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France, Spain & England 2023
  • Tina Arredondo
  • Tina Arredondo

France, Spain & England 2023

Getting over jet lag in Oloron Sainte Marie, exploring Zaragoza, volunteering at Pilgrim Welcome center in Santiago, walking the Camino Frances, and visiting Lucas & Liz in England Läs mer
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  • Resans start
    10 september 2023
    Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    Good French breakfast at the train station in Toulouse before we head to Oloron Sainte Marie
    Popular street bars and restaurants just outside where we had dinner near our room in Toulouse

    Made it to Toulouse!

    11 september 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Our first two flights were delayed by about an hour, so I was afraid we might not make it in time, but we caught the last flight to Toulouse and just spent one evening here. It’s a lively and interesting city, it would be fun to have more time to look around. But now we’re at the train station with our backpacks and our walking sticks and ready to head to the city of Pau and then to Oloron Sainte Marie, where we will explore for a couple of days before going to Zaragoza and then to Santiago.
    After some really atrocious food on the American Airlines flight yesterday, we were both very hungry. After we arrived in Toulouse , we walked just a few blocks from our room and found a wonderful little vegetarian restaurant, they had a vegetarian buffet that was fantastic! Roel had fish, and it was also good.    Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    Sitting at the park across from our guesthouse, waiting for it to open
    Our guesthouse on the left, ruins of an old church on the rightNice little neighborhood green areaThe rivers Aspe and Ossau pass through a Oloron, Sainte Marie, this one is the AspeOSM is divided into 3 "Quartiers", named after the 3 churches, this one is Saint CroixIt's an 11th century church, built with conquests gained during the crusades in Jerusalem.A view of the lower part of OSM taken from the Saint Croix neighborhood where we stayedIt's a beautiful city, nestled into the PyreneesBeautiful sycamore trees, like so many we've seen throughout parks in France and SpainAnother view of the church of Saint CroixThis part of an old bridge looks like a battlementWalking back up the hill after dinner, we saw many charming old housesWCs: u walk past the urinals to access booths, wouldn't fly in prudish America 🤣

    1st Day in Oloron Sainte Marie

    12 september 2023, Frankrike ⋅ 🌧 72 °F

    We arrived in Oloron Sainte-Marie yesterday afternoon after riding two trains from Toulouse, then walked a long and rather steep hill (good Camino, practice!) to our guest house. Oloron is a beautiful small city, very old and graceful, nestled in a valley fronting the Pyrenees.
    Our guesthouse owners are a retired couple from Paris, very hospitable and accommodating. They insisted on driving us to a restaurant last night, and would have come to retrieve us, but we managed to walk back up the hill instead.
    Today we walked back down the hill to explore the city a bit, buying lunch from the grocery store.    Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    A view down from upper Oloron Sainte Marie to the lower areas
    We found the Pilgrims gite which is located next to the church of Notre DameThe church of Notre Dame in Oloron Sainte MarieOur next stop was Saint Marie, the former cathedral until the diocese was moved to BayonneThe door of the cathedral was one of the most impressive we have seenIt has obviously been reconstructed. Lots of detail work.Not sure why the doors always show such gruesome detailsThe interior of this 11/12th century cathedral is mostly dreary, but colorful when lit1Entering village of Moumour, with barn/house in backgroundIn Oloron Sainte MarieConfluence of the Ossau and Aspe rivers1Roel's crepe had egg, sausage, cheese & onions. Mine had mushrooms, onions, peppers, & cheese

    OSM: more churches & a walk

    14 september 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    On this day we checked out the other two Quartiers of Oloron Sainte Marie, each with their respective churches: Notre Dame, and Sainte Marie. Then we walked about 5 km to the village of Moumour and back. We learned that this is located in the French region of Bearn, and visited a museum that was all about the Béarnaise people. Yesterday we ate only from the grocery store, but today we visit a crêperie.Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    1We passed through some truly gorgeous mountain villages
    Sunrise in the Pyrenees through the bus windowWe saw an occasional Pilgrim walking along this route, would like to try it sometime.This is the recently re-opened international train station, now the Royal Hideaway luxury hotelOur first view of the Basilica del Pilar as we walked from the bus station to our hotelFancy door, would be nice to have one like this!Approaching the Basilica del Pilar

    Traveling to Zaragoza Spain

    15 september 2023, Spanien ⋅ 🌧 57 °F

    To reach Zaragoza, we had to take a bus from Oloron Sainte Marie to Canfranc Estación, an old international train station located in the Pyrenees just across the Spanish border. There is currently no rail traffic on that route so we had to take the bus to Canfranc and then change to another bus that went to Saragossa. It was a beautiful ride, and I was glad that we got to see the new Canfranc Estación which has recently been converted to a luxury hotel called the Royal Hideaway

    After arriving in Zaragoza, we took a walk to the downtown area that’s best known for its lively neighborhood tapa bars and the beautiful Basilica del Pilar.    Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    1When it was built over 1000 years ago it outside the city of Zaragoza but now sits within the limit
    The moat around the palace was added during the renaissance as a defensive measurePicture of the ruins of the palace in 1985 before reconstruction beginThe gold room of the palace, named because it looked golden with the morning sunPrayer room or mosque portion of the palace, located next to the gold roomPrisoners were kept in this area throughout the 18th centuryOrnate roof of the throne room, with verbiage praising the name of the kingsThrone roomBeautiful garden inside the palaceRoom where the Congress meets

    Palacio de la Aljafería

    16 september 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    We paid 1 Euro each (courtesy of being over 65) for a guided tour of the Aljafería Palace, fortified medieval palace built during the second half of the 11th century in Al-Andalus, present day Zaragoza. It was the residence of the Banu Hud dynasty during the era of Abu Jaffar Al-Muqtadir. (thank you Wikipedia) . That particular dynasty didn’t have long to enjoy it because with the Christian re-conquest of 1118, it was taken over by the kings of Aragon.
    Today it houses the Cortes (regional parliament) of the autonomous community of Aragon. It is one of only 3 remaining, almost complete examples of Islamic architecture in Spain, along with the Alhambra in Granada, and the Alcázar in Córdoba.    Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    We took an elevator and climbed some stairs to the top of the tower for these picturesThis is the Saragossa Cathedral, plainer on the outside, but even more gaudy on the inside

    Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar

    16 september 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Saragossa not only has a beautiful palace from the Moorish period, it is also home to a quite impressive Basilica, and also a Cathedral. Altogether there was way too much excess between these last two buildings: dripping with frippery, but still quite impressive. We were unable to take photos in the cathedral, you’ll just have to believe me when I say that it had even more gaudiness about it. It is truly hard to imagine so many resources devoted to these buildings —- they are so beautiful and yet they make me wonder….Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    Walking toward the Pilgrim's office for our morning shift
    3It's all downhill on the way there which means we get a climb on the way back!😉This is the street that the pilgrims office is on, just one block below the cathedral1We got super lucky, attended a pilgrims mass that included the botafumeiro swinging!3A few people make the Camino on horseback, we saw a group arrive.1The medieval Catholic Church needed a better PR campaign. Look at the next picture ...1Here's the front door of that church, wonder whose head is sculpted on that door?2Well, if it isn't the devil himself! We nicknamed this church the devil door church!A couple of blocks away, this church features saints bathing in flames, medieval evangelism?1Fellow volunteer, Judy from Canada, cooked an Italian dinner for everyone one night, delicious!We stopped for a drink this morning on our way in to begin our shiftNeed a place to store your umbrella? Look no further than the lamppost!2Fellow volunteers, Mariam and Teresa from Malaysia cooked us a Malaysian dinner last night 😍😋2

    Volunteer time in Santiago de Compostela

    23 september 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 48 °F

    We’ve been here for a week doing our volunteer stint at the Pilgrim’s office in Santiago de Compostela. It’s been a busy time, I thought it would feel like we’d have lots of free time when our shifts are only five hours, but we have to walk almost an hour to get there, or take a bus. Then we work for five hours straight, interacting with pilgrims from all over the world to issue their compostelas . It’s very rewarding work and interesting, but it is tiring.
    We are living in a separate section only for volunteers, of a pilgrim albergue. No complaints about the living conditions, it’s very nice to be with the other volunteers! We’re just starting our second week, after which we will be taking the train to Leòn, and then to Belorado to start our own Camino    Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    Love the colors of these tiled roofs, these are next to the cathedral in SantiagoRamona and Lori took this picture after we stamped their credentials1Backpacks on, and ready to catch the train to Burgos, our next stop!

    Finishing our volunteer stint in SdC

    3 oktober 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Our second week volunteering at the pilgrims office went by quickly, all too quickly. Every day we walked or bussed the 3 km to the Pilgrims office, then worked nonstop for five hours, then found something to eat, and either walked or bussed back. We often had communal dinners together with the other volunteers at the Albergue where we were staying, and we got to know several outstanding Volunteers from many different countries. We also met and heard such interesting stories from pilgrims from all over the world. And we even got to stamp the credentials of two pilgrims, who turned out to be friends of my sister, Connie Johnmeyer ! This is definitely a volunteer stint that I’d be willing to do again.

    Now we are off to visit with our special Camino Friends, and then to start our own Camino for this year.    Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    Helping Gaudi with his designs
    3Playing 3 to 13 in the San Francisco park, fondly remembering our time in France2We were next to a children's playground where hundreds of happy children played at 9 o'clock at nighSan Francisco himself, also known as Saint FrancisSpanish streets are so clean, they get swept and washed it seems daily2I don't think this was a monument to the clan, but it did give me pause1The area around our Hostel was quiet and beautiful, but lively at night11

    Stop in Leon to visit with friends

    4 oktober 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    In between our volunteer time in Santiago, and starting our own Camino, we had the tremendous joy of spending a day in Leon with our Camino Friends, Larry and Carolyn Hatch, and also got to meet their sister-in-law, Juliana, who lives in Newport, Oregon! We had a delightful visit with them. Unfortunately, I have come down once again with a case of bronchitis, and I had to spend the first evening in Leon waiting to see a doctor in urgent care. I was so happy to get seen there and to get medicine so that I can stop coughing! They examined me and took x-rays (lungs are good!) and gave me a breathing treatment and prescribed the exact medicines I needed and all for $240! Sometimes I’m tempted to just stay in Spain!Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    2

    León Cathedral

    4 oktober 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    The cathedral in León deserves its own footprint. It is the most outstanding example of late Gothic architecture than I seen in cathedrals thus far. It is exceptionally airy and bright, with 125 Stainglass windows, some of them quite large. Apparently, they went a little too far with the light and airy construction and there have been a couple of collapses since it was built in the 13th centuryLäs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär

    Belorado to Villafranca Montes de Oca

    6 oktober 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    We spent the previous night in Belorado at Casa Wasala, the place that we spent our last night on the Camino last year. It was very nice to see the host, Paul, again, he is a true Pilgrim. He has written a book about Pilgrims, in fact.
    We started off from Belorado with nice weather, cool and sunny. But within a couple of hours, the sun turned quite warm, and even though it was a short day, it became very hot and tiring. I found out that I am not over my bronchitis yet, and the last couple of kilometers became very difficult for me. At one point, Roel even had to carry my bag, so today I am skipping the uphill section and hoping to walk only the last 6 km into San Juan de Ortega. I am also shipping my bag ahead with the backpack shipping service. Hoping that soon I will have my full breath back.    Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär

    Villafranca to Atapuerca

    7 oktober 2023, Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    After yesterday’s fiasco, (me almost not making it from Belorado to Villafranca) I let Roel start today’s walk on his own, because there was a severe ascent for the first several kilometers out of town until San Juan de Ortega. I took a cab and met him at the bar in San Juan, he made it in such good time! He had a hard climb, but then afterwards, a couple of kilometers of good level path and he was quite happy when he came strolling in to meet me at the bar Marcella.
    After a short break, we continued on together for the last 6 km into Atapuerca and I did fine. Hopefully, tomorrow I can do the entire route. (But I’m still shipping my bag ahead!)

    Atapuerca is a small town just 20 km from the much bigger city of Burgos. It is also the site of a major archaeological dig where many discoveries have been made about human evolution. We are staying in a Casa Rural here with a few other pilgrims. The owner told us that this house used to be a chicken coop on the ground floor and the owner lived on the upper floors but the old chicken coop is now the dining room, and the chickens are now housed across the alley.    Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    We left Atapuerca when the sun was just below the horizon, a very peaceful little town
    Atapuerca had one little grocery store open at 7 AM for coffee and breadWe walked up a long, gentle hill out of Atapuerca. It was covered with rocks, and looked rather bareSunriseView from the top of the hill in the sunriseIt's not Cruz de Ferro, but it's a crossFrom this point, we can see Burgos in the distanceWe passed two large mountains of hay😆🤣In Burgos, they were having a Renfaire, and we saw these Falcons with hoodsMr. and Mrs. PellegrinoA scene in Castañares1Some folks in Burgos dressed up for the Renfaire

    Atapuerca to Burgos

    8 oktober 2023, Spanien ⋅ 🌙 52 °F

    We had a 20 km day today, neither of us had any difficulties, so that was good! We left Atapuerca when it was still dark, although just barely. Got some nice pictures of the sunrise as we were crossing the hill above Burgos. After we got near Burgos, we had to walk 7 km around the airport and then along the river before we got into town. We don’t have any pictures from that because it was hot and we were tired at that point.
    When we arrived in Burgos, we saw there was a Ren Fair going on, although different than the kind of Ren Fair that we have stateside. After taking a nap, we went out to see the evening and enjoyed watching the children and families play and eat in the streets and alleys and plazas until quite late at night.    Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    2221

    Burgos to Rabe de las Calzadas

    10 oktober 2023, Spanien ⋅ 🌙 46 °F
  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    Meseta landscape
    This part of the trail was alongside the highway into Carriòn de los CondesEntering Carriòn: old church with muralI didn't get a photo of the outside, but this is the retabla of Santa Maria del Camino churchCarrión has a Pleasant plaza near the beginning of town, we sat to have coffee with this viewIglesia de Santiago fronts the plaza named after General FrancoThis is General Franco plaza. One of the few places in Spain that still uses the name😬Medieval bridge that crosses the river Carrión2Our Lady of Belen church in Carrión1This is the courtyard of Monastery Real of San Zoilo, where our hotel is locatedThe monastery complex from the outsideHere is Roel in our room, we had nothing to complain about here!Homage to the pilgrim, just outside the monastery Hotel barThis is the other side of the monastery complexApparently some barefoot Carmelites live here, but we didn't see any

    Villalcazar de Sirga to Carriòn de los C

    15 oktober 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    This was a rest day, we only walked about 6 km to our lodging on the far side of Carrión de los Condes. It was also a splurge night: I had reserved a room in a hotel that was inside an old monastery in Carriòn, it was a four-star and super nice, but it cost less than a Comfort Inn in the US.Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    1This double-decker bus from Germany advertised the best coffee on the CaminoOur albergue, Los Canarios, is here

    Carrión dl Condes to Calzadilla dl Cueza

    16 oktober 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Our walk today was 17 1/2 km with no intermediate stops other than the bus that you see in the pictures. These are the kind of days that you hope to find well screened areas off the road to use in lieu of porta-potties, for some reason in Europe it seems that people don’t plan for restroom facilities so often as they do back home. It has been raining prior to our start but when we walked, it was just cloudy and quite cool.

    The town, where we’re staying is a small farming community with the addition of three albergues.    Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    1

    Calzadilla to Terradillos dl Templarios

    17 oktober 2023, Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Our walking day was shorter than I had thought it would be because I made a math error when doing the itinerary. But I t was nice to have another short day.
    We walked mostly on gravel paths and some tractor roads between villages.
    We saw a lot of Adobe buildings and walls, and also noticed that many tractors were parked inside the small villages, quite different from the isolated farms where tractors are normally kept in the US - I remembered this difference from sociology class, but the social implications are quite interesting    Läs mer

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  • Tina ArredondoFrance, Spain & England 2023Resenär
    Chickpeas and mushrooms, leeks and asparagus, potatoes and salad. Delicious!

    Sahagún to El Burgo Ranero

    19 oktober 2023, Spanien ⋅ 🌧 57 °F

    I didn’t take any photos today, it was wet and cold, and I was just wanting to walk fast to get warm. I am including a couple of photos that Roel took of me that show the wet conditions on the trails.
    We walked from the monastery albergue in Sahagún to a nice little albergue in El Burgo Ranero, just about 18 km. We had to use a hairdryer to try to dry our shoes and socks and other things enough so that maybe they’ll be dry by morning. Oh, and I ate the most delicious vegetarian meal I’ve had so far, check out the picture!    Läs mer

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    Resans slut
    8 november 2023
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