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The Camino

mai - juillet 2023
The most amazing experience ever En savoir plus
  • 61empreintes
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  • 50jours
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  • VoyageurThe Camino
    Jour 10

    Thursday 1st June Viana to Navarrete - a

    1 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Very good nights sleep in Viana. Left at 7 in cool cloud for a long quite uninteresting walk into Lograño. After 10km and somewhere in the centre of Lograno, after exploring the church of Santiago, we had breakfast and somehow spent 2 hours wandering round and eating. On the way in saw many storks building nests and sitting on the roofs - wonderful sight.
    Out of Logroño we walked through a beautiful park with a lake and saw re squirrels. Less attractive was the bit afterwards on a path running alongside a motorway and the through major road construction zone. Finally into Navarrete totally exhausted to be honest - although the walk was only 23k it was very humid today and hot although predominantly cloudy. I needed a beer.
    Posada Ignatius where we are staying is lovely although we are the only people here - so the shared bathroom is ours alone.
    Very strange supper experience in a Fawlty towers type restaurant with added slightly sinister atmosphere which we eventually gave up on and ran away leaving €10 for the half glasses of wine we had drunk. Owner was newly arrived from Romania and although he had initially promised veggie food, or at least fish, when I had gone in to enquire earlier, when it came to it this was obviously a big problem and after shouting and banging in the kitchen and no food appearing, together with questions like - there will be ham - is ok? We decided to cut and run.
    Had a great meal with camino friends Tachel, Ros, Nick, Mike and Paul at Bar Deportivo with very good food and lovely staff.
    I have felt the need to dispose of things I really don’t need while on the Camino. Both actual things like hand sanitiser, old t shirt, old flip flops and virtual things in the form of unsubscribing from all the marketing emails I seems to receive hundreds of on a daily basis. I have unsubscribed from several every day so far and am feeling very relieved! Still struggling with ‘Nextdoor’ tho which I can’t seem to get rid of for the life of me.
    An ongoing project!    En savoir plus

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  • VoyageurThe Camino
    Jour 11

    Day 10 Navarrete to Najera - a day of vi

    2 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Left Navarrete around 7.30 in cool cloud. Perfect walking weather. Met up with Dave and Sherri from the US. They are on a 5 month European tour and including the full Camino. After telling us that they were spending some time out of Burgos at a circus festival they explained that they are clowns and have lived out of their van for 19 years - although they have also spent 5 years running a cat and dog kennels which they had to take over when Dave’s mother died. It had been her business and they took it over with no prior knowledge of what to do and had to combine managing the business with clearing her house as she had been a serious hoarder.
    Spent most of the morning with them including a delicious breakfast stop.
    This was a short day - 17km altogether - so we had time to explore Najera in the afternoon after waiting out a big thunderstorm.
    The monastery of Santa Maria was outstanding - it seems extraordinary that some of these towns are so off the tourist routes as they are very special.
    Dinner was another slight mistake but we managed to eat just about enough and then had a cup of tea with Sheryl and Janice who we bumped into.
    We are in Rioja now surrounded by vineyards - some with tiny grapes already in evidence, others with just leaves so far that I guess will be harvested later. Wonderful countryside but closer to big roads than before.    En savoir plus

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  • VoyageurThe Camino
    1
    Jour 12

    Saturday 3rd June - Najera to San Doming

    3 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We left Najera at 7 on the. Most beautiful morning. Coffee in Azofra at Bar Sevilla with tostada and they also made me a cheese sandwich for later.
    A wonderful walk in a stunning landscape and cool for a while. Weather began to heat up around 10.30 and I was very relieved to find a donativo food and drink stall by a shady area with a water fountain and benches.
    Changed my shoes for sandals for the first time which was reasonably successful although as the path was stony I did have to shake them out from time to time.
    On the bird front I heard a Rock Sparrow for the first time.
    Arrived in San Domingo at about 12.30 and immediately ran into Dave and Cherie - our clown friends from Maine - who were eating at a little bar in the square so stopped to chat with them.
    Have finally managed to solve the problem of accommodation in St Juan de Ortega where there seemed to be nothing available for Monday night. Janice was able to share details of a hostal which I have now been able to book for €15 each. Just very relieved that we will have somewhere to stay as it was looking impossible other than a terrible Alberge which everyone said to avoid.
    Explored the cathedral and learnt about the chicken legend. The cathedral has two live chickens (I have video!). The story is that a pilgrim lodged with a local family whose daughter made advances to him. When he rejected her she put a coin in his bag and then accused him of stealing. He was tried, found guilty and out to death by hanging. His parents then went on a pilgrimage to Santiago and on their way home wanted to collect his body for burial. But at this point he came back to life. When the town people approached the judge, who was eating chicken, saying that they did not know what to do with him as he was still alive, the judge said that he wasn’t any more alive than the chicken on his plate - at which point the chicken also came back to life. Sorry for the very brief and probably incoherent retelling of the story but I did enjoy the chickens in the cathedral!!    En savoir plus

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  • VoyageurThe Camino
    1
    Jour 13

    Mistier, farther and farther - from Sant

    4 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Sunday 4th June - a day that started cool and misty and almost raining. Still beautiful. Stopped for a poor coffee and bad toast after about 7km and then a second much better coffee a few kilometres further on.
    Then the sun came out and the views were stupendous. I need to paint - or at least begin to learn to paint. Next time I’m bringing a watercolour kit!
    Having been quite cold for the first part of the morning it then became quite hot and more of a slog close to a busy road. But having started at 7 we were safely in Belorado by about 1.
    We then had to wait in a huge queue to get into the hostal but we’re thankfully given a room of 4 with two other friends - which given that the bunks are very close together and look like double beds, is lucky.
    Belorado is another hidden gem and had the added bonus of a festival in the main square. Also a choral concert in the church which I heard part of.
    The hostal is busy but good with a lovely garden with a pool. I had a swim which was fab - the pool was surprisingly quiet - maybe most pilgrims don’t bring a costume? I met Ross from Glasgow who is a fellow wild swimmer and who has promised to let me know when he finds places to swim - he has already swim in two rivers! I’m very jealous.
    Good pilgrim meal at the hostal - veggie but small portions - sure this must be good for me.
    Very very early start tomorrow as it’s going to be a long day.    En savoir plus

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  • VoyageurThe Camino
    1
    Jour 14

    Day 13 - Belorado to Ages - one thousand

    5 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    This was going to be a long hard day so left the hostal at 6 - but I might as well have left at 4 as I had almost no sleep as our dorm was noisy! Despite a headache it was a fab mornings walk until we stopped after 12km at Villafranca for coffee and tortilla.
    The next part of the walk was steeply up but not as hard as I had expected and then the most wonderful stroll through woodland with beautiful birdsong (including Bonellis warblers, tree pipit, firecrests, and short toed tree creepers). Then there were the butterflies - thousands of them following me along the trail and all over the flowers. Also a hummingbird hawk moth - one of my favourite insects.
    It was a truly magical day and once the headache went, thanks to paracetamol, I was in heaven! I’m sitting here in an 8 bed dorm writing this with a cuckoo still singing outside. I feel I may not get much sleep this as there is already snoring and coughing :(
    Wonderful meal at a local bar in Ages almost next door to the hostal - the owners only spoke Spanish but I managed to communicate and had a great vegetarian meal - with Caroline, Rachel, Roz, Paul and Nick.
    Burgos tomorrow for two days!!    En savoir plus

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  • VoyageurThe Camino
    11
    Jour 15

    Day 14 Ages to Burgos

    6 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Amazingly slept well despite a dorm of 8 - turns out that the one man on the dorm didn’t sleep so I guess that’s why there wasn’t too much snoring!!
    Left at 7 just after sunrise. A beautiful morning and a gentle start to the day. The poppies looked as if they had been frosted - they had closed up and were tinged with white on the outside but as the temperature rose they seemed to revive.
    There was a ring of standing stones commemorating the people involved with excavating the oldest human settlement in Europe- should learn more about this at the Museum of Human Evolution in Burgos tomorrow.
    A tough section uphill on limestone was leavened by fabulous birdsong and then came to a cross at the top of the hill with views towards Burgos. After that it was all downhill or flat - two stops for coffee at villages on the river Pico and then the scenic route into Burgos.
    This wasn’t brilliantly signposted but we aimed for the river (sadly not deep enough to swim in) and then followed that to the ancient gate into the city which leads to the cathedral.
    The whole place looks unreal (one friend compared it to a sandcastle!) and I can’t stop taking photos.
    Had a drink with Camino friends in the Cathdral square then found our hotel (yes a hotel - 3 of us sharing - bathroom and NO bunk beds!!). Caroline and I found a great vegan restaurant, Gaia, about 5 minutes from the hotel but only open from 1.30-4pm. Food was fab and a huge relief after some adequate but not great meatless meals. Four courses for €14.
    Did some washing as usual and our room currently resembles a chines laundry but it’s drying well in the heat ( room is vv hot and when we tried air con it only produced hot air - complained to the hotel but were told that they don’t activate the air con system at this time of year!).
    Drinks at a tapas bar with friends and now going to sleep - very tired but a good day.    En savoir plus

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  • VoyageurThe Camino
    Jour 15

    Burgos - not walking!

    6 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Amazingly slept until nearly 9 - I was so tired. Got up slowly for first time and went to join Rachel and Caroline for coffee. But my great flaw, impatience, reared it’s ugly head and after waiting a very long time to be served I decided I might be quicker getting some coffee elsewhere. And amazingly found a great place by the river with coffee and whole grain tostada with olive oil and tomato for €3.50. Delicious.
    Then to the Museum of Human Evolution. Fascinating archaeological finds in nearby Atapuerca (which we had walked through yesterday) of the oldest human settlement in Western Europe.
    Lunch at Gaia again with Caroline and Janice and Rachel - just as good as yesterday - I will miss this place.
    In the afternoon visited the cathedral which was awesome - but not particularly spiritually inspiring (compared to some of the other churches we have visited). However Burgos as a whole is one of my favourite places. Very fun to walk around and beautiful at every turn.
    Sad moment when I realised that I have lost both my sunglasses and my socks. Tried to find them but without success. Everywhere I tried, including last night’s hotel, had not seen them. So had to replace the sunglasses with a very cheap pair and will take very good care of my one remaining pair of socks!
    Dinner with C, Tricia and Rachel at another very good vegan place. I will miss these.    En savoir plus

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  • VoyageurThe Camino
    Jour 17

    8th June Burgos to Hornillos - venturing

    8 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    What a wonderful day. Having been led to believe that the Meseta would be bleak, challenging walking, today was a revelation in so many ways. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.
    Leaving Burgos was flat and close to roads for a while but we were soon out into the countryside again, and a very different landscape to that before Burgos.
    Huge skies and wide sweeping views were breathtaking. And remembering to look behind sometimes gave equal joy.
    Two stops for coffee/ breakfast in Tardajos and Rabé de las Calzadas - coffee great in the second place. Then an emotional stop at a tiny chapel just beyond Rabé where we met Theresa who was greeting and blessing pilgrims. Memorable.
    After this we were on to the beginning of the Meseta - cloudy magnificent skies that seemed never ending. Hard to describe properly - you need to see it.
    Arrived in Hornillos just before a shower of rain. The hostel is peaceful and full of both old friends and new ones. Dinner was paella (with chicken) for 30 (bit they were able to make me a salad to which I added chickpeas and olives from the little store across the road, which was delicious. Followed by yoghurt with honey.
    Right next to a church but I love the sound of the bells - just striking 9 as I write this.    En savoir plus

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  • VoyageurThe Camino
    1
    Jour 18

    Hornillos to Castrojeriz

    9 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Lulled to sleep by a nightingale and woken by a cuckoo - possibly only on the Camino and on the Meseta?
    Slightly wild dreams but was awake just before 6 and left around 6.40.
    Unbelievably beautiful landscapes again and again I’m wishing I could paint. It’s hard to describe how stunning our environs are here. You need to see it for yourself.
    We have been lucky with the weather - not too hot and very little rain today.
    Stopped for coffee at an albergue just before Honteras and then again in the town itself where we met up with Sheryl and Janice.
    Easy walking today with the final stretch into Castrojeriz passing a ruined monastery now run as a very simple albergue by the Canadian Confraternity. I have to stay there next time if I’m lucky enough to be able to do this again. It has no electricity so dinner is by candlelight. No hoy water either - but I can do cold showers!! I’m aiming for it!
    Arrived at our Albergue, Iacobus, which was at the very far end of the town. Hopefully this means a bit less distance tomorrow which at the moment looks like quite a long day.
    Managed to get washing dry despite heavy thundery showers.
    Dinner at the albergue - not very veggie friendly so had to eat fish as a main course but did get a cup of camomile tea at the end which was a bonus.
    Now trying to get an early night as very tired!    En savoir plus

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