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Charlotte Birch
Charlotte Birch

Charlotte Birch

Always up for a wee stroll :) Read more🇺🇸North Bethesda
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  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler
    1

    Belorado

    Sep 20–21, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Today's walk (14-ish miles) involved a couple more small towns, always centered around a church, with a restaurant/bar conveniently located across the plaza from it. The churches pictured today include one in the town where Santo Domingo was baptized. (He's a big deal because after being rejected by the Benedictines twice, he went on to build infrastructure in service to pilgrims.) The same baptismal font is still used today. The other church, with a similarly ornate altar, is here in Belorado, where one can leave a written prayer intention, as MB did.

    Lots of fields (with more sad sunflowers) straddling a highway today, with a very windy stretch at the end. Also crossed over from La Rioja into Castilla y Leon.

    We may have to stop taking pics of churches as they are all starting to look alike. But we are definitely taking pics of the better casas and rooms where we stay. Tonight's is so charming and pretty. Unless there is a fireworks show right outside our hotel after we turn in, as happened last night, we should sleep well. I'm beat.

    BTW, Google Translate (and Google Lens, for menus) are excellent companions, as fewer people speak English in the towns we are now walking through.    Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler
    1

    Stage 9: Najera to Santo Domingo

    September 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    An easy-breezy walk today--13 miles, gentle hills, wide paths/farm roads. Clear sunny day and little shade so we were plenty sweaty by the end.

    You know you're walking in the right direction (west) in the morning when you see your shadow.

    We skipped a formal breakfast and stopped first for an orange juice in Azofra and then for a sandwich at a golf club (!) in Ciruena, a sad ghost town where rows of apartment buildings have sat empty and uncared for, presumably since the housing bubble burst in 2008. Felt like a sci-fi movie set. Not sure how the golf club stays in business, except perhaps by welcoming pilgrims to its restaurant.

    Met local kitties and more pilgrims along the way, including a woman architect from France who speaks five languages, is very involved in a Catholic social services organization and will be having an audience with the Pope on her way home to Paris next week. Feeling like I've got some work to do!

    We passed a few fields of dead/dying sunflowers. Not sure what that's about. One theory suggests it's an economic opportunity since the Ukraine/Russia war began. Apparently that is where most of Europe's sunflower seed oil comes from. Have no idea if that's true. Someone please research it and let me know!

    Apart from that I'm not sure what to say about San Domingo. It's a lovely town. Honestly they're all starting to look alike. Didn't go into the cathedral because we were too cheap to pay the admission fee. And besides, we've seen some pretty beautiful churches already. Now we're off to get us a proper dinner.    Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler
    1From a alburgue in Navarrete, where we took a bathroom and radler breakMB's pic from bridge into old part of Najera

    Logrono to Najera

    Sep 18–19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Well, first a confession: I'm just now emerging from a cranky, hangry phase. That, combined with the fact that Najera is just not as well preserved or charming, has colored my view of this stage. It was long (18 miles). It was vineyards as far as the eye could see, which is lovely but somewhat monotonous (I know, Camino hell!). And we had no pilgrims walking with us because many of our new friends had scheduled rest days in Logrono.

    Our midday break was in a charming town called Navarrete (pop. 2,900), where we did as in Spain and partook of a small Radler to speed us on our way. A 16th century Church of the Assumption there was stunningly ornate. Its wooden floors had me wondering why they dared have real votive candles (in addition to electric ones).

    We walked three hours from there through Rioja country. Finally re-encountered the Belgian couple who has stayed at many of the same hotels as us and got their names: Bruno and Marie Martin. Also snapped a pic of our Italian friend (who speaks no English), Rogelio.

    After arriving very tired and hungry in Najera, we found our accommodations somewhat lacking, the town somewhat ghost-y, and where there was action there was no real food. Hence the hangry spell. Found something to tide us over then picked up pre-packaged cano de lomo (more cured pork) and cheese and fruit for our breakfast and headed back to the *penthouse apartment* that is not anywhere near as nice as it sounds. Two plusses: the hosts provided a free bottle of local wine (variety unknown as they private-labelled it, but plenty decent), and it has a rooftop terrace with a view of the cliffs that are a backdrop of the town.

    Crankiness aside, we remain grateful for the chance to see how differently people live--and maybe by the end of the trip we, too, will enjoy four-hour lunches and dinners that don't start till 8 pm!    Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler
    Rural Casa La Torrien outside Los Arcos in night of festival
    Outside Casa La Torrien. Tall tree later cut down as part of festival1Lunch time in VianaSunday in Logrono during wine festival

    Walk to Logrono

    September 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    Today's long walk was not as interesting as the two evenings that flanked it. After posting last night we went down for dinner and learned that there was a festival going on outside our tiny hotel. The festival involved a boy's handball game, the cutting down of a tree, and some homemade sausages which a local shared with us. That was a big deal in a town of 49 and it was wonderful to see.

    When we arrived in Lograno today, the first day of its annual wine festival was underway. Huge crowds, and as we enjoyed tapas, a parade of drum line bands. Really fun to watch.

    In between those two events was a 17-mile walk that included vineyards, olive groves and a lunch stop in Viana just as church let out. We are now in the Rioja region and the wine is not only delicious but ridiculously affordable. We had two wines and two tortillas (dinner) for 6 euro (less than $7)!

    A couple other funky pitstops are pictured, including a stand where a woman carries on a Family tradition selling food and trinkets and offers a pilgrim stamp that says Figs, Water and Love.

    We saw fewer pilgrims en route but still managed to run into familiar faces once in the big city (despite the crowds!). Also met Robert and Lenora from Seattle, who have done several pilgrimages here and elsewhere (like Japan) and had a quicker pace than us despite being well into their 70s.

    One final note: the doors in these medieval cities are so beautiful. Wish I had started taking pics of them sooner. I now want a door with a knob in the middle, and maybe a sliding, have-fun-storming-the-castle-type slot on top!    Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler
    1

    Stage 6: to Los Arcos

    September 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    We had a bit of a head start today because our hotel was on the way out of Estella. We walked with our two new friends, Gail and David, whom you'll see in the photos but probably wouldn't guess is 75 and has walked about a dozen Camino routes.

    The first notable landmark of today's stage is the Fuente del Vino, where the Bodega Irache offers pilgrims a free shell-full of wine for the route ahead. Alas, the tap didn't open till 8 a.m. so we settled for our water.

    We then opted for the less traveled route today, which went through woods and fields and had more modest climbs. We caught breakfast (either the usual potato and egg tortilla or an omelette on a slice of grainy bread) in Luquin at 10 am-ish, where we noted that the trio of Spaniards who always seem to pass us, whistling and humming as they speed past, had fortified themselves with beer and wine. So now we know their secret! Other encounters today included an Australian couple with a 10-month old. The baby either rides on his dad's back or in a sack on mom as she breastfeeds, which she's had to do hourly!

    We arrived in Los Arcos at lunchtime and appreciated the receiving line of goats, chickens and geese that greeted us. Lots of pilgrims gathered at Plaza Santa Maria, just outside the incredibly ornate 12th century church that anchors the town. Our crew enjoyed a *Radler*, which is a refreshing combo of beer and lemonade, and traded contact info as we parted ways. Strange to feel sad saying goodbye to people you have only known 24 hours but you get to know them well in such a short, quality period of time.

    Our hotel is another beautiful rustic house and we have enjoyed just resting in our room while waiting for dinner at 7. It's far enough from the Camino that the owner had to pick us up by the plaza and will deliver us back tomorrow after breakfast. Tomorrow will be a long 17-mile day to Logrono (another reason we said goodbye to Gail and David, both of whom are stopping short of there for their next stays). But the time passes quickly as we meet and talk to so many great people.    Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler

    To Estella

    September 15, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    There was more to Puenta la Reina than we realized but had to make do with seeing it on our way out of town. MB and I enjoyed walking most of today's stage chatting with the aforementioned Nancy from L.A., and we continued to run into other familiar faces (like Patty and Sue from Canada). We were so chatty we missed a turn but a kind Italian pilgrim got our attention and redirected us.

    The day's walk went through fields and vineyards and was fairly gentle. Still, after 14+ miles to Estella--then another mile to our hotel--my feet were really aching and we were drenched from sweat and rain and bordering on hangry. As usual, by the time we cleaned up and sat down at the restaurant adjoining our hotel, the kitchen was closed, not to reopen till 8:30 pm!

    Two other pilgrims staying here were in the same boat so we teamed up with Gayle (Raleigh) and David (somewhere near Leeds) and taxied down to the bottom of town to eat at Bar Le Monde. All was fabulous till we learned there were no taxis to take us home. But hey--what's another mile uphill in sandals?

    One highlight: our hotel offered to do our laundry for us. One lowlight: the dryers here don't really do the job. So we've turned every corner of our room into a drying rack hoping we wont have to pack damp clothes in the morning.

    Estella is not quite as picturesque--larger and more modern. That + rain = fewer pics.    Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler

    Pamplona to Puenta la Reina

    September 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Day 4 and I'm already taking some views for granted. But that's okay as I'm enjoying more of the random conversations with other pilgrims. Nancy from L.A., who's married with three kids, one of whom will join her in Leon; Katrina, a fifth grade teacher from Brisbane who is traveling solo; tonight's bartender, who relocated from Madrid after visiting Hotel Jakue on his Camino last year, and Robert from London, who is grieving his girlfriend of 20 years who died in 2022. Lots of people and stories.

    The 15-mile walk itself was rigorous, out of the city and up the mountain where the windmills and pilgrim statues--along with a love/peace/coffee bus run by a couple who only aim to recoup their costs--are, then down a rocky slope and through small towns. We were soooo ready for the finish line. Saw an inviting refuge (aka outdoor bar) when we got to the outskirts of town and were so excited to learn it was actually part of our hotel for the night! It is also an albergue/hostal, so it's been a good place to see and talk to other pilgrims (the Sercotel in Pamplona, not so much!).    Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler
    1
    121

    Walk to Pamplona

    September 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    A little bit of everything today, including wooded paths along the river, inclines out in the open, cafes for pilgrims, and of course the streets of Pamplona, beginning with the ancient Puenta de Magdalena.

    All the right parts of us were either full or empty when we started out (😉), which helped us make good time. Got a little cocky thinking we had shaved an hour off the walk and then realized we had only arrived at essentially a suburb of Pamplona and had another hour to go. Still, we got to the city in time for the back end of the lunch scene. I resisted getting yet another jamon y queso, opting for other pintxos (tapas, in Basque) instead.

    It's hard to want to walk around a hilly city when you've spent 13 mi on your feet to get there but we saw a few key sites, got our pilgrim stamp and enjoyed *una copa de vino tinto, por favor* at Ernest Hemingway's hang. Apparently, our tiny hotel room overlooks the street where the bulls run, so we're glad to see it but not be here when that happens!    Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler

    Walk to Zubiri

    September 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    14 miles (ish) today, with ascents and descents that were not nearly as steep but still hard because our muscles were a bit tired. A foggy start through charming towns, with plenty of farm animals (and farm poop) en route. Lots of paths through woods which meant fewer vistas but welcome shade. A cafe at the midpoint had an interesting blend of pilgrims and locals, some of whom were enjoying wine at 11 am!

    Zubiri is small but has all the necessities (unlike Roncesvalles, which was a monastery converted to rooms and restaurants). Our hotel, Casa Txantxorena, is an ultra-charming Navarrese mountain home from the 17th century. Our room is where the animals used to stay-pretty nice digs for a cow! Met Belgians, Israelis, Canadians, Australians today, many in it just for the hiking and back-to-basics life.

    Grateful that some of the locals speak English as I can't seem to muster a full sentence in Spanish without pulling out my Google Translate app. Soy una tonta monolingüe Americana!    Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler

    Over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles

    September 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Holy moly-quite a trek! Left at 8 am and encountered our steepest climbs, and rain/thunder, early on so happy to get those challenges under our belt. Rainbows in the first couple hours boded well for our climb. Got coffee and breakfast at an auberge (like a tiny ski lodge) about 7 miles and 2,300 feet elevation in. Total climb today was 4,757 feet spread over 16 miles, and every elevation was rewarded with spectacular views--majestic mountains speckled with cows, sheep, horses, all wearing cowbells--that were all the more special because we arrived on our own two feet. Other highlights: zero noise pollution; friendly co-pilgrims; and sweating so much we only had to use nature's bathroom once. :) Arrived Roncesvalles @ 4 pm to a hotel that's a converted monastery. Great dinner and now expect to sleep soundly!Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler

    St. Jean Pied de Port

    September 10, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    Took a quick taxi to Bayonne then boarded a train for our launch point. Very scenic route, which even some four-legged passengers appreciated. Toodled around St. Jean (tres pittoresque, with some interesting shops and vending machines), checked in with the Pilgrim office to get our first stamp and walked up to the 16th century citadel and around its ramparts for some great views of the town and mountains. Had a Basque Burger (aka bacon cheeseburger) and sangria at a restaurant where we met a few other pilgrims while waiting for the hotel's check-in time. Then had another glass of wine while waiting for the A/C in our room to catch up to the near-90-degree heat -- a final pampering before tomorrow's vigorous hike over the Pyrenees!Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler

    Biarritz, Day 2

    September 9, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Perfect way to start the day is with a good night's sleep under our belts, a healthy version of Eggs Benedict and the strongest Americano ever! Walked 9+ miles around town, sometimes in circles because the streets here are confusingly windy. A sweaty day (90 degrees and humid), capped by a fresh picnic dinner on our hotel's terrace, which has a (distant) view of the sea.Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler

    Biarritz

    September 8, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Loonnng day, from a sleepless overnight in Premium Economy (better than standard economy but still...) to the most circuitous trip I've ever taken from one gate of an airport to another, to a four-hour layover and finally to the cool, charming surf town of Biarritz. Walked along beach paths and winding roads, wined and dined at a couple cafes and are now preparing to turn in, missing the recommended watch parties for France v. New Zealand in rugby tonight. I'm OK with that!Read more

  • Charlotte BirchCamino FrancesTraveler

    Departure Day/Opening Day

    September 7, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌩️ 91 °F

    A coincidence that Cap One's lounge at IAD (which I get free access to thru my card) opened on our departure day? I think not! What a great way to launch our adventure. Free food and drink for us not-yet-weary pilgrims! 😉Read more

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