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Camino 2023

May - June 2023
A 50-day adventure by Terri's Trails Read more
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  • TravelerCamino 2023
    1
    2
    Day 1

    Paris with obligatory Eiffel Tower pic

    May 11, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    I arrived in Paris with my friends Joan and Chris. While we waited for our other friends to arrive on a later flight we walked to the Eiffel Tower.

    It was overcast, but not rainy, other than a few stray raindrops.

    Had a nice meal with the group at a cute restaurant near our hotel, then early to bed. We scheduled a walking tour for tomorrow, then we'll take the train to St Jean Pied de Port on Saturday to start the Camino.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    Day 4

    First day on the Camino

    May 14, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    We walked what is considered a half stage today, but it was actually farther than I've walked on the first day on the Camino Francés. This is the "crossing the Pyrenees" stage. While the terrain isn't difficult (it's actually foothills of the Pyrenees and most of the walking is on a paved road), it is very steep. The first five miles is the steepest section on the entire Camino Francés.

    In the past I've split this section by spending the night at Refuge Orisson which was the only hostel between St Jean Pied de Port in France and Roncesvalles in Spain. There is now another hostel one kilometer up the road, but my walking companions weren't keen on sleeping in bunk beds so we chose to use a service that picked us up when we reached the halfway point of this stage - about 7.5 miles.

    The day started out drizzly, but the walk was fairly dry until we reached Orisson where we stopped for lunch before continuing for 3 more miles. After a bowl of delicious vegetable soup we set out again for about another hour or so of walking until we reached our pick up point. Then it started to rain - lightly at first and we all put on our ponchos and deployed our handsfree hiking umbrellas. It wasn't long before we were in a torrential downpour with some hail mixed in. I also heard some thunder rumbling in the distance, and I thought of my umbrella and poles - the umbrella has a fiberglass shaft and ribs, and the piles are carbon fiber, so I was hoping that they wouldn't make me a lightning rod! Fortunately, I didn't see any lightning - in fact I couldn't see much at all at this point due to the mist that formed up in the mountains. Thankfully, the shuttle service sent the van up early because of the worsening weather and I arrived at the meeting point just as he got there. The others were behind me, and very happy to see a warm, dry van waiting for them.

    As is typical of days like this when we got back to town the skies cleared and it was beautiful!

    Until the rain really started the views were stunning, and I regret not taking more pictures.

    In the afternoon we walked around a bit more in St Jean which is an interesting old walled Basque town before heading to dinner.

    Tomorrow we will take the shuttle back to where we left off - hopefully it will be a lot dryer!    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    Day 5

    Day 2 - onward to Burguete

    May 15, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    We began our day with a somewhat disappointing breakfast in St Jean Pied de Port due to the lack of a menu and French language skills on our part.

    Then we headed over to the tourist office where our shuttle van picked us up to drive us back to the monument of the Virgin of Orisson where we had been picked up the day before. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the statue because visibility was so poor. I'd hate to be responsible for driving a van load of people up the winding road in dense fog while also avoiding the pilgrims walking on the road!

    At first the only issue was poor visibility, but then we also had rain and wind. Fortunately there were breaks in the rain, but it was a bit of a slog, but without the extremely steep uphill climb of the prior day.

    Part of the time we walked through a lovely forest on a path that could only be described as mulch. I don't know how thick the layer of leaves was, but it was kind of fun and bouncy to walk on. Along the way we heard cows, goats, sheep, and horses, and could sometimes see them despite the fog.

    We walked past Roncesvalles which is where most people stop for the day because we had reservations in Burguete about 2 miles down the road at Hostal Burguete where Hemingway stayed when he was in the area. I regret not taking a picture of the beautiful well word staircase where Hemingway once walked.

    We had a fantastic "pilgrim meal" at a restaurant down the road - lentil soup, delicious roasted chicken, and carrot cake accompanied by a nice bottle of red wine all for only €12 - including the wine! A far superior and more plentiful meal than we had had in France and for much less money too.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    Day 6

    Day 3 - the day of the mud

    May 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    This wasn't a particularly long day but rather difficult because of the rocky terrain and the mud and large puddles spanning the trail after the rain from the morning and previous days. The trail was also quite a bit more eroded than the last time o was on this part of the Camino in 2019, with jagged rocks sticking up.

    But the main feature was the mud. I have owned a pair of waterproof socks for several years, and took them on previous Caminos, but they were really put to the test today, and performed admiraly. I wore them over a pair of regular socks with my sturdy hiking sandals. The sandals and waterproof socks were caked with mud, but the socks underneath were clean and dry. It's much easier to clean mud off of sandals and socks than shoes, and they are faster to dry.

    The beginning of today's walk took us past a field of frisky horses that were having a great time running after one another.

    We spent the night in private rooms at a nice albergue (pilgrim hostel) and enjoyed a communal dinner with fellow pilgrims from all over the world.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    Day 7

    Final day of the "Push Start Camino"

    May 17, 2023 in Spain

    My Camino this year is a little different. The first four days are what I'm calling a "push start" Camino - I'm accompanying 4 "newbies" on the Camino Francés, and today's walk from Zubiri to Pamplona was our final day together.

    I've tried to pass on as much "Camino wisdom" as I can, but the best way to learn anything is by doing, and I am confident that my fledgling pilgrims will do fine, albeit probably with some challenges and surprises along the way.

    We finally had a clear sunny day which was tempered by a cool breeze which kept the weather very comfortable for walking. There were a few spots with mud and puddles, but nothing like yesterday. Still, it was challenging with sore bodies after 3 consecutive days of walking.

    Most of the walk was on a tree shaded trail alongside the Rio Agra which was very high and really rushing by.

    There weren't any difficult climbs, but some of the descents were tricky. In fact, there was a German woman who apparently had some kind of accident and the Bomberos (Spanish rescue/ EMTs) were on the trail.

    We did avoid one hard climb with no shade by taking a slightly longer walk in the shade along the river into Pamplona.

    With our different walking paces it took longer than I'm used to to reach Pamplona, and I think that we were all pretty exhausted. We split up for a while in the afternoon while I met up with a fellow Camino forum member and her husband who I had been corresponding with. They actually have a Camino love story - they met while walking from Le Puy in France 9 years ago - she from Australia and he from France.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    1
    Day 8

    Back to France - Bayonne

    May 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    I'll start my solo Camino del Norte from Bayonne. I walked this route back in 2018 and started in Irun in Spain - I didn't realize then that I could start on the trail in France.

    I saw the rest of the group off on the Camino in Pamplona, then headed to the bus station for my journey to Bayonne.

    After arriving at the pilgrim refuge Chez Veronique where it appears I will have the place to myself the first order of business was to do laundry.

    While my clothes were in the wash I decided to wander over to the Bayonne Cathedral, which is right next to where I'm staying tonight.

    It's quite a beautiful place. Rather than try to write about it myself I've copied what Wikipedia has to say.

    "The site was previously occupied by a Romanesque cathedral that was destroyed by two fires in 1258 and 1310.[1] Construction of the present cathedral began in the 13th century and was completed at the beginning of the 17th, except for the two spires which were not finished until the 19th century. The structure has been much restored and refurbished, notably by Émile Boeswildwald, architect to the French government in the 19th century, and a pupil of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.[2]"    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    Day 9

    Day one on the Camino del Norte

    May 19, 2023 in France

    I decided to start my walk from the lighthouse in Biarritz after the woman whose place I stayed at told me how lovely the walk along the coast is.

    It definitely was beautiful and there were tons of gorgeous old mansions along the way. The route that I took is the sentier littoral (coastal path) and the Camino pretty much followed it.

    It was a fairly easy walk along pedestrian walkways under blue skies and perfect temperatures.

    Several times along the way I enjoyed the fragrance of jasmine and honeysuckle. There were may locals and tourists out walking, and three different women asked me if I was walking to Santiago and wished me "bon courage" and "buen camino.". But I didn't see anyone else specifically walking the Camino.

    I passed by beaches full of surfers, surf schools, and many beach side cafes, stopping at one for a second breakfast of beignets and freshly squeezed orange juice.

    I'm spending the night at a pilgrims gite in the resort town of St Jean de Luz. They don't accept reservations and I'm happy that I arrived in time to get one of the ten available beds, which are €12 per night. If I had to get a hotel here it would be at least ten times the cost.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    1
    Day 10

    St-Jean-de-Luz to Hondarribia

    May 20, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    While I was still walking next to the ocean today it wasn't on the pedestrian seaside walkways of yesterday. Most of the walk was along a fairly busy road, but the ocean views were still good.

    When I got to Hendaye I had to wait about 45 minutes for the ferry crossing to Hondarribia where I had reserved a hotel room. I had heard that this was a more interesting city than next door Irun where most pilgrims start the Camino del Norte. I was very pleased with my choice. Hondarribia (founded in 1203) is an old walled city with a maze of narrow streets, and I kept getting completely turned around while looking for a place to eat. I finally settled on a cozy bar and some pintxos (tapas) for dinner. Then a quick trip to a grocery store for supplies for tomorrow's walk.Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    1
    2
    Day 11

    El Purgatorio - Hondarribia to Pasaia

    May 21, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    I was hoping for clear weather today because I planned to walk the route called El Purgatorio, which follows a high ridge with great views. When I did the Camino del Norte in 2018 I was very jet lagged and it was raining so it didn't make sense to attempt this climb.

    They weren't kidding when they named it El Purgatorio, and I questioned my judgement almost immediately when I started the climb. I have a fear of falling backwards - I hate long steep escalators and stairs, and this was no different. The feeling was worse carrying a full backpack because my center of gravity was off. While others walked by at a seemingly normal pace I was practically crawling up the side of this hill. My poles weren't much help because the rubber tips that are great for most of the Camino didn't grab into the ground, and they were on so tightly that I couldn't remove them. After what seemed like an eternity while I considered every step I took I finally made it up this very steep part.

    Of course that wasn't the end of the uphill walking, but at least I was only often out of breath for the rest of the walk and not terrified of falling.

    The day had started out sunny and warm, but somewhere near the top of the mountain a cold wind carrying mist from the ocean came up. To my right on the ocean side it was foggy and cold, but to my left I could look down to see the city of Irun in the sun.

    Around this time I needed to stop to layer up and met an older French man who speaks fluent Spanish because his father was from Spain. So we could communicate, though I couldn't understand everything that he said. He waited for me to don my warmer clothing. Later I discovered that he's diabetic so I waited while he tested his blood sugar.

    We teamed up and helped each other the rest of the way, arriving together at the albergue around 2:30. It was supposed to open at 4:00 and I was prepared to wait, but the volunteer hospitalero was sitting on a bench outside and offered to let us in early. There are only 14 beds here, and reservations are not accepted, so I was happy to be able to get a bed, as the only other option was an expensive hotel room, as this is a really cute, but very touristic town.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino 2023
    2
    Day 12

    Some pics from San Sebastián

    May 22, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    The sun did come out for a while, and I had some great ice cream. I'm usually disappointed in what most places call dark chocolate, but this place knows how to do it. Yum!

    I finished up the day with some pintxos, but wasn't too hungry after the ice cream. 😅Read more

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