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Camino Francés

September - October 2022
A 36-day adventure by Our Camino Francés Read more
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  • TravelerCamino Francés
    Day 1

    Day 1: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

    September 10, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    We arrived in picturesque Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port this afternoon, after taking a 3-hour train ride from Madrid to Pamplona, followed by a twisty 90-minute taxi ride through the mountains—in a Tesla, no less.

    We shared the taxi with a pilgrim from Seattle, Washington, who generously and unexpectedly covered the full cost of the ride.

    With a little time to kill before we could check in to Gite Makila, we went in search of something to eat. We’d missed the window for a full lunch but were able to get some tasty sliced meats and cheeses nearby.

    After lunch, we dropped our packs off at our lodging and walked up a series of steep, stone steps to the Citadel to admire a lovely view of the town with the Pyrenees looming in the background.

    Returning to our hostal we met a friendly woman from Boston and made plans to go out for dinner as soon as the restaurants re-opened. Following a recommendation from our hospitalero, we went to Le Relais de la Nive at 7 p.m.. The place was almost empty when we got there, but soon packed with a mostly local crowd.

    Tomorrow we start making our way up the mountains. We’ll spend the night at Refuge Orisson, and then continue on the next day to Roncesvalles. This is the hardest stretch of El Camino Frances, and we’re closely watching the weather given the potential for some severe storms on Monday.

    More about that next time!    Read more

  • TravelerCamino Francés
    Day 2

    Day 2: Refuge Orisson

    September 11, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Today’s 7 1/2 kilometer hike was beautiful and brutal. The unfolding views of rolling fields dotted with the occasional sheep, pretty red-roofed farmhouses, and green mountain peaks were stunning. However, the always steep incline of the trail as we climbed 2,221 feet, at an altitude that we’re not adjusted to, had us stopping for frequent breaks.

    The challenge validated our decision to make this a “short” day distance-wise. Arriving at Refuge Orisson at noon and being able to check in right away to our room was an unexpected boost, as we thought we’d likely have to wait until 2 or 3 p.m. to get settled.

    Our seven “roommates” arrived around the same time: a German family group of five, and two Canadian women traveling alone. The Germans are only on the Camino until Pamplona; the Canadians are heading to Santiago. We felt lucky to be placed with such congenial people—in a newer room with stunning views.

    The requisite daily showers (timed, with a token) and laundry (3 Euros for a load that didn’t spin dry) soon followed, along with a tastier than expected lunch at their outdoor restaurant.

    Most online comments that we’d read claimed the food at Orisson is lackluster, but that wasn’t our experience. After lunch, we wrung our clothes out and hunted for spots on a crowded clothesline. Once that was sorted, it was time for a siesta punctuated by chats with our roomies.

    A three-course dinner was served family-style at long tables for about 50 pilgrims. After dinner, we took turns standing up to say where were from and why we were on the Camino. Many of the vignettes were quite moving.

    Our next leg is to Roncesvalles, 17 kilometers away. We’ll climb another 2,690 feet but are told the inclines up aren’t quite as steep as today’s but we will have a steep 2,194 feet descent.

    More about that next time!    Read more

  • TravelerCamino Francés
    11111
    Day 3

    Day 3: Roncesvalles

    September 12, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Gale force winds across the high mountains were today’s Camino challenge as we walked the 18 kilometers from Orisson to Roncesvalles. The wind was so intense, we needed to frequently brace ourselves with our hiking poles to stay upright.

    The roaring wind made it hard to have a conversation but kept us cool, so that was a plus! And it was a treat whenever a land feature or a grove of trees provided a welcome wind break. So far, it seems the Camino really has a way of magnifying highs and lows.

    Heedless of the wind, herds of horses, grazing cows, along with flocks of sheep and the occasional sheepdog graced the slopes around us. Many, many of them were wearing bells, and the sound was delightful.

    On a sadder note, at one point, we thought we were seeing a dead horse lying on the ground, with another standing right next to it. After a bit of observation, and seeing a similar pair close by, we surmised that the standing horses were mares guarding their sleeping offspring. That thought made us feel much better!

    Continuing on, we noticed more trees and wildflowers after we crossed into Spain, with some of the forests appearing almost enchanted.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino Francés
    Day 4

    Day 4: Viscarret

    September 13, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    We set out from Roncesvalles in a light rain this morning, opting to walk a couple of kilometers before stopping for breakfast in Burguete.

    We pulled into the first open cafe we saw, ordering coffees, a slice of tortilla española, and a tortilla with tuna bocadillo (sandwich). Once was enough on the latter, for Allan.

    From Burguete we walked about another 10 kilometers to Viscarret, where we’d booked an apartment for the night. Swinging an early checkin with the cashier at a small market was a little rough, but we were thrilled with the accommodations once we got inside. I was so very ready to set down my backpack!

    Maybe it was the trekking up and down hills in the rain, or my expecting today to be an “easy” 12 kilometer walk, or simply that my body isn’t accustomed to three long walks in a row, but I was feeling some aches and pains.

    After the requisite hot showers, we loaded our dirty clothes into the washing machine in the kitchen, and set out for a bite at El Bar de Juan, the village’s sole eatery.

    As we arrived, the German family we’d roomed with at Orisson was just finishing their lunch. Following their recommendation, we enjoyed cups of vegetable soup and ham and cheese tortillas.

    After I finish this post, I’ll go downstairs to the little market to get something for dinner. Tomorrow we’ll walk 15 kilometers to Larrasaoña—and the forecast is for dry weather!    Read more

  • TravelerCamino Francés
    2
    Day 5

    Day 5: Larrasaoña

    September 14, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    We’re getting used to hiking up and down hills in Navarra. We covered the 15 kilometers to Albergue San Nicolás in Larrasaoña in 5 hours today, including a couple of rest breaks.

    In this section, the Camino goes through several small villages and skirts the town of Zubirí.

    By turns, it parallels fields with grazing cattle and horses, cuts through birch and pine forests, offers up a few rocky sections that are tricky to get through, and also traverses an industrial site where signs warn pilgrims to stay on the path.

    We bought a light lunch from a food truck along the way, and chatted there with Marie, a pilgrim from France, who was also heading to Albergue San Nicolás.

    When we checked in to the albergue we bought tickets to their pilgrims dinner: 14 Euros per person for a 3-course meal with wine, and let the owner know that Marie would like dinner, too—and to please hold her bed. Some of those who checked in after us were not as lucky. They were directed to a market on the corner.

    Allan also took advantage of the availability of a washer and dryer to clean the clothes we wore on the Camino today. It’s part of the afternoon routine everyday, either hand wash or splurge on a machine, if an option.

    To keep our backpack weights manageable we each carry two sets of walking clothes, plus something to wear to dinner in a larger town or city. So frequent washing is a must!

    Tomorrow we head for Pamplona, another 15 kilometers south. We’re very much looking forward to sampling pintxos (tapas) there.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino Francés
    122
    Day 6

    Day 6: Pamplona

    September 15, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    We left Larrasaoña at first light, hoping to get to Pamplona before some forecast early afternoon rain.

    Soon, the trail paralleled the placid river Arga. It looked ideal for cooling off on a hot day—Google Maps has a note on a section for swimming. No one was in the water at that early hour, though.

    Breakfast at La Parada de Zuriain 4 kilometers from our albergue was a nice break in our 15k hike to Pamplona. Slices of spinach and zucchini tortillas, coffees, and orange juices provided good fuel for the morning’s remaining hike.

    Leaving Zuriain, we walked alongside a roadway and then soon were climbing a flight of steps up a slope. Not too long after, we spied what we thought was Pamplona in the distance. It turned out to be Villalva, founded in 1184, per a sign in the town.

    From there, our walk continued on pavement until we reached Pamplona. As we walked along the Way, we chatted with pilgrims from England, Mexico, and Norway. More than a few locals greeted us with friendly “buen Caminos.”

    When we reached the Portal of France at the entrance to Pamplona’s old town, an inquisitive tourist from Holland was very interested in our experience on the Camino. Her enthusiasm made my pack feel just a little bit lighter. The mossy wall I was leaning it against as we chatted, helped too.

    Fortunately, tonight’s lodging, Hostal Casa Ibarrola, is just past the French Portal, so I was soon gratefully dropping my pack for the day.

    In addition to the usual stowage area for trail shoes and hiking poles, this hostal has a wall for stowing backpacks. Why, I wondered? The answer was posted in our cubes: it’s intended to prevent the dreaded bedbugs from hitchhiking their way into the albergue.

    On a more uplifting note, it’s been interesting to see how prevalent composting seems to be in Spain.

    When we’ve stopped at food trucks they’ve had a special bin or bag for organic materials, such as banana peels and egg shells. In Pamplona, there are shiny metal bins in trash can rows labeled “organics.” I’ve never seen this in Maryland, Virginia, or Florida.

    Walking around the old town’s cobbled streets reveals a lovely assortment of shops, cafes, and churches. After the quiet time of siesta, locals and tourists fill the streets in the late afternoon.

    Wandering around taking photos in the soft afternoon light, I bumped into a Canadian pilgrim I’d met at yesterday’s hostal and then into an Australian pilgrim I’d met earlier today at Casa Ibarrola. We decided to stop in at Café Iruña for a drink, which was one of Ernest Hemingway’s haunts in Pamplona. The opulent decor hasn’t changed much since then, and it was a pleasant way to rest our feet and chat about our journeys on the Camino thus far.

    Tonight, our intention is to sample some of Pamplona’s famed pintxos, known further south as tapas.

    Tomorrow, we head to Obanos, 22 kilometers away. My shoulders have been protesting my backpack after 7-10 kilometers, so in the morning I’ll put my water and rain poncho in a day pack, and avail myself of a transport service for 5 euros to send my pack ahead to tomorrow’s lodging.

    More about that next time.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino Francés
    112
    Day 7

    Day 7: Obanos

    September 16, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    The streets in Pamplona’s old town were quiet when we left our albergue around 8 this morning. We stopped for a quick breakfast near the University of Navarra, and were soon climbing hills leading to the Alto de Perdón, a spot included in many films and vlogs focusing on El Camino Francés.

    When we arrived at the iconic spot, we ran into our new friend Katie, a Canadian pilgrim we roomed with at Orisson, and who we’ve since seen a couple of times along The Way.

    After the requisite photos in front of the metal sculptures, the three of us made it down the steep descent to Uterga, where we stopped for a delicious lunch at the Albergue Camino del Perdón.

    Looking towards the mountains behind us, we all felt quite accomplished with the distance we’d covered today from the Alto de Perdón and Pamplona.

    From Uterga, it was another 4.4 kilometers to Casa Raichu, our albergue for the night, where we parted ways with Katie, who had another 2 1/2 kilometers to go to reach her reserved lodging.

    I was THRILLED to find my backpack waiting for me in our third floor room. While at lunch, we’d checked its Apple Tag location and it looked like it was still in Pamplona.

    I hadn’t called the transport company yesterday, trusting that they would pick up at our busy Pamplona hostal, per our host’s vague instructions—but I was worried about fine print on the payment envelope that I’d only read late last night indicating that a phone call was required.

    When we arrived at Casa Raichu I asked our new host if my bag had been delivered, and she said it hadn’t, so I asked if she could please call a taxi who could drive me to Pamplona to retrieve it. Sure, she said, I’ll do that after you get settled.

    Thus the very pleasant surprise at finding that she’d already carried my pack up to our room—but had been confusing me with a guest in a different room.

    To make things even better, she soon delivered two glasses of lovely Rioja to our room with a small plate of potato chips, to tide us over until our 7 p.m. dinner.

    Our private room shares a small balcony with another room, but I’ve yet to see those guests. It also shares a sparkling bathroom with three other rooms on the same floor…but compared to our most recent digs, this feels very luxe.

    Ah, and we dropped our dirty clothes in gingham bag, which she will return clean and folded after dinner. Such a nice way to close out our longest hike so far, at 22k.

    Tomorrow we plan to walk 24 kilometers to Estella.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino Francés
    Day 8

    Day 8: Estella

    September 17, 2022 ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    We hiked 25 beautiful kilometers between our lodging in Obanos and our hostal in Estella, with a few very steep inclines along the way.

    Obanos and Puente de la Reina were glowing in the early morning light.

    Between the towns, we saw a farmer irrigating his crops, and a blue tractor rolling down the road. Red peppers, green tomatoes, and leafy greens were visible along El Camino, giving way to plots of grape vines and olive orchards as the day wore on.

    Fields with hues of brown and gold are becoming prevalent as we move south and west.

    After Puente de la Reina, the path became quite steep leading up to Mańeru.

    It didn’t take long to traverse Mańeru itself, and we could soon see Cirauqui beckoning from its hill. We arrived at that village with a group of Spanish women we’d met at our albergue in Pamplona. They are on their sixth annual weeklong walk on the Camino, and they are a fun, boisterous group. They put on an impromptu 15-minute song and dance fest in front of a Cirauqui cafe before we continued on toward Lorca. Along the way, we sampled fresh fruit from a donativo stand before losing track of our Spanish ladies.

    Lunch was a quick bocadillo and a slice of tortilla in Lorca, with about 9 kilometers to go to reach tonight’s lodging in Estella.

    By the time we arrived, our feet were protesting! Tomorrow we’ll walk 19 kilometers to Los Arcos.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino Francés
    2
    1
    Day 9

    Day 9: Los Arcos

    September 18, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    It was a chilly 49 degrees Fahrenheit when we left Estella this morning, so we were especially appreciative of the coffees and chocolate pastries we had for breakfast in Ayegui soon after we started walking.

    A little while later, Allan picked up on the hum of an ultralight aircraft and snapped a photo of it above the trees.

    About 40 minutes later, we arrived at the Irache wine fountain, where pilgrims were lining up to sample—or more liberally partake—in the free wine that pumps from a spigot in the wall.

    After waiting our turn, I pumped enough for a good luck sip for each of us. At 9 a.m. it was about all we could contend with!

    From Irache the Camino twisted and turned until we ascended to the tiny village of Azqueta.

    Not long after, we could see the church spire in Villamayor de Monjardín and the ruins of a medieval castle on the steep peak above it.

    After Villamayor de Monjardín, verdant fields of grape laden vines broke up the yellow slopes. We sat on a rocky ledge near one to eat a light lunch of paté and bread that we’d bought at a grocery store across from our hostal last night.

    After lunch, we had about another 10 kilometers to go to reach Los Arcos. The vistas were expansive, with little shade along the way. We noticed huge stacks of baled hay in more than one field.

    When we reached Los Arcos around 2 p.m. we could hear some geese honking along the road.

    Another 8 minutes or so of walking the narrow streets and we reached tonight’s lodging: El Albergue Municipal Isaac Santiago. At 8 euros per bed, this is our most inexpensive and basic lodging so far.

    We checked in before most bunks were filled, and seized the opportunity to take hot showers and get our dirty clothes washed and dried.

    I put my name on a sheet for a full body massage (30 euros), and was told the masseuse comes around 5-ish, so I’ll be heading downstairs for that soon. After that, hopefully we can find something to eat in town.

    Today we walked about 21 1/2 kilometers. Tomorrow we’ll walk 27 kilometers to Logroño, our longest walk so far.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino Francés
    Day 10

    Day 10: Logroño

    September 19, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    We had a bit of a hiker jam at our lodging in Los Arcos this morning, when those of us trying to get an early start on the long day to Logroño were stymied by the albergue’s locked door.

    The instructions for pressing a button to open were not working. Eventually, someone woke up the hospitalera and she unlocked the door with a key.

    We were soon on our way in the dark, looking forward to breakfast in Sansol, the next town about 7 kilometers away. Alas, no food was available there but we scored delicious tortilla sandwiches in Torres del Rio, which was just 1 kilometer further.

    Much of the rest of the day’s hike was in full sun or on pavement, which makes for a harder walk. Which meant that we were pretty wiped by the time we arrived at our hotel in Logroño.

    Nonetheless, hot showers are always wonderfully restorative, so as soon as I post this we’re off to see about a barber for Allan, and then to sample some pintxos.

    Tomorrow, we’ll have an “easy” 12 1/2 kilometers hike to Navarrete.    Read more

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