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Camino Frances
  • Nicole Crook
Sep – Dec 2022

Camino Frances

A journey across Northern Spain in the footsteps of pilgrims under a field of stars to the crypt of St James (Santiago). Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 12, 2022
  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    1

    Paris, City of Sirens

    September 14, 2022 in France ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    I've spent two days in Paris after the long haul 30 hour Thai flight via Bangkok. These are the second and third days I've ever spent in the city of love after a whirlwind day in 1992. Thirty years later I've been reminded that the cities of the world really aren't my thing and neither is the art scene.

    But Paris has given me ample walking practice and has plenty of architecture which is a delight. I've wandered through the old city, rambled along the Seine and tramped up to Montmartre (hill of the martyrs) to enjoy the views and the stained glass of the Sacre Coeur. For all my inability to appreciate good art, l can't pass up the amazing stained glass of the world's cathedrals, especially when the sun's shining. My timing was good with the nuns choir singing, amplified by the fabulous dynamics of the building.

    The French appreciation for good cuisine is evident everywhere and the displays of tantalising cuisine abound. With three fromageries, two boulangeries, a chocolaterie and much more just in the block next to my hotel, I definitely won't leave Paris hungry. Does anyone know the difference between a patisserie and a boulangerie, I'm sure just a bakery will do?!

    My French is going well. I practiced my "Parle vous Anglais?" with a lovely french mademoiselle for her to respond that she was already speaking English. I'll put that down to too little sleep and will now remember not to just listen to the accent. Hopefully she thought I was a stupid American!!

    Even with my not so great memory, l was fairly certain that eating a croissant in Paris was going to taste infinitely better than in Oz. Being focused on not overindulging as the whole point of the trip is to get fitter and healthier, l thought l would try my excellent french again and order just one croissant. I'm pleased to report that I can say croissant in French and be understood but the "one" failed so I had to endure two fresh buttery croissants in a city garden in Montmartre. I couldn't offend anyone by trying to give one back.

    Heading south to Southern France tomorrow and away from this noisy metropolis. Most notably, there seems to be sirens of all different sorts every ten minutes. Two tiny police cars just wizzed by that seemed best suited to a Mr Bean movie.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    1111

    The Fast Track to Basque Country

    September 15, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Up early, mainly because I'm still a bit on Island time. Headed out via an award winning boulangerie for a final Parisian breakfast, hopped the Metro at peak hour (yuck) without getting pick pocketed and arrived nice and early at Gare Montparnasse for my trip to the deep south.

    Got slightly sea sick on the upper deck of the bullet train, know as the TGV to the French, as we clocked the 600km to Bordeaux in two hours. Bordeaux - did someone say red wine?

    Took a slightly slower pace further south to Bayonne and boarded the bus to St Jean Pied de Port. That's St John for you heathens. Les Mis fans will know from Jean Valjean.

    Since the 12th century pilgrims have flocked to the Basque Country from all over Europe. Many routes converge on the cobbled streets of St Jean prior to the dangerous climb over the Pyrenees, used in times of old to avoid the bandits in the valley.

    St Jean is a glorious old town, a walled citadel sits on top of the hill and the town is nestled in the foothills of the mountains. I collected my official Pilgrims credential and bought my new walking poles and am now cosy and comfortable in my traditional French house stay. And I saw my first Camino way marker.

    "When the beating of your heart
    Echoes the beating of the drums
    There is a life about to start
    When tomorrow comes!" Les Mis

    Well, there'll be a lot of heart beats going up those hills come morning time.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler

    For Whom The Bell Tolls

    September 16, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    This morning I woke to the sound of the bells tolling. It's a beautiful deep bell that reverberates through the valley. My bedroom window looks out towards the citadel which glowed in the dark through the night and feels very ancient.

    Today the bell tolls for my brother Cameron, who left us now six years ago. Cam would have loved a Camino and been the life of the trail. He was born a wise pilgrim. Miss you Cam and will carry you in my heart to Santiago.

    For Whom the Bell Tolls is a novel by Hemingway, written about Spain. Hemingway loved Pamplona, which is where I'm headed, on the other side of the Pyrenees.

    I wandered around town in the morning drizzle preparing for Day 1 of my Camino. The steep climb up the Pyrenees and down the other side seems to be the most talked about stage of the whole Camino and I've been completely unsure about my ability to do it. Most people break this day into two but with limited accommodation in the mountains I chose to try the walk up the hill then bus back to St Jean for another night.

    After finding out that you can't buy supplies until the shops open at ten, and dumping my pack for the day, I headed off with a rain coat, a jammon baguette and only the occasional drop of rain. I met Texas Jack early on at the first steep hill and we chatted for a while. He's got sixty days to do the trail just like me and also like me, he doesn't know his limits. He had his pack and I was probably at least ten years younger than him so I passed him by (that's right Darryn Crook, I've already passed someone and on a hill) but I think we'll meet again.

    A bit further along a pelegrin (Pilgrim in French) caught up to me and we walked a couple of kilometres together. His Camino name was Manolo, but he is South Korean. This is his sixth Camino Frances, his second this year. He is already my wise Camino sage and he taught me quite a lot in our two kilometres. After walking with him he said that I was walking the right pace and doing fine up the hills and could make it to Santiago no problems. New best friend.

    I climbed the next big hill to Huntto a little slower than Manolo but met him at the rest stop along with a gaggle of other pilgrims that I may meet again. I cancelled my bus down the hill, walked a little higher, then turned around and walked back to town. I was about 2km and an hour or so from the place everyone stays night 1. That two km is the steepest on the Camino. I know now I could have made it there. The five kilometres I did do was much easier than in my head.

    It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect with warm refreshing rain just a little, but not enough to put my raincoat back on. I saw the mountains in the rain and mist and sunshine, heard the cow bells tinkle, saw views for miles my pictures can't capture, met friendly people from all over planet earth, and generally feel content and at peace.

    This is absolutely the place I need to be right now.

    "That is what we are supposed to do when we are at our best — make it all up — but make it up so truly that later it will happen that way" Hemingway    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    2211

    The Hills are Alive...

    September 17, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    "The hills are alive with the sound of music, a song they have sung for a thousand years." Ok, it's not the Alps but close enough for an Aussie. I may have spread my arms out, spun around and sung "these are a few of my favourite things" but there's no evidence and you'll never know.

    Started this morning being dropped at Le Croix, the point where the Camino trail leaves the road to traverse the wilds of the Pyrenees. Whoever was in charge of setting the scene for the day nailed it, the mist was thick and the way forward invisible. Manolo, my Camino spirit guide, materialised out of the mist to give me his morning wisdom - only 2 1/2 hours to Roncesvalles from here.

    Thankfully I bought a very expensive French Sim card just for this misty eventuality. I turned on my GPS, opened my Camino Ninja ap and made sure I stayed on track. Manolo had merged with the mist again but I quickly made a new friend (who had a flat phone and was walking in the wrong direction).

    The mist stayed thick for a while and the hill was steep. It seemed much harder than yesterday which could have to do with the 8kg in my pack and the altitude of approx 1000m.

    It was windy and cold for a while but not Tassie cold - puffer jackets not required as long as you didn't stop for long. At every necessary point the mists cleared and spectacular views across France and then Spain were revealed. Crossed a cow grid that was also the border and pilgrim greetings quickly changed from bonjour to hola, and bon caminho to buen camino.

    After a while the mists were gone and I rambled through some glorious beech forests with autumn leaves covering the path, and some moss covered forests that dropped away from the path at an almost 90 degree angle. The hillsides are extremely steep, and it's hard to imagine an invading army attempting to cross the narrow paths but this has been attempted several times in the regions past.

    Finally the highest point in the crossing was reached up above 1400m and the steep descent began. The views over Spain went for miles with the magical monastery the goal in the valley below.

    Four hours after starting I wandered into the 200 bed Roncesvalles Albergue (hostel), a massive stone monestary serving peregrinos (Spanish for Pilgrim) for centuries. I was greated at the front door not by a monk, but by Manolo of course. My deep and meaningful question for him this time was "where's the food?" After a short lecture of the 'we will meet again' kind, I stumbled across a few cobblestones and sat down to have lunch with Isobel from Germany and Jason from Colorado who I met somewhere in the mist earlier.

    Refreshed I strolled the last 3 km to my first hostel stay along a flat forest path known to have homed witches of old (several of whom were burnt at the stake).

    "Cow bells and sheep bells and horses that glisten,
    Pilgrims with tales which you really must listen,
    Mist drops and wildflowers covered in dew,
    These are a few of my favourite things

    When the wind bites
    When the blisters sting,
    when I'm feeling sad,
    I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don't feel so bad."    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    111

    Hola, buenos dias

    September 18, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Caught a beautiful sunrise at my first stay in an albergue (hostel) in Burgette.

    The Buen Camino guidebook has this to say about Burgette. "Keep your wits about you when walking through town as the Camino takes a sharp right turn halfway through. There are no less than twelve yellow arrows marking the turn, but it can still be overlooked by those admiring the charm of Burgette." And that was spot on as I would have walked straight passed it after standing right next to it taking a photo if two pelegrinos hadn't set the right example. I've photo bombed you with Burgette pictures again today.

    It was a very social evening being at a hostel and also today reconnecting with people as you walk and meeting new ones. While I didn't see Texas Jack today I heard a story about him as he becomes one of the Camino legends for this group of pilgrims. Many sensible pilgrims spend their first night at Orisson hostel half way up the mountain. Orisson has a Camino tradition of holding a pilgrims dinner then asking everyone to stand up, introduce themselves, and say why the are doing a Camino. Apparently Jack doesn't have a deep and meaningful reason for his pilgrimage, his goal that night was just to make it up the bloody hill. Cue the Texan accent and booming voice.

    I walked 9kms today and most of the people I've met powered away doing 20kms and I doubt I'll see them again. This is the manufactured modern Camino Frances experience. Everyone meets on the mountain or at Orisson and then powers on to Santiago as per the stages set out in the famous Brierley handbook, creating their Camino families along the journey. I've meet a Camino veteran, one of the two Christine's, and she also sticks to the stages but as some people in her group are slower they just catch a taxi if they get tired to keep with their mates who walk quicker. There are many ways to Camino.

    Tonight I have a room in a rural house. The walls are two foot thick, white washed and the timber floors and ceiling would have Darryn counting their value.

    I've had a bath, soaked my very sore and tired feet and have 13kms to do tomorrow including a mountain to climb and a steep decent out of the mountains. Apart from my feet, the rest of me is doing well. The feet will improve I hope.

    Thanks for coming on my Camino journey.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    1112211

    A Pilgrims Dinner

    September 19, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    The walk from Bikkarreta to Urdaniz was only 13 km but felt like forever. My feet are swollen from the long flights and can't cope with much more than 10kms while the rest of me is fine. Each village is a joy and the sunlight through the forests magic.

    I survived one of the steepest descents of the walk, out of the Pyrenees to the industrial magnesium town of Zubiri, then nearly choked on the fumes from the factory while trying to ascend the next hill.

    Starving pilgrims piled into Zubiri in search of food and devoured a fabulous menu of the day consisting of the traditional Spanish mixed salad with tuna and eggs, a choice of trout, ribs or ham schnitzel and fries. Cheap beer and wine abound.

    After lunch l hobbled the last 3 kilometres to my albergue and soaked my feet in the pool for an hour until I felt human again.

    After the ritual chats, rest, shower, unpack, etc, I then joined in my first three course traditional pilgrims dinner. The hostel was small, just ten beds, and there was nowhere else to eat in town so I shared a meal with a group that included Americans, Spanish, Italian, French, Brazilian, Venezuelan and Aussie of course.

    We went around the table discussing why we were walking the Camino. Antonio has to decide whether or not to accept a big promotion that will upset his work life balance. Maria's kids have left home and this is her second Camino. It gives her back faith in humanity because everyone is so nice. Jody is contemplating retirement after a long and successful career in education and surviving cancer. Jasper is in a rush and likes a physical challenge. Jacques is an incarnation of Santiago (St. James) himself and is checking in on us all and translating five different languages while he's at it. It is an enjoyable conversation with strangers talking about their lives in a way they may never do at home. This kindness and camaraderie is one of the reasons the Camino is so loved.

    Hasta Manana, baby
    Hasta Manana, until then    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    11

    The Camino Provides

    September 20, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    My feet continue to misbehave. Maybe they are meant to be helping me stay in the moment. Getting fitter was never going to be a walk in the park.

    Last night was the end of my pre-booked accommodation. It is a fine balance on the Camino Frances in September post covid and a holy year. You want the freedom to walk without booking ahead but being slow you want the security of not missing out on a bed and having to walk to the next town.

    I decided to head for Pamplona even though it was a bit further than I thought I could walk. I knew I could get a taxi through the suburbs and then have a full rest day in Pamplona. I wanted a private room, I'm mixing it up between private rooms and albergues. Accommodation was scare but I found a nice looking apartment in the historic centre and decided to spoil myself because I'm worth it. Jody, who at this time was sitting next to me with her feet soaking in the pool, was also searching for two days accommodation in Pamplona. I asked her if she would like to join me in my two bedroom apartment. After contemplating for a while the odds of me being an axe murderer or something similar she said yes. I told her to pay whatever she wanted towards her stay.

    Now I just had to make it to Pamplona. The walk was beautiful again. We followed the river all the way and I spent an hour soaking my feet at a gorgeous spot. Shops were shut or absent so around lunch time I was getting pretty tired and starting to think about how I was going to get a taxi without speaking Spanish. I plodded into a picnic area at the bottom of a big hill and sat down for another rest. There was a pilgrim lying on a picnic bench looking exhausted. We had passed each other a few times but never spoken more than a buen Camino. I asked him how he was and he said he had just figured out how to get a taxi into town. Needless to say, we shared that taxi and Thomas from Germany would not let me pay a cent.

    At three o'clock I meet Jody at the entrance to our Bnb and we scored the best Pamplona apartment we both could have imagined. Jody insisted on paying for half of it as well. We both love it so much we are now buying one together.

    They say "the Camino provides" ...    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    11111

    Pamplona Iruna

    September 21, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The name Pamplona is thought to originate from times of Roman occupation by Julius Caesar's rival Pompey around 75BC. The city is also know as Iruna and is one of the three Southern French or Northern Spainish cities that form part of the Basque cultural region.

    Our apartment on Calle Curia was so centrally located everything I needed to do on my rest day was no more than 50m away. While Pamplona becomes the centre of the world for a day or two during the running of the bulls, the rest of the year it remains a lovely ancient city worthy of a visit for it well presented cathedral that displays a thousand years of history within its wall. There is access to many parts of the cathedral including the Roman foundations and mosaics, naves and many chapels of worship built in different eras. The modern displays brought parts of it history to life and the cloisters were an architectural delight.

    I tried my first Spanish hot chocolate and while it looks good, it didn't live up to expectations but occupied me while I checked out a cafe famous for being frequented by Hemingway.

    I have arranged to test out a pack porting service and while I have a long walk tomorrow, hopefully the lighter load will put a spring in my step or at least stop my feet from feeling like lead weights. Fingers crossed.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    3111

    Sierras del Perdon

    September 22, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    If climbing the Pyrenees wasn't enough for one week, today I got to climb and descend the Alto de Perdon which was 756m high and is the highest point for the next 170km on the Camino. I hope that means I have at least ten days before I have to do that again.

    I left Pamplona just as the sun was rising and walked a nice flat, easy on the feet, 3km out through the parks and suburbs. After that we started to rise and in the distance you could see the wind turbines on top of the mountains over which we would slowly climb.

    Without my pack I made a much more respectable pace and covered 11 km over roughly three hours before reaching a cute village where I stopped for an early lunch and an 'airing of the feet'. The path was still rising and the windmills were getting closer. There was some climbing left yet, but only 6 km further to my hostel.

    I'd walked all morning with a bigger crowd passing me by than usual and few people I had met before as those starting out with me were now getting kilometres and days ahead. I said goodbye to Jody after enjoying some good chats over three nights together. She will be 10km ahead of me by the end of today.

    As Pamplona is a stop for the main stages of the Camino followed by many, lots of people headed out of Pamplona this morning but after my long lunch they had left me in the piece and quite again. The views all day were spectacular but my camera completely inadequate to capture them. For most of the day there were views of the mountains ahead, of numerous idyllic villages and farms, and the vista of Pamplona slowly retreating through the day.

    Those last 6 km to Uterga were a killer. 2 km up to the top, and two down, then a smooth if not flat road into town. The two kilometers down was torture. For some reason they drop tons of round river rocks on the path that make going down a treacherous, ankle breaking exercise you wouldn't subject your worst enemy to. I guess if an army decided to invade over the pass again you might slow them down?! So I hobbled once again into my accommodation. My bag had arrived and I now have my feet up waiting for my Pilgrim dinner at a typical Spanish old fashioned hostel - checkout the cobblestone floor in reception, I think I'm sleeping in what used to be the barn.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    11

    The Road to Cirauqui

    September 23, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Traditional multi bed hostels are a joy. Lights on at six, out the door by seven. It's still before sunrise although it's light enough to see and warm enough for a t-shirt. I headed off optimistic about my 15 km walk which was supposed to be an 'easy' day. I've stopped looking at the altitude and descriptions of the path ahead as I'm better off not knowing.

    After a couple of hundred metres I checked the gps to make sure I was on the right path heading out of town. I strolled along as the sun rose and saw two deer jumping and foxes playing. No one had passed me for a while so I got the gps out to double check and found myself 700m off the track. I swear there was absolutely no other path going off but clearly I was wrong. Being slightly stubborn I decided not to retrace my steps but to instead make my own path across the dry harvested fields to rejoin the track further on. While I have to admit that I wasn't sure my plan would work, I did strike it lucky and after crossing a few fields that were easier to walk on than any Camino trail so far, I came across a road that lead exactly where I needed to go.

    Today was full of gorgeous villages and towns, Obanos, Puenta la Reina, Manaru and tonight the hilltop walled Cirauqui. Of course each one was on a hill after a little valley and the Camino seems designed for a long slow wind up followed by a rapid descent.

    Despite my detour I arrived in Puenta la Reina at 10 in time for the shops to open. I had some different blister prevention options to get at the Farmacia and I needed a cap as my hat kept hitting my pack and annoying me. Train with your pack on they said!!

    I meet Nikki from Canada who was travelling with four friends and struggling to keep up with them. This has resulted in a sore knee that was of concern so she was trying to get in to see a physio and then catch a bus to meet up with her friends. We had a good chat about the pros and cons of doing the Camino in a group or alone.

    I caught up with a American mother and daughter team. Yesterday they had sent their bags forward to a hostel that wasn't even open and had figured this out at lunchtime with no idea where their packs had gone. They had walked to the next town to find their bags at the hostel there. Now, on day two, they have got the system sorted and were feeling much more confident.

    Tonight, in my walled city, my feet remain tired, my blisters annoying and I'm not exactly excited about the next 15 km. But this was always going to require some effort in the first few weeks and the delights of the landscape are ample compensation.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    111

    The Road from Zirauki

    September 24, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    The road leaving Cirauqui (known as Zirauki in Basque) was a Roman Road, at least that's what the stories say. But I digress.

    Last night I swallowed a little blue pill given to me by a stranger. What happens on the Camino stays on the Camino!!! Don't try this at home. This was after I started a trend where everyone in the hostel room lay on the floor and stretched their feet up the walls in solidarity with my tired feet, and because they agreed that it was a bloody good idea. Anyway as a result of this, and possibly the power of smothering Betadine on your feet, which makes your blisters look much worse, I was offered numerous blister remedies and one little blue anti inflammatory that Jill from Florida swears by for her arthritis.

    Feeling quite spritely this morning I bounded off down the Roman road in search of adventure. For a while I managed to pass an 80 year old carrying a full pack while going up a hill but he got me again on the straight. I did actually walk at the same pace as another group for a couple of kilometres which was a first.

    Unfortunately my feet were back to needing bionic replacement by the 10km mark and the last two kilometers took me the rest of the afternoon. At some point I passed Villatuerte, known and much easier to pronounce in Basque as Bilatorta. Must be that 0.1 % of Basque DNA I have that results in Basque language making more sense than Spanish. There may have been lunch in there as well with an 70ish Italian guy who needed someone to help him finish his bottle of red.

    I'm in ancient territory again tonight with the old city of Estella, founded in 1090 by the then King of Navarre. The buildings date back to the 1200's. Estella was purposely built on the Way of St James to service the pilgrims and honour the Christian god. Spain is a deeply Catholic Christian country and all the many churches I pass still hold several masses each day and everything remains shut on Sundays.

    My photos show a few other Camino wonders, a rest spot in the olive groves built for pilgrims, a table with free or 'donotivo' food left out for pilgrims and my new clam shell. These shells are a symbol of the pilgrimage but I hadn't acquired a commercial one yet to hang on my pack. But my little blue pill supplier also deals in clam shells and now I have a personally collected shell from Mexico. I also have another little blue pill for tonight. After that, I might have to practice my Spanish on the next lucky pharmacist I come across. Spanish for over the counter anti-inflammatory anyone?    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    121

    The Wheels on the Bus

    September 25, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I tried to figure out a way to walk half of today's 21 km stretch and catch a lift the rest but it didn't seem easy so I decided to take the bus. Tomorrow is also 18 km which I will attempt after today's extra rest, and after that the days stay under 15 km all the way to Burgos.

    So today the very short bus trip took less than 30 mins with stops and cost a huge 1.90 Euro. We zoomed past some gorgeous scenery, more hilltop churches and monasteries, and came into wine country with large bodegas, both ancient and new, dotting the hillsides.

    At tonight's destination, Los Arcos, another old cathedral stands in the centre of town. Originally built in the twelfth century and rebuilt and added to over several centuries, the Church of St Mary was decorated over every inch of its inside walls and everyone who walked in was amazed.

    As a pilgrim you cannot eat alone, even if you want to. If you are at a table it eventually fills up with people you've met along the Way. Tonight my table went from me to five others and there were at least six other people I knew that stopped to say hello.

    I didn't tell you how I ended up having lunch with the Italian guy yesterday. I went to have lunch in a proper restaurant instead of a cafe/bar. Because my backpack and clothing identified me as a pilgrim, I wasnt allowed in the nicer part of the restaurant and I wasn't allowed a table of my own. Instead the waitress checked with another customer that they were a pilgrim, then told me I had to sit with him. He was a seventy year old with a hilarious sense of humour who made me drink half his bottle of red wine because his French wife from Paris is a cardiac nurse and he has to report in on what he eats and drinks. He has two sons, one good one that married an Italian and settled down close to home, and one not so good one who made him go grey from worry travelling the world, and who doesn't talk to him anymore because he told him to get a real job.

    At the moment, everyone is at the suffering stage of the pilgrimage. Marie from Sweden has two bad knees and is seeing a doctor to get advice in the morning, Troy from the US has had a bad ankle from the start but doesn't want to tell his kids he may have to stop early, Katherine from the US also is slowing down and not doing more than 20kms a day any more as she knows it's not good for her. Everyone wanted to know how the bus works. My Italian lunch date said the first time he walked the Camino he had a sore leg for three months after and this time he is going slow.

    Today I only have a few cathedral photos for you. Until tomorrow...    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    1221

    Adios Navarra

    September 26, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I was off early and caught the sun rise coming out of Los Arcos. I managed to keep pace with other pilgrims for most of the day for the first time and had to get in a queue for food at the first cafe in Sansol because I was still surrounded by people. I managed to walk 18 km for the first time on the Camino and was in my next accommodation around two o'clock, which was much faster that I was doing earlier in the week.

    Everyday on the Camino so far has been beautiful. Olive groves give way to golden fields already harvested, endless villages with their magnificent bell towers and a smattering of Benedictine monasteries on hilltops. To the north all day were the cliffs of another mountain range and south further hills abound. A wise pilgrim has explained that the Camino is never flat and each day we climb up hill and down dale repeatedly.

    We share the path with many locals walking their dogs and their families, with school children on excursions, with the occasional crazy cyclists and apparently with a bunch of old guys doing a horseback Camino.

    Tonight I spend my last night in the Spanish State of Navarra and the Basque part of Spain. To celebrate I'm staying at the palace, well in a location where there was once a palace. Now it's just a modern hotel built inside the stone facade with bedrooms decorated in regal colours.

    But I soaked in the bath forever My feet are much better and I now only have localised sore spots rather than my whole feet dying, at least that was the case for 15 km. I did struggle with the last three, but I don't have another day longer than today for more than three weeks and lots of shorter days coming up. I might brave carrying my full pack for the 9km into Logrono tomorrow.

    (Sorry about the duplicate photos, can't delete them and to tired to repost the whole thing)    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    1

    Logrono, La Rioja

    September 28, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Whose stupid idea was it to walk 700+ km across Northern Spain by myself? The "I'm getting off the island" excitement has definitely worn off and the "It's a bloody long way to Santiago" reality has set in along with the "it would be much better if I'd brought someone with me to share the fun!"

    Of course, this was all to be expected and in reality the first few weeks have flown by. Most of my Pilgrim friends are days of weeks ahead of me by now but there will be new people to meet again this week.

    I've had my rest day in Logrono, capital of the La Rioja wine region. I did all the practical things like getting some new hiking sandals to try out on the trail, and some anti-inflammatory drugs in the hope that I can walk more than two days without needing a day off. And the laundry, I did that too.

    I also slept a lot. The body is adjusting both to walking and the opportunity for a siesta. The shops in Spain never seem to be open. Most are open from 10-2 and some from 5-7 with the odd big store open 8 hours a day.

    Cafes, normally called bars, are open longer but often the kitchen is shut until 8pm but there is a selection of tortillas (omelettes) and bocadillas (snacks) displayed on the counter. Alcohol and coffee seem to be served all day long.

    I really do prefer the villages and countryside than the cities, and will think twice about whether to have a rest day in a city again. The Camino seems always to go through the historical heart and pass by all the must see sights so nothing is missed if you follow the Way.

    Of course, the main attraction of La Rioja is the wine and I'll be passing by many vineyards over the coming days.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    111

    A Walk in the Park

    September 29, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Today was quite literally a walk in a park. After a kilometre or so in Logrono suburbia the Camino took me to a city park followed by the Grande Parc Logrono which spread past the city outskirts into the nearby fields. Another five kilometres and I was at my next nights stay in Navarette.

    The new sandals were a dream and I set Logrono talking with my stylish sock and sandal combination. My wide feet, already splayed more that normal from those barefoot years in Indonesia's steamy climes in my childhood, may be permanently even wider if I walk 600km in sandals but at least my toes aren't numb and ready to fall off at the end of the day. No hobbling was involved. Mind you I felt pretty good the first day after a rest day last time too so let's see how the week pans out. It was flat and mainly paved too so no dust and loose gravel in the sandals on day one, take two.

    I saw squirrels. 😍😍😍 And ducks. The water is low and Spain and it's vineyards are looking a bit worse for wear after their intense summer heat wave. It been trying to rain for several days now but never more than a few drops falls, not enough to wet the pavement. It's colder than I expected but it's a bit early in the season and it's supposed to warm up for a week or two in a couple of days.

    My accommodation for the night is on the main street in another old town on a hill, next to the church whose bell will chime late into the night. I love standing on my little balcony overlooking the Plaza and the street and watching life in Spain. My little balcony on the first floor is about level with the bar across the street that has tables out on the paving in front of the church. Could be a noisy spot tonight.

    This town Navarette, has a bit more life to it. So many of the town's I've walked through so far have seemed almost closed. There has been hardly anyone around except pilgrims and a few shops and bars for pilgrims. Most buildings in these old hilltop towns are shuttered and I wonder if anyone lives there or if they are holiday homes. Maybe the occupants head off early to work in the cities. Navarette is a bit more alive but it feels more industrial and maybe there are some jobs around that keep it going.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    1
    23111

    Rain drops keep falling on my head

    September 30, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Walked my first day in the wind and rain. Learnt the Spanish word for cold - frio. It was a drizzle most of the time, just enough that stopping for a rest anywhere was a bit cold and miserable. Thankfully the weather is warming up again from tomorrow and by the middle of the week it's going to be way too hot.

    Day two after a rest day I was a bit hesitant about the 18 km. I was also out of supplies and there weren't necessarily going to be shops or cafes today. I headed out about 9.15 hoping I'd find a decent breakfast and some snacks before I left town. On the first corner I found an open cafe and scored bacon and eggs for breakfast and some supplies for the road. Last night I'd had a lovely pilgrims menu of lentil soup, stewed beef cheeks and egg custard with Robert from the US who I'd meet in the laundromat in Logrono the day before - so I was suitably well fuelled for my day out.

    I also found Andrea from the US and Geraldine from Ireland just finishing breakfast. I'd meet Geraldine in Los Arcos a few days back but Andrea and I had been chatting, passing each other and having lunch together since back before Pamplona. They headed off but my breakfast was quick and I caught up with them just a little way out of town.

    I thought I'd brave walking with them for the day and would hopefully be able to keep up. I thought a little company might help a cold wet day to be a bit cheerier and that also it might stop me from dawdling the second half of the day. It was a good decision. They are both lovely companions and while I had to walk faster, they needed to rest when I did and were a great distraction from the weather.

    We took a slight detour into the only village near our path today and had a lovely early lunch before walking through vineyard after vineyard across the countryside. We were given some lovely wine grapes to eat along the way and made it into town not long after three.

    I'm hostelling tonight but while I booked a dormitory, I've scored a room with just myself and two others. Susanna from Hungary says it's the nicest room she's had since she started so I am being thankful I can have a private room when I want and company if I feel the need.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    11121212

    Monastic Life

    October 1, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Before starting my journey today I had a walk through the Monastery of Santa Maria in Najera. While communal dinners and growing your own veges sounds idyllic, all these cathedrals and monasteries are dark cold places and I think the beauty of their architecture would wear off pretty quickly. Especially with the decorations of endless crypts, paintings of Jesus on the cross, etc, etc that make them extra cheery.

    The claim to fame of this mornings monestary was that it was built backing right into the cliff where an earlier statue of the Virgin Mary had been located so the statue remains in the cave which is now part of the cathedral.

    I then headed off along country roads, first through more vineyards, but then into the next valley where the countryside changed to harvested fields. There was no shade and it was about 25 degrees Celsius. A month ago it would have been 40 degrees here for pilgrims and 25 with no shade was bad enough.

    My body is taking it's time adjusting to walking every day and being three days since I had a rest day there was a fair bit of protesting going on. We (me, my body and mind) made it the 15km as planned but it was pretty slow going with lots of long rest stops required when some shade could be found. Given this is a Catholic Pilgrimage I should have been aware that significant suffering would be required.

    I have a pilgrim dinner at the hostel tonight with a completely different bunch of pilgrims and have planned a very short walk tomorrow.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    1

    Santo Domingo

    October 2, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Took the slow stroll a mere 7 km to Santo Domingo de la Calzada. This was to stop some new blisters from growing and let them dry up, to line myself up for 6 12km days into Burgos and to take a bit of extra time to see the sites in Santo Domingo.

    I was in town by ten o'clock along with two ladies from Minnesota that had been at last night's pilgrims dinner. We spent a good two hours chatting, touring the cathedral (which like Pamplona was a must see) and having a stroll around town. After deciding they liked the idea of a 7km day as well, they headed off by taxi to their next nights accommodation to catch up with their friend who wanted to walk 30km.

    Saint Domingo was a friend to pilgrims and instead of joining the monastery he set about trying to makes pilgrims lives better. He was a practical fellow and built roads and bridges. He was also apparently skilled at reincarnation and brought back to life a innocent pilgrim who was sentenced to hang. The local councillor, when told that the boy was alive, declared that he was as alive as the chickens used in his chicken soup lunch. The chickens in his soup then apparently started clucking. Since this time descendants of said chickens have been kept in the cathedral and are sometimes released at festivals!?!

    These qualities clearly made Santo Domingo very popular and his cathedral (which was originally started in 1158) very rich which in 2022 makes for an interesting cathedral and museum. Generously they can still afford to turn the lights on so you can see all of God's glory whereas many smaller church's require a donation for the lights to go on.

    The Spanish are very conscious of wasted electricity. I understood this would be the case due to the current rising cost of power (thanks Putin!) but this has clearly been a focus for quite some time. Every type of accommodation I have stayed at, every bar, cafe or public toilet has timers on the lights. Apparently Spanish people can be very quick in the loo because I only needed to turn the light on 15 times the other day. Blokes beware as swinging around in the dark trying to find a light switch could be a real disaster. Needless to say you are often surprised to find yourself in the dark with no idea where the light switch is and if you're lucky some widely waving arms will trigger a sensor but sometimes the sensor or a switch are nowhere to be found.

    Tonight I'm staying in a little bit of luxury at a Parador. More about that in tomorrow's post.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    1

    The Parador

    October 3, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    If you've watched the Martin Sheen movie 'The Way', there's a scene where he shouts his pilgrim family to a night at a fancy hotel. That's a Parador Hotel and it's a Camino tradition to stay in one.

    Last night I stayed in the Parador de Santo Domingo Bernardo de Fresneda. Paradors are state owned hotels built in significant historical buildings such as hospitals, monasteries and this one is built in a convent. There is also a museum and chapel as part of the convent complex.

    While my room is not like Martin Sheens, l clearly didn't spend enough for that, it is definitely the most comfortable bed I've had, and has some nice comfy chairs which have been lacking almost everywhere. And the photos show how beautifully the old buildings are restored and decorated. I think it's a great way to preserve and use some of the many historic buildings along the Camino. Apparently there are nearly 100 Paradors in Spain.

    The rest of this post was supposed to be about my walk today but instead I tested positive to Covid and have squirreled myself away in an apartment in Santo Domingo to see what happens. I technically don't have to isolate here but I don't want to spread it, stay in hostels or make myself sicker. The Parador didn't have room service or even a fridge so I have moved around the corner, shopped and got some more Spanish drugs. Today I don't feel too bad. Fingers crossed 4 vaccinations was enough to make it short. I'll start posting again when I'm back on the road.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    311

    It's a long, long way to Santiago

    October 6, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    After a three night hibernation I braved the road to Santiago again. I had to book accommodation 22 km ahead because there were no private rooms in between and I'm not ready to spread my germs around yet.

    I walked about 12 km over rolling hills, through harvested fields and reached the land of sunflower fields. They are dry and dead but haven't yet been harvested for the seeds. They must have looked gorgeous a month or so back.

    I passed the end of the region of La Rioja and entered Castilla y Leon, the biggest region of Spain traversed by the Camino. When I leave it, 400km from now, I'll only have 150km to go to get to Santiago. But at the moment it's still a long long way to Santiago. The signage around here is a little unreliable. I must have seen signs saying roughly 565km to Santiago at least three or four times over the last 50km. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get under 550km.

    I taxied the last 10km to my hotel which isn't very exciting but allows me to stay away from people. They even fed me an early dinner so I won't feel guilty being in the restaurant at the same time as everyone else. The Camino was right next to the road as I zoomed past in the taxi and half of it was through road works so it was a good section to miss.

    Lots of people are talking about the great food I'm having and while I occasionally get some nice food the pilgrim meals available in most places aren't that inspiring. The most common entree is ensalada mixta which is mixed salad. This generally comes with egg and tuna but can be anything. It's a big serving of greens and you generally have to choose it if you want any salad/vegetables in your life. It can be delicious but is usually pretty average. Second course is some version of meat, usually fairly bland, with some version of potatoes, generally chips. Sometimes you get a small serve of capsicum as well, particularly with chicken, but no other vegetables in sight. Dessert is usually a piece of fruit or a cream caramel (flan) or egg custard (nutilla) or ice cream. Serving sizes are sufficient but not huge and while I'm not hungry afterwards I'm rarely full either.

    I'm sure if I had decent clothes to wear I could try some higher standard restaurants if I had the energy to stay up for dinner at 9 or 10pm. But you wouldn't be welcome there in pilgrim attire.

    There are lots of lovely treats and tapas around at times but not always when you're hungry.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    21

    Lose your mind, find your soul.

    October 7, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    "Loose your mind, find your soul." That's my favourite Camino graffiti for today. I don't know about the finding your soul bit but I can see how the first bit is possible. I'm about a third of the way through this journey and waiting for the big shift where this stops being about my body and starts being about my mind. I don't think this theory (first third body, 2nd third mind, last third spirit) is working for me. I think it's been mind and body from day one and will be until I reach some level of fitness that I am still a long way from reaching.

    So tomorrow I'm looking forward to a day in the forest and today I had to focus on every step that my body didn't want to take which was all of them.

    Good news, I'm Covid free so can hostel and socialise again although I'm blaming Covid for today's weariness. And my bag got lost and is now found after spending a night without me, so definitely always keep your essentials with you, and your pjs and your newly acquired collection of Spanish drugs.

    I found myself a pork knuckle and veges for dinner tonight. Suitably yum and only 10 euros with a Vino Tinto.

    PS. A RAT test only cost me $4.50 so why do they cost so much in Australia?    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    111

    The Seige of Burgos

    October 8, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    In 1812 the British Army fought the French and lost in the "Siege of Burgos" which lasted about 3 weeks. Fighting as a Private in the 60th Foot Regiment, was William Anderson. William was the brother of my great great great great great great grandfather George Anderson. Today I walked some of the same trails that William walked to arrive in Burgos in 1812.

    The 60th Foot Regiment came into Burgos from the east and spent most of their weeks in attack from the east and south. They lived in tents and ate a lot of pork or beef and vegetable soup.

    William was later wounded with a shot in the shoulder from a musket ball at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. He later went to India with the British Army. He never married and died back in Scotland.

    The Siege of Burgos was part of the Peninsula War which was part of the Napoleonic Wars. The Spanish, Portuguese and English fought the invading French. This is considered one of the Spanish wars of independence.

    I had a lovely dinner of lentils, meatballs and banana custard in a 400 year-old stable under a 400 year-old house.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    2

    Como Sapiens

    October 9, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Today I walked through the tiny town of Atapuerca, made famous by the nearby UNESCO World Heritage archeological site of the same name which chronicles the history of homo sapiens and earlier homo species and shows evidence of habitation for up to 600,000 years. That's a big number!!

    Apart from a sign pointing right into this mornings mist, I found no evidence of the ability to drop in for a visit which several readers will find disappointing. I'm pretty sure that I could take a tour from Burgos back to the digs but I've decided to focus on visiting the Burgos Museum of Human Evolution which houses most of the artefacts. Of course, turns out the museum is shut on the one day of the week I'm here to see it, so Tuesday morning will have to do, followed by a afternoon stroll out of Burgos.

    Burgos is the end of the Camino for many of the pilgrims I've met on the way since Santo Domingo, or alternatively it's the point where they catch the train to Leon, skip the Spanish Plains, and walk on to Santiago from there. This is one of many options for pilgrims with less time on there hands than me.

    I've been passing by the Pink Ladies these last four days. They're easy to spot because they all have matching pink rain coats. They are Swiss and speak a Swiss dialect of German and don't speak much English. They smile and wave and say "Buenos dias" alot and one lady manages to understand me a bit, enough that they know I call them the Pink Ladies like the ones from Grease, The Musical.

    There's also the German couple I first met at the border entering Castilla y Leon. They have being doing the pilgrimage for ten years. Each year they have two or three weeks holiday and they do the next section. They started from their home in Germany and when I spoke with them they had done 2,250km, still heading to Santiago. This year they finish in Burgos.

    There are several groups I met the last two days that are skipping on to Leon before walking again. One was Darren from California who has 5 weeks away with his two boys, walking as much as they can. While there are lots of father and son, mother and daughter type combinations on the trail, mostly they are all adults. Kids are pretty rare except Spanish ones doing short stints. Today I watched the boys build a stone pilgrims arrow on top of the hill leading down to Burgos.

    I meet another rare pilgrim today, one walking the other way, one that's doing what all the pilgrims of the past had to do, going home. There have been a few others going the wrong way but mostly I think they forgot something that morning or l haven't had a chance to ask. But this mornings pilgrim superhero was the mystic guide I needed today. As he breezed up the hills out of Burgos he was determined to tell every pilgrim to take the alternate route into Burgos along the river or to just get a bus once you hit the suburbs. "It is the worst tem kilometres of the whole walk" he said " industrial, ugly roadside. Don't do it." Even though the bus or a taxi was already my plan, its nice to have your decisions confirmed.

    Since I told you the food wasn't that great, the foods been great. I must have cracked the secret. There are no menus but I'm getting better at looking for things that I like and asking for what that person has. Nailed a yummy bacon and egg roll, freshly cooked, in a average looking cafe with not much on display, no menu and no English. Nailed a fab dinner last night with the same issues by seeing good things other people had. Then I arrived in Burgos and found tapas bars open even in siesta and lots of amazing choices on display. More about Burgos tomorrow. It's pretty special. I've given you my first sighting of the amazing cathedral.

    PS. Como means 'how are you?' in Spainish. I got asked asked Como? Buen? How are you? Good? a few times today. It was a rough slow uphill and I don't look the most elegant when my feet get tired.    Read more

  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesTraveler
    132111

    Burgos

    October 10, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Don't let me stay in Burgos long. No chance of losing any weight here. The Spanish have mastered lolly shops, when it's siesta and everything in town is shut, there will be a shop that just sells lollies still open. But in Burgos we find the refined lolly shop, with nougat and marsipan and the smell of nuts roasting across the plaza. Blueberry nougat anyone?

    I digress. Burgos, home of the UNESCO World Heritage Cathedral of Santa Maria, in the Gothic style and influenced by the great Notre Dame in Paris, is a rather lovely place. I like walking by the Arlanzon River in the gorgeous tree covered arbors and people watching in the Plaza Mayor.

    There are cute statues everywhere devoted to the common man, lovely gardens, many historic buildings of course, and plenty of churches and museums. Kids clothes shops abound in Spain. It would cost a fortune to be a grandmother here. Too much cuteness temptation.

    Back to that Cathedral. I pay tribute to the amazing architects, artists, stonemasons, painters, sculptors and more that worked with great skill and mastery over the centuries to create what we see today. The money spent supporting these sorts of endeavours is why Europe has such a fine history in the arts. The church was first started in Roman times and greatly extended, modified and decorated over many centuries. My photos do it no justice and it abounds in fabulous ceilings, vaults, chapels and stained glass.

    The cynic in me was however somewhat appalled by the huge amount of money and resources that basically went into building fancy crypts for bishops, rich people and their families. Two thirds of the cathedral tour was for the many side chapels built for burial of the wealthy. I can't find much appreciation for things built from the wealth of Spanish colonisation, the Inquisition or the successes of the Spanish Armada. I not sure where God and Jesus asked for all these grand gestures or how a fancy crypt gets you closer to heaven but I'm pretty sure it was at the expense of the poor, the pilgrims and the indigenous of half the planet so it puts a pretty big dampener on the admiration.

    Heading off tomorrow across the plains. It's about ten days to Leon.    Read more

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