Camino de Santiago

May - July 2024
  • Steve Barber
  • Charity Morris
A 49-day adventure by Steve & Charity Read more
  • Steve Barber
  • Charity Morris

List of countries

  • Spain Spain
  • France France
Categories
Backpacking
  • 6.7kmiles traveled
Means of transport
  • Flight5,411kilometers
  • Walking-kilometers
  • Hiking-kilometers
  • Bicycle-kilometers
  • Motorbike-kilometers
  • Tuk Tuk-kilometers
  • Car-kilometers
  • Train-kilometers
  • Bus-kilometers
  • Camper-kilometers
  • Caravan-kilometers
  • 4x4-kilometers
  • Swimming-kilometers
  • Paddling/Rowing-kilometers
  • Motorboat-kilometers
  • Sailing-kilometers
  • Houseboat-kilometers
  • Ferry-kilometers
  • Cruise ship-kilometers
  • Horse-kilometers
  • Skiing-kilometers
  • Hitchhiking-kilometers
  • Cable car-kilometers
  • Helicopter-kilometers
  • Barefoot-kilometers
  • 42footprints
  • 49days
  • 736photos
  • 104likes
  • Lorca - Estella

    May 31–Jun 1, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    Day 9. On the way to Estella, we stopped at the 11th Century Monastery of San Miguel. While little more than ruins, it was still beautiful. Nestled in an olive grove, San Miguel provided a respite and a glance back thorugh time.
    After we arrived in Estella, we explored both the churches of San Andres and San Juan Baptista along with the ruins of St Peter and the Holy Sepulcher. Along the way, we encounted a questionable, clown fountain.
    Snails where everywhere, and perhaps cheering us on. We finished the day with Paella.
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  • Estella - Los Arcos

    Jun 1–2, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

    Day 10. On the outskirts of Estella, we found an "old world" blacksmith and his forge. Truly a master artisan, the blacksmith creates all manner of ironwork. From the humble pilgrim shell necklaces to the intricate Spanish Fighting Bulls it was amazing.
    One of the landmarks of the Camino Frances is the Irache Wine Fountain. The bodega gifts 100 liters of wine to pilgrims everyday, however, by the time we arrived the wine was gone. We left both sad and thirsty.
    Before the day ended, we hiked sixteen miles through beautiful, but unending landscapes beside mountains and across flat plains.
    After arriving in Los Arcos, we showered, did laundry, and found food for our famished bodies. As has become our custom, we toured the gorgeous Santa Maria Cathedral for which words have little ability to do justice. Every wall was intricately painted, the alterpiece breathtaking, the cielings were stunning, and the cloister flawless.
    We will be taking it easier for the next few days.
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  • Los Arcos - Logrono

    Jun 2–3, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Day 11. There is a saying that "The Camino provides." It gives you what you need, not what you want. Today we rode a bus from Los Arcos to Logroño due to injuries sustained on the way. The camino provided both the bus and the wisdom to get on it. Not every lesson needs to be learned through needless suffering.
    Logroño is the first large city we've entered since leaving Pamplona. It's streets were bustling with activity, and at the Cathedral of Santa Maria de la Redona a parade honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus was just starting when we arrived.
    The plaza before the cathedral was packed as parishoners joined in the celebration. Inside the church, the beautiful music of a pipe organ echoed.
    We stayed at the municipal albergue where our bathrooms were on different floors which made midnight bathroom trips especially intersting for Steve. However, it did have toilet seats so it was rated as good in our book.
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  • Logroño - Navarrete

    Jun 3–4, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    Day 12. We walked nine miles through the Parque de la Grajera into Navarette. In the park, Spaniards fished from the bank of the lake right along the Camino while families of ducks paddles across the smooth water. The park gave way to rows of grape vines in one of the many vineyards of the La Rioja region of Spain.
    After reaching Navarette, we checked into the Albergue Buen Camino then toured the stunning, 16th century church which was complete with it's own small botafumiero and beautiful alterpiece. We cooked a delicious, spaghetti dinner for ourselves in the albergue kitchen, and shared a bottle of vino tinto.
    The Spanish love their parks and churches, and both are growing more beautiful as we travel along the Camino.
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  • Navarrete - Najera

    June 4, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    Day 13. In Najera, we visited a 11th century monastery and a museum. The monastery was amazing and was built into the side of a mountain and had a cave where a wooden carving of Mary or "The Virgin of the Cave", the oldest in Europe, was placed. The statue of Mary was built over a thousand years ago. There was also multiple tombs and sarcophagus’ holding the remains of nobility, and knights.Read more

  • Najera - Santo Domingo de la Calzada

    Jun 4–5, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Day 14. Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and one of the best stories along the Camino de Santiago.
    The story goes that in the 14th century, a German 18-year-old named Hugonell, from Xanten, goes on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela with his parents. A Spanish girl at the hostel where they were staying makes sexual advances toward Hugonell; Hugonell rejects her advances. Angry at this, the girl hides a silver cup in the German's bag and then informs the authorities that the youth had taken it. Hugonell is sentenced to the gallows, in accordance with the laws of Alfonso X of Castile.
    The parents sadly decide to examine their son's body, still hanging on the gallows, but suddenly hear his voice –he tells them that Saint Dominic has saved his life. His parents quickly make their way to see the magistrate and tell him of the miracle.
    The magistrate, who is at the time eating dinner, remarks: "Your son is as alive as this rooster and chicken that I was feasting on before you interrupted me." And in that moment, the two birds jump from the plate and begin to sing and crow happily.
    The rumored descendants of the two miracle chickens are housed in the Cathedral and also the municipal albergue. It is said that if the albergue chickens "cluck" at you that you will return to Santo Domingo, and they clucked at both of us.
    The cathedral in Santo Domingo is the only church to have live stock in it.
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  • Belarado

    Jun 5–6, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Days 15-16. We forgot to post on day 15, but it was a short day where we stayed in a ghost town called Redicilla del Camino. It was a different Camino day in which our hospitaleros abandoned us and no food was to be found. However, the Camino provides, and an ice cream truck saved the day by selling us ice cream, potato chips, and beer. The hospitolero returned to prepare our meal which was done in haste and not very good.

    On day 16, the hike to Belerado was beautiful with several little villages sprinkled along the way. We got some encouragement from pilgrims that have walked before by way of grafatti, but the wisest of them was from St. Preaux to “Loose your anger and never go to lost property office.”
    We walked the path that Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez walked in the movie "The Way" and saw their hand and foot prints. The town of Belerado has a lot of beautiful murals, but also a lot of gnats. We spent the night in a great little Alburge called Cuatro Cantones. We had dinner with a sweet couple from Austria, and visited with an Irish couple biking to Santiago.
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  • Burgos Part 1

    Jun 7–8, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Day 17-18. We arrived in Burgos and spent a rest day. On our first night we stayed on the fourth floor of the Hostal Rimbombin which provided a beautiful view of the busy street below. Since it wasn't a pilgrim albergue, it operated more like a hotel with front desk clerk, round the clock access, and general apathy to the guests. We toured the gorgeous Cathedral of Burgos where El Cid is buried underneath a starlight dome, and walked the city streets. The city was quiet with many places closed due to a large festival a few miles away. Dinner was pizza and beer on the promenade.Read more

  • Burgos part 2

    Jun 7–8, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    We stayed at the municipal albergue today which is very nice and wonderfully located right behind the cathedral. We spent the day between walking the city, touring the Museum of Evolution, and visiting bars between rain storms. We ate a wonderful meal where we ran into the Irish biking couple again, and stopped for churros in the cathedral plaza.Read more