Azofra to Redecilla - 8/19

(Distance: 26.3 kms   Time: 7.5 hours)
The Day: We left really early this morning (6:15) but for some reason I was having an off day and kept us at a snail's pace. It was dark when we left and we had to search for the "yellow arrow" markers very carefully with a head lamp. The terrain started out pretty much the same but turned more interesting as the day wore on. The first town we got to was a golf course community and unlike anything we have seen thus far. We stopped in the club house to get a drink and I ended up paying almost $6 for a glass of orange juice. At first I felt bad about entering the bar area all sweaty and smelly with a backpack on but after the $6 for the orange juice I got over it quickly. A little further on 2 pilgrims ahead of us missed the marker for a turn and by the time we reached the turn we realized they went the wrong way. We could still see them way down the wrong path and with the help of another pilgrim we screamed, shouted and whistled and finally got their attention and they turned around. That is how it is on the camino, everyone looks out for each other. Later, we passed the Italians that we had given our bottle of wine to the night before and they greeted us warmly telling us they had toasted us after we left. We reached the town we had targeted and decided to push on to the next town. (Nothing like getting ahead of a project plan :-) ... Espy, pay attention!) So today's walk ended up a little over 16 miles. That puts about 150 miles behind us so far with a mere 350 miles to go ... sigh.

The People: The town we are in has about150

 people that live here. We really haven't met anyone new today as we pretty much spent a quiet day today.

on the road at sunrise ... again

only 571 kms to go

fields of sunflowers as far as you can see

Navarette to Azofra - 8/18

(Distance: 23.2 kms  Time: 5 hours)
The Day: The town festival was still going strong in the morning. We got a late start (yea ... more sleep) but overall made good time. We had to leave Navarette without any breakfast so we struggled on the first section. It seems we do actually need that cup of coffee first thing. So we stopped and got coffee & pastries which gave us both a boost. Our original goal was Najera but getting there early gave us the opportunity to push on to Azofra. That turned out to be a good decision because the albergue in Azofra was fairly new and had great accommodations ... washing machines, a shallow pool with cool water that felt great on tired feet and individual rooms with 2 beds each. We were able to relax some (I took a nap) soak our feet and trade conversation with some other pilgrims we hadn't met before. The road seems monotonous at times and reflective at others. Santiago feels like it is a long ways away even though we have already walked over 100 miles.

The People: Our path crossed again with Cherry from NYC and shared some good faith based conversation. We continue to run into Patrick and seem to be on a parallel course with a bunch of Italians. We ate dinner by ourselves but did not finish the bottle of wine that comes with a pilgrim's meal. As we were leaving the restaurant the Italians 

came in and we gave them the rest of the bottle ... I think we made some good friends!

leaving Navarette

the walk later in the day

pool that we cooled our feet in at the albergue

our room for the night

Viana to Navarette - 8/17

(Distance: 22kms  Time: 5.25 hours)
The Day: We took another easier day today having split the 2 suggested days into 3 shorter ones. I needed the short distance today. Father David P mentions in his book about feeling like your feet have been beaten with a meat mallet ... he was very accurate. He also talks about having " back pack envy" feeling envious of other people's back packs that looked lighter than his. I have developed a different envy ... mine is being envious of all these people who have long legs with a long stride ... I almost have to run to keep their pace. They look like they are just strolling along while I feel like I'm stumbling. The country side remains beautiful and the path is mostly natural so far. The guide book has warnings the the next day will be on the side of roads which means pavement. Once again the town we are in for the night is having a big festival tonight and we have been warned that it will be noisey.

leaving Vianna

crosses left in a chain linked fence by pilgrims

entering Navarette

Mass Saturday night ... the Priest gave us a Pilgrim blessing at the end

The People: We walked most of the day today with Patrick. However we did meet a couple from Paris today ... Anna and Cyrille. They have been walking for 10 days and will end next Thursday. Each year they do about 2 weeks of the camino.

Anna and Cyrille from Paris

Los Arcos to Viana - 8/16

(Distance: 18.6 kms   Time: 4.5 hours)
We took a short day today. The camino book had 2 days covering 58 kms and we decided to split it up into 3 easier days. The walk was over easier ground and we had cloud cover so it wasn't too hot. We spent the afternoon being lazy and resting a bit.

sunrise after an early start

passing through a small village

Estella to Los Arcos - 8/15

(Distance: 21.1 kms  Time: 6.5 hours)
Last night we had a pilgrim meal with some of our friends along with about 20 other pilgrims. The wine served with the meal got the party going and we all had a great time ... almost too good. The albergues close their doors and have lights out at 10pm. We (all 25 of us) arrived at our albergue at 10:20 ... oops! After a few mins of banging on the door and making noise they let us in ... probably a better alternative than us waking up the whole town.

our "dinner party"

The Day: This week appears to be a special festival time in Spain. At 6am (yes I was up and moving) a group of musicians were at the door of the albergue singing to the pilgrims celebrating a feast day of the Virgin Mary called the "Festival of Grace". We actually left at 6:30 but stopped just down the road at a "mini mart / gas station" and had our morning coffee and pastry. Then off to go walk "a few" miles. Maybe it was the dinner the night before, but neither one of us could find our rhythm all day and we struggled. The terrain for the most part was open farm land and it was hot. Having heard that their was a special event happening in Los Arcos today, we called ahead and made a reservation in a recommended albergue ... and good thing we did because many pilgrims ended up sleeping outdoors. The special event was their annual town festival and the "running with the bulls". Mass  was even cancelled that evening so that the Priest could participate. It was all fun to watch but ended up mostly a town party. 

headed out of town

on the walk for the day

running with the bulls

bulls back in the main arena

The People: We had a drink in the town square in the afternoon with new friends ... Ruth, Claire and Alice from Ireland, and Cherry from NYC. Today was the last day on the camino for Ruth, Claire and Alice but Cherry hopes to make it to Santiago by Sep 14. Patrick and our path continue to cross and he is becoming a really good friend. We had dinner with Aaron from Arizona and Arc from Brazil ... to my surprise he had also worked for IBM but was recently "RA'd" (for my non IBM readers that means they were let go)

Patrick, Claire, Cherry, Alice, Ruth and Betsy

Puente la Reina to Estella - 8/14

(Distance: 21.9 kms  Time: 6 3/4 hours)
The Day: We were on the road again at 6:45 and not only did I see the sun rise again, but the roosters were crowing. It was a very pleasant morning and very comfortable temperature wise so we were making good time. Then, Betsy realized she had dropped her shirt off her backpack. Asking people that came by they told her they had seen the shirt a ways back. So she left her pack with me and back she went. I continued on carrying both my pack and hers, and even got some help going up a hill from a pilgrim passing by. Betsy found the shirt and caught back up with me in about 20 minutes. It turns out that 20 minute delay caused us to reunite with some of the friends we had made in he first few days! Have I said recently that God is good? We spent the rest of the day walking with friends which was nice. One small town we went through around noon was having their yearly Village Fiesta with bands playing and firecrackers going off. Most of the towns we pass through seem pretty deserted so his was a nice change.

leaving in the morning

early morning path ... with our shadow to prove how early it is :-)

approaching a town

a few challenges to overcome

classic pilgrim picture of shadows

Estella

Time for a few observations over the first 5 days:
1. There are more Italians on the camino this time of year than any other nationality
2. The most popular name is Christina
3. Bikers on the camino are as annoying as snow boarders are on the ski slope ... always out of control and never let you know when they are approaching
4. The repetitiveness of walking miles every day works well with the repetitiveness of the rosary
5. Shared trials help people to open up and share their story

The People: I mentioned we met up with some "old" friends today ... specifically Tina from SJPP and Patrick from England. We met an older gentleman George from Oregon, a young English man Jullian and a woman who grew up in NJ but now lives in Paris named Jane. Each has their own story & reason for doing the camino ... and it is amazing how many people were inspired by the movie "The Way".

Cizor Menor to Puente la Reina - 8/13

(Distance: 19 kms  Time: 7 hours)
Before we post anything about our journey today, Betsy and I would like to wish Dad a very happy 93rd birthday. Our journey pales in comparison to yours.

The Day: Today we got our earliest start yet. I'm not sure how she did it but Betsy got me up and actually walking by 6:45. It rained hard last night but the skies were clearing by morning. It made for some slippery trails at times but at least the rain had moved on. So today with the early start and a shorter distance as our goal we took our time. We stopped for breakfast after a couple of hours and re-energized, then moved on. The main challenge for today was the "Hill of Forgiveness" or Alto del Perdon which is a bit more than a hill rising over 300 m over a distance of 4 kms. At the top there are a lot of wind mills and the wrought iron representation of medieval pilgrims with heads bent to the west wind (see picture below). The weather was in the low 70's with lots of wind. We made it to Puente la Reina by mid afternoon and then went through our routine of washing clothes and showering. Our feet hurt but no major injuries thus far... God is good!

the sun rise ... I actually saw it :-)

path as we head toward the "hill"

midieval pilgrims (see explanation below)

town of Obanos

church in Obanos

our room for the night

The People: We really did not meet any new friends today ... lots of people helping us order things in Spanish, etc and many familiar faces. Our albergue for the night has 2 rooms with10 bunk beds each, pairing 2 bunks in kind of cubicles. Our "room mates for the night is a young Spanish couple Jorge & Maite.

Zubiri to Cizur Menor - 8/12

(Distance: 26.4 km   Time: 7 hours)
The day: Lights on again at 6am, we packed up and went down for a quick breakfast of you guessed... toast and coffee. You get lots of carbs in Europe. Today was not as strenuous from a terrain point of view but our objective was to make up the 5.5 kms we lost yesterday so we worked hard at keeping a good pace. You see, no matter how hard we try to focus on the journey, the destination keeps getting in the way. We have a plan and we want to stick to it instead of just going with what is given to us for that day. None the less, hard walking for 7 hours makes time for hard praying. Today's terrain was a combination of wooded area, farm roads, little towns and paved walkways. The water however tasted horrible so we were drinking less and at lunch time we entered a town and went on the hunt for a grocery store. So for lunch we had fruit, fruit and more fruit with orange drink mixed in. It tasted wonderful and sustained us to our destination. We entered the old city of Pamplona (no bulls running at the time) stopped for a quick drink and moved on. Our feet were aching but we made our destination by 3pm ... back on plan ! (hard to get the project mgr out of me)

The People: we seemed to keep running into Roberta and her young kids and also with Christina. On the path somewhere we walked & talked with a young man from England. He had a bad accident 5 years ago and hurt his back ... the camino is his last bit of rehab before he is totally out from unnder doctor care. It seems that everyone we meet has a story as for how they got here and why they are walking the camino. While we walked through Pamplona, a man stopped us out of the blue with a hearty "Buen Camino!"  We stopped and talked for a minute ... he had lived in the US and was so excited about us doing the camino. After wishing us well, we parted ways. Most people are friendly, helpful and don't seem to mind when our Spanish is horrible.
 

our early morning path

making our way across the country side

bridge & waterfall in a little village along the way

gate pilgrims enter into Old Pamplona

streets of Pamplona

our beds for the night at the albergue in Cizor Menor

church in Cizor Menor where we attended Mass

Roncesvalle to Zubiri - 8/11

(Distance: 21.9 km  time: 7 hours)
The day: Lights came on at 6am (Betsy was delighted, I was not). We packed up our back packs and went to get some coffee and some bread & jelly, then off we went at about 7:30 stopping only for a minute to take a picture of the mileage to Santiago. It was very chilly and we began in long sleeves & pants. The terrain was mostly farm land and wooded areas connected by small villages and roads. Even though it wasn't as steep as the first day, it was challenging in that the path often looked like a dried up creek bed with lots of rocks and was very hard on your feet. We made it to Zubiri and decided to call it a day leaving us short of our goal by 5.5 kms. We found a very nice albergue, cleaned up,washed our clothes and went to dinner at the albergue. Lights out at 10 pm once again. So far we have no blisters or sunburn ... our feet hurt but nothing unexpected.

The people: We kept running into our friends from SJPP... particularly Tina from Holland and Christina from Canada however stopping early put us with a bunch of new people. At dinner we met Natala from England, Roberta and her three young children from Italy (they have a summer home in Nice), a new Christina and Patrick from England. Patrick is an older gentleman and could tell a good story with the best of them. Later on in the conversation I was surprised to learn that he retired from IBM in 1992. Given his ability to engage it did not surprise me to learn he was in sales & marketing. Natala is a school teacher so naturally she and Betsy hit it off. We keep seeing other familiar faces but have not had the opportunity to meet them yet other than to wish them buen camino.

albergue at Roncesvalles

leaving Roncesvalles

walking through the town of Burguete

a stop at a water fountain along the way

SJPP to Roncesvalles - 8/10

We got up at 6am Saturday and ate breakfast at the albergue as we watched our new friends eat and make there way out the door to start their camino. In our excitement we felt left behind, but we still had to find a box to ship our stuff to Santiago for the end of our journey. So at 7 in the morning we went to the stores in town to see what we could find. Betsy in her usual way of getting things done found a box in a book store so we hurried back to the albergue to pack it, still hoping that if we hadn't lost too much time we might start hiking a day early. At 8:45 we talked the owner of the albergue into taking our package to the post office so off we went starting our camino about 1 3/4 hours later than optimal. The first day takes us over the Pyrenees mountains and is one of the longest & hardest hikes and here we are starting at 8:45 ... we didn't care because we were too excited. For my friends in IBM and especially the PMs, starting a day ahead of plan had special appeal to the project mgr inside of me :-).

The day proved to be long, hard and spectacular. We made it to Roncesvalles by 6:20 pm so it took us over 9 hours! To put that in perspective, one of our new friends we met in SJPP, Tina from Holland is a genuine walking machine. She started walking 3 months ago from her home and she made it from SJPP to Roncesvalles in 5.5 hours!  I can not describe the challenge of the vertical steepness of the climb and carrying 26 pounds on my back did not add to the pleasure. The temperature was about 80 but with a cool breeze and very little humidity, unlike NC. We made the first vertical climb in the expected 3 hours but it wore us out and then anticipated next 5 hours turned into 6.5 ... but the experience was worth it. Camera pictures can not capture the beauty of it all but I tried any way and posted a few below. The albergue in Roncesvalles was very nice with a lot of pilgrims staying. Our "room" had 39 single beds with 2 to a cubical.

marker for "the way"

the path & view leading to the top

nearing the top of the path across the mountains

sheep grazing just like in the movie

Betsy on the road

at the top of the Pyrenees mountains

more views as we climb

A special note to Mary, Mark, Janet and Jim ... our hike in the NC mountains trained us well in an unexpected way. There were cows, goats and horses all over the mountains and as we had to do in NC, we had to watch carefully for all of the droppings on the paths!

Today God showed us the true beauty he put in the world. People from multiple nationalities were all very nice (Italians seem to be the most popular), the weather was spectacular and the views breath taking. Day 1 was truly blessed.

our bunk room for the night