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Camino 2016

September - November 2016
A 44-day adventure by Mary Read more
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  • Mary DigginsCamino 2016
    Day 1

    St Jean Pied de Port

    September 27, 2016 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Bonjour la classe! We have arrived at Saint Jean Pied de Port which literally means at the foot or the beginning of the mountains to the Camino de Santiago. Here we visited the pilgrims office and registered for the Camino. A delightful French lady explained the route to us and assured us that the weather would be fine for walking across the mountains. It's important as the weather can close the pass easily. She finished by telling us that we were not tourists but pilgrims now and would be referred to as such! Peregrinos they call us! We feel as if we are "on the Way" now!

    Saint Jean is a medieval town and like all the towns in this region it's built on a rise with a citadel and walls for fortification. The church is part of this too as the people would seek refuge in it during sieges. It dates back to the 10th Century and the king of Navarre resided here. The citadel which served him with a wonderful outlook for enemies is now a school! Imagine going to school in a kings castle!! One of the photos looks down from there across the town to the Pyrenees where we will walk.

    Also Look at the photos and you can see a plaque we came across almost by accident!
    St Francis Xavier's paternal grandparents lived here in Saint Jean- his family had ties with the kings of Navarre. You could well imagine him visiting his grandparents as a boy here.
    Boys, if you love game of thrones- this is the place!! Au revoir for now- Ben Chery- I imagine you would converse well here!! I'm thinking of you all as you begin the term-
    Mrs D.    Read more

  • Mary DigginsCamino 2016
    Day 3

    Over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles- Spain

    September 29, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    The walk over the Pyrenees was very hard. I can only liken it to imagine doing the Balmoral Burn over 25k and the dropping over the other side for 5k descending at a 45 degree angle. It was so steep going down I could feel the pull of gravity trying to suck me down to the bottom! The scenery was a wonderful and stunning distraction! Great vistas the result of ancient uplift and tectonic plates colliding eons ago! It was very peaceful even though the alpine air was very thin as I tried to draw greedily on every bit of oxygen my lungs would allow.

    Our only companions were other pilgrims on the track and cows, sheep and horses grazing or lying down in stone edged fields. Their tinkling bells around their necks was the only sound that broke the silence with the occasional screech of eagles hunting in pairs as they cruised the thermals supported by their expansive wings. I wished one of them would swoop down and carry me down to Roncesvalles, our first destination in Spain.

    We followed the same route Napoleon took with his troops which was also an ancient Roman road made over the Pyrenees. I marvelled at how strong these soldiers were to endure this in full uniform and kit. I also resolved not to complain when I thought of the first pilgrims who travelled this way in medieval times- without walking poles and wifi!

    At Roncesvalles we stayed at the ancient Augustinian monastery designed to minister to pilgrims on the way to Santiago in the 12th Century. It is one of the oldest in Spain and a huge complex in its day. It served the pilgrims on the way to Santiago and was open to all of any religion or circumstance- which was extraordinary for the day.

    Fun fact: in the 12th century if you did something wrong you were brought before the judge who might, instead of sending you to your death, sentence you to walk the Camino to Santiago as a means of changing your character for the better. Mainly, it was hoped you would die on the way, either by illness, exhaustion, lack of food or shelter or being attacked by bandits. If you made it to Santiago you would have repented your sins and be pardoned to begin your new life. Most didn't make it going this way!!! Hopefully we do!!

    Roncesvalles was famous also as it was here that Charlemaine's troops tried to hold the Moors back from invading Spain under his General Roland. It's now being restored and caters for the huge number of modern day pilgrims today. We attended evening Mass and were given a special traditional blessing given to pilgrims from all over the world we had met over dinner that night. A very humbling experience.

    A 12th Century statue of St James in the church there reminded us of our purpose - dressed in simple garb, wearing a pilgrims hat to keep the sun off, a shell attached, symbol of Christian baptism and the pilgrim, carrying a staff, a gourd filled with water and a book of the scriptures/ journal. See if you can spot these in the photo attached!    Read more

  • Mary DigginsCamino 2016
    Day 5

    On to Pamplona- city of the bulls!

    October 1, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    From Roncesvalles we walked to Pamplona - 40k over 2 days. Rolling countryside and small villages - through forests and wide open hills- it was very hot walking, however the shade of beautiful beech forests were respite from the heat. I nearly trod on a small brown and copper coloured snake as it slithered from one side of the track to the other! See if you can find out what kind of snakes inhabit the Navarre region!

    We limped into Pamplona on the afternoon of the 1st October and stayed at an Albergue which was once a Jesuit Church! Now converted, this work offers a place for pilgrims to stay and the proceeds go to helping people with disabilities. We stayed in bunk beds in a space that housed 100 people! It was called Albergue Jesu y Maria.

    Pamplona is also the place where they run bulls through the streets and have bullfights. It's also the place where in his early years as a soldier, Ignatius Loyola defended the walls of Pamplona from the French and was wounded by a cannonball. Having walked to Pamplona over the mountains I had a new appreciation for how Ignatius must have endured being stretchered home to Loyola over similar pathways! It must have been punishing!!

    I think this act of such generosity from the French who stretchered him home changed him forever. The French who took him home to Loyola probably did so because they too were basque - from the French side- where we had walked from! They were looking after a brother then! No enemy for them! No wonder generosity is such an important ignatian gift! Boys, remember your random acts of kindness are so important!!!

    As I walked the fortified city ramparts here it was also easy to imagine a young Ignacio defending his beloved Basque Country and people against the French troops. These battles must have been carnage! If the stones could speak!!!

    We walked the Calle de San Ignacio many times and walked past the place where he fell- plaque marks the spot and there is a chapel there also to commemorate him.

    Fun fact: Local food unique to Pamplona Pincxos ( means skewered!) or food on skewers. You have this for lunch or a light evening meal.
    Adios mes amigos ( for now!)    Read more

  • Mary DigginsCamino 2016
    Day 8

    Uterga- Cirauqui-Estella

    October 4, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Hola! Buenas Dias! Buen Camino!

    These are the greetings which meet us as we begin the days. The Spanish are so welcoming- Hello! Good morning! Good walking or good pilgrimage! We respond with the same or simply Grathias!
    I am struck by this wonderful attitude to life- so welcoming, so connected to others. It makes me feel happy to be alive!

    Pamplona was a wonderful city experience, however it has been a surprising relief to be back on the way and on the pilgrim trail again. Leaving behind the city streets and seeing the wide expanse of brown country rise up in front of us was like a breath of fresh air.

    The earth had just been turned, ready to lie fallow for the coming winter. As the autumn sun warmed the topsoil, insects and birds flew about us, trees yielding figs and the last of blackberries and seed podded weeds along the path. Autumn truly is a golden time here! There is always something to catch the eye!
    Unfortunately though the noticing was all about the hilltop villages- and to get to them- the hill had to be climbed!

    One of the major landmarks of these three days was climbing the Alto del Perdon where a monument stands to pilgrims of the Way to Santiago across the centuries. It is an achievement to arrive atop this mountain as the path upward is stony and steep with the ridge studded with wind turbines your only marker until you arrive at the top.

    The villages of Uterga and Cirauqui were farming villages and the people so warm and welcoming. They grow their own wine called Bodegas which we tasted with our pilgrim meals which featured specialties that the locals would eat and prepare. One night we ate in the oldest part of the house which was the wine cellar! Wonderful!

    Boys these villages were also remnants of Roman days- we walked out of Cirauqui on an old roman road and over a Roman built bridge. Imagine getting across here then! See photo- also a man in the village had been growing a map in a field- see if you can recognise it!

    Estella was a small town on the river Arga. Surrounded by hills, It had two enormous churches adorning the old town- one we visited was named after St Peter and it was here that the kings of Navarre would come to be crowned. It had an adjoining cloister and was magnificent!    Read more

  • Mary DigginsCamino 2016
    Day 13

    Los Arcos - Viana

    October 9, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    This part of the journey brought us to the town of Los Arcos and on to another small village called Viana. Just out of Estella is a huge and now empty Benedictine monastery which provided wine for the region in its day. Now a Bodegas winery, pilgrims pass a free wine tap where you can sip the wine on tap! At 8.30am?!!!

    We had a rest day in Los Arcos as there was an international motor bike rally in the region and the accommodation was booked out in the surrounding towns! Interestingly we learned that the Australian team had been the previous winners and favourites for this coming race!!

    Los Arcos again had a beautiful 16th Century church and cloister. To our delight there was a special altar dedicated to St Francis Xavier and St Ignatius. The two basque boys- Francis Xavier being the local boy and hero from Navarre! There was also a 16th Century music choristers manuscript in the choir loft! It was huge! Imagine singing from this!

    This area also featured the evidence of the knights templar. These knights, after the crusades, took it upon themselves to protect and look after pilgrims on the way to Santiago. They built churches and hospitals for them and provided protection for them as it was a treacherous journey in the 12th Century.

    We passed a monument to one of these knights and a Church dating back to the 11th Century with an engraved pure silver cross insure it under glass. It looked like it had been brought back from the crusades! Truly beautiful.
    The small building in one of the photos is a medieval well and water fountain hewn out of rock and built by the moors in the 13th Century.    Read more

  • Mary DigginsCamino 2016
    Day 14

    Walking with Ignacio!

    October 10, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    The word Camino is a beautiful Spanish word. It means 'the way' and this term has been used for many Caminos which join the Camino Frances which is the one most taken to Santiago de Compostella.

    Inigo Lopez de Loyola, or Ignacio, which was his name before he took the Latin name Ignatius, decided to become a peregrino or pilgrim and set off on his own pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1522. He would have been familiar with the Camino de Santiago and seen many a pilgrim before he became one himself!

    He began his walk from his home in Loyola and instead of going north via Pamplona into Navarre country, where the French had occupied, he would have walked through Spanish territory to be on the safe side! This led him down to the town of Logrono where we crossed paths with his way- the Camino Ignaciano as it is now known.

    From Logrono to the village of Navarette, the two paths become one and then the Ignatian path veers South heading for Montserrat and Manresa and eventually Barcelona. The Camino Frances continues West toward Najera and onward about 570k to Santiago. This is our path!

    Logrono sees us leave Navarre behind and enter the next region of La Rioja- famous for its Bodegas vineyards. I'm pretty sure these would not have been around in 1522 when Ignatius passed through! I think he would have walked closer to the river, following its path to the next valley and bringing him to the next town or village. The hillsides would have been thick with forests also- a hazard for pilgrims due to being ambushed by bandits and thieves.

    It was very hot walking, without much shade and we struggled over the long stretches into Navarette. I pondered how Inigo did this with a limp! A pilgrim staff must have been a much needed piece of equipment.

    Flanked by jagged edged mountains ( what would the contour intervals be like on the map here boys?) and following the river Arga as we walked, Logrono was a lovely town with a huge Cathedral and they run bulls through the streets too- El Torro is alive and well here! See pic!

    However, I can understand Ignatius wanting to go to small villages- people are so warm. This village also had its share of trials- evidence of many sieges and attacks- no wonder they were all built on hills and fortified! Most of the old city had been ruined, the church being the only building surviving intact.

    There was also the ruins of a medieval pilgrims hospital there he probably visited- the walking must have been so difficult. Bruised feet, injury, illness, fatigue and hunger would necessitate a stop at a pilgrim hospital.
    However, no pilgrim hospital for us, a bed, a meal and sleep was all in order! We are very fortunate- these simple things were given with such kindness and care.

    Walking with Ignatius- muchos grathias and Buen Camino!    Read more

  • Mary DigginsCamino 2016
    Day 16

    Signs and Signs!

    October 12, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    A sign points the way..or does it? How do you know which sign to follow? Will that sign lead you to where you want to go?
    Might these be good questions to reflect on for us all as we walk our own life Camino?
    What are the signs of life for me?

    The official colours of the Camino are blue and yellow. Pilgrims must look for and follow the yellow arrows and they can be found or located anywhere!
    Painted on rocks, buildings, pathways, fences-

    The official symbol of the Camino is the scallop shell. The Christian symbol of baptism and of the Christian life journey- this symbol can be found anywhere too!
    On gates, poles, road signs, on statues, in shop windows and in many different styles.

    The trickiest times have been finding the right Markers to get in and out of large towns. Each town or city has its own design of shell too! You have to stay alert or you can take a wrong turn easily- the rule is if you haven't seen a yellow arrow or shell for about 10 minutes of walking- you're going the wrong way! We've done this once and that was enough!!

    It sometimes feels like being in the amazing race, except you don't pick up an envelope with a prize in it once you negotiate your way!

    I guess the prize of the Camino is finding your own 'Way!'

    A few examples included of the hundreds of weird and wonderful signs along the Camino- which one do you like the best!    Read more

  • Mary DigginsCamino 2016
    Day 17

    Travelling to Burgos y Castille

    October 13, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Lost all the text when I uploaded- wifi too weak! Have to redo but in the meantime some photos of the journey to Burgos city - about 5 days walking. Forests, mountains, plateaus, plains and through rain as well as cooler temps now.Read more

  • Mary DigginsCamino 2016
    Day 20

    One third of 'The Way'- Burgos!

    October 16, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Arriving in the Castilian city of Burgos was a wonderful milestone- we had walked one third of the Camino de Santiago!

    The walk into Burgos took us down from the mountainous climb out of Atapeurca following a goat track up onto a windy plateau with a lone cross. Many pilgrims had left stones and messages there. We paused in silence, grateful for all- especially the ancient human ancestors who had lived here a millennium ago. People had created a simple stone labyrinth atop the plateau which later, some young pilgrims we met told us they had danced through!

    After descending the plateau, passing through villages nestled on the flat between hills, we followed the River Arlanzon into Burgos. Even though we'd walked down from the mountain plateau, The elevation is still quite high, around 850m.

     The trees were turning their leaves and it was refreshing to be near bush and running water after the wide stony brown paddocked terrain. I did notice a forestry sign which particularly featured the species of European viper native to the area. That quickened my step considerably- willing any stray vipers to stay in their hidey holes!!

    After walking for a week straight, a rest day to soothe the feet and muscles was in order! The famous Spanish hot chocolate and Churros was also at the top of the list! (there's a Spanish cafe in Chatswood Westfield you can try it next tine you go to the movies boys!!)

    Burgos was the seat of the Castilian Kings and the Burgos Cathedral de Santa Maria is built on the site of the old castle.

     Built in the 13th Century and added to in the 15th and 16th Centuries it is one of the most magnificent of Spain. With strong ties to the Camino de Santiago, it is a temple of art and architecture. Many artisans and artists being commissioned to adorn it with their work from all over Europe. There was a Da Vinci there of Mary Magdalene and I recognised some of the artworks of Mary some of you did for your RE assignment last term!!

    Fun Fact: like Pamplona, Burgos has bull running through the streets and also an El Torro stadium for bullfighting- July- Sept.

    Count Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, the champion was better known as EL CID, a Muslim title for respect. Born in 1040, the Camino passes the site of his house- see the pic of the gate through the walls of the city. He died recovering the city from the Moors. He must have been a remarkable person to have earned his title and remembrance from his own and enemies alike. He and his horse are interred in the Cathedral and a huge monument of him on his horse dominates a plaza near where we stayed. Try an internet search on El Cid or Burgos Cathedral or if you dare...European Vipers in Spain!

    Next part of the journey- across the Meseta. Remember those desert landforms in Geo? Mesas? We're going to walk up onto a few and across them for the next 5 days to the city of Leon. Adios amigos till then!    Read more

  • Mary DigginsCamino 2016
    Day 23

    Across The Meseta

    October 19, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    I've heard people say that the desert is 'a nothing kind of place.' Indigenous people anywhere would tell you otherwise- especially our First Australians. I pondered this notion as we made our way for the next 5 days across the unique and somewhat isolated landscape known as the Meseta of Northern Spain.

    This area is a series of desert mesas with long stretches of 20- 27k between villages and sometimes 10-17k with no water sources. We were warned to stock up on snacks and water on these days before we left the village or town! Amazing how far you can go on water fruit, chocolate and muesli bars!

    We followed the ascent up onto the mesas. This was the way the farmers tractors went, walked along the top for ages and then down the other side into flattened valleys of stony fields being ploughed up by farmers on tractors to be bedded down for the colder months ahead.

    This isolated landscape consists of very high plains of elevations around 900- 1000m. The land is put to use and the villages along The Way are mainly agricultural, also having developed along the ancient pilgrim route for care of pilgrims from long ago and today. We were also accompanied by wind turbines flanking us on all sides of the mesas. Spain knows how to use the wind well for alternative energy sources!!!

    The tops of the mesas were very windy and a cold northerly wind bit at our faces as we longed for the next village to come into view- with the promise of a hot chocolate and a tortilla ( Spanish omelette and bread.)

    Highlights were the beautiful ruined 12th Century monastery of St Anton- Augustinian nuns who looked after and cured sick pilgrims of a disease called 'St Anton's fire.' The Tau cross of St Anton you can see in the church window was their symbol and it means love. This cross is visible on buildings, in shops, on signs throughout the neighbouring villages and must have had a significant effect on the faith and tradition of the people here over the centuries.

    Secondly, the village of Castrojeriz, nestled between mesas, with its high ruined castle. In such an isolated landscape, elevation over the village would have been essential! Have a look at the pic and see if you can identify the mesa we climbed up out of the town. We felt higher than the castle! Hey boys notice the incredible work wind and water erosion has done in forming these valleys between the mesas themselves!

    Lastly, at the town of Carrion de Los Condes, we attended a beautiful Mass and was given a personal and communal pilgrim blessing at Our Lady del Camino Church with other pilgrims. We were the only Australians! It was very moving and I Remembered you all there at Our Lady of the Way's shrine in the Church. A few pics to follow.    Read more

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