for Jeremy who has tendinitis. We walk through a long, beautiful, and boring forest in Europe, probably eight kilometers of the same green scenery followed by a local Cuckoo bird. From now on every time I hear a Cuckoo clock it is going to remind me of this stretch of El Camino. This afternoon when we arrived at our hostel we learned that the water heater was broken and our host was trying to find another accommodation for us. Luckily we had the best travel agent who also was looking for a place where we could stay for the night. Right now is the highest season for El Camino and the small towns don’t have enough beds for all the pilgrims that are arriving every day.  At the end, we stayed in a hotel outside Burgos. Tomorrow we are going to be drive back to Ages and start where we stopped today.

Sto. Domingo to Belorado

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Today was the most challenging day for me, it’s not only that the body is getting tired, it’s the emotional aspect, I’m tired of the rain and wind and for the first time, I had a breakdown on El Camino. I was hungry, tired, and had no sight of a near town, it was the first time that I question myself, why am I doing this? Jeremy has tendinitis in his left shin, which is slowing him.

7:30pm, we went for dinner at the restaurant where most pilgrims go in Belorado, Albergue Cuatro Cantores; it was like a party, everybody was happy to see each other, people catching up about how was the walk, how the injuries are doing, the rain, and so on. It has been a very delightful dinner with fellow pilgrims.

9:25pm, time to go to bed, tomorrow is a new day.

Nájera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada.

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This afternoon we arrived at Sto. Domingo, around 2 o’clock, we heard the church’s bells playing, and we learned it was a special day when all the worshipers from the mass left the church. We were trapped by the mob. Here we are, two sweaty, dirty pilgrims walking along very well-dressed people celebrating their saint’s day.

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Logroño to Najera.

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Today we walked the longest stage in our itinerary, 30 kilometers, which is about 19 miles. At this moment, we are mesmerized by the fact that our brains want to keep going, but the body is breaking down, slowing us down with knee pain, skin rash, backache, and so on. But on the other hand, we are very grateful to live this experience of simplicity in our life, basic material things, thinking a lot about ourselves and spirituality.

Los Arcos to Logroño.

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Today we walked 28km; it has been the longest walk so far. We left Los Arcos early this morning because we knew we had a long walk ahead and also wanted to arrive in Logroño before the afternoon rain. Today’s walk was through vineyards and olive trees; for the next few days, we will be walking through the famous Rioja region.

Zubiri to Pamplona

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Our third day of walking found us off to our usual 8am starts, leaving the village of Zubiri and heading towards the provincial capital of Pamplona. We had visited Pamplona prior, but we were eager to arrive as we had built a rest day into our stay. This was good planning on our end. But more on that later…

The day found us covering mostly level terrain with pretty hills and valleys and very few steep climbs or descents. The first seventy percent was mostly rural until we hit the outskirts of Pamplona. And with our entrance into the suburbs, we experienced our first significant pilgrim transition. Prior to entering the satellite towns of Pamplona, we were pilgrims amidst pilgrims. Everything revolved around the Camino, including all people who crossed our paths. However, entering back into everyday Spanish life, with the hustle and bustle of the city, we realize that we were invisible. Everyone was busy with their lives, their work, their family, and the distractions of living, and here we were, arriving, each of us with our own reasons for walking, but with only the immediate need to keep on walking, our every day lives very much in the background. For us, at least, it was a moment of appreciation to have this month to step back from our daily routine and do something of great introspection.