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Dos Perigrinos
Dos Perigrinos

Dos Perigrinos

Commercial photographer / videographer, world traveler & retired airline employee (that really helps with the world traveling!). En savoir plus🇺🇸Austin
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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 27: To El Acebo

    7 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ 🌧 66 °F

    Physically:
    I’m definitely out of the Meseta…
    For the past week or so I have been walking through what they call the Meseta. It’s basically a relatively flat agricultural region. Now that’s in my (metaphorical) rear view mirror as I’m back to climbing and descending mountains. In fact, today I passed the highest point on the entire Camino. While today’s assent and decent was not nearly as challenging as my first couple of days crossing the Pyrenees, I’m definitely not in Kansas…
    Also, to play a little catch-up as payback for yesterday’s 10k day, today I did a long 30k trek. It made for a very long day, although after the fog/rain subsided it was a beautiful solitary hike on a trail through the woods with wildflowers all around.

    Emotionally/Spiritually:
    I was completely alone virtually all day hiking very rocky mountain trails often in the mist & rain. Plus, one of the best-known locations on the Camino; the “Cruz de Ferro” (Iron Cross) was on today’s hike. Physically, it’s just an iron cross on top of what looks like a telephone pole sticking out of a big pile of rocks.
    Not being a “religious” guy, for me, the cross was not the most important part. The relevance was the rocks. The spiritual strength comes with the tradition that you leave a rock or a small memento behind to release a burden, or in memory of a loss or perhaps as a sign of a current love or devotion. It’s a tradition that has been repeated countless thousands of times as is evidenced by the many thousands of rocks people have carried from around the world to leave there.
    I did all the above and am not ashamed to say mine were accompanied by free-flowing tears. (In my best Yoda voice); “Very strong the Force is there”. It’s a very ‘spiritual’ place and hard to not be moved.
    Finally, I stumbled into my Albergue after 6pm and just crashed on my bunk until my 8:15 dinner time. Then enjoyed my three-course 15€ Peregrino dinner. Now I am in my bunk and ready for sleep.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 26: To Santa Catalina de Somoza

    6 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    After my (too) long day of walking yesterday, I decided on a nice easy less than 8-mile trek to the little village of Santa Catalina de Somoza for today. It should have been a pretty effortless trek, but my left leg shin started hurting more and again my right shin started having sympathy pains. Yep, I overdid it yesterday, so today I’m giving my body a break.
    Due to the short day, I slept in, then went to touch on some of the highlights of Astorga. The Cathedral is spectacular. One nice thing they did on the tour is one rooms had 3dVR headsets you could put on and view portions of the Cathedral that are normally not accessible. It was very well done and quite cool. Next door to the Cathedral is the Gaudi Museum or Bishop’s palace so I took the tour there too.
    After that, I headed back to the hotel to pick up my backpack and hiking poles to continue my journey. While there, I met the proprietor, Juan. His family has been living in that home/hotel for 11 generations. It’s a wonderful hotel and not an albergue, but this Peregrino needed a bit more comfort to make my feet and I feel better before the trek tomorrow. (Spoiler alert, there are mountains ahead…)
    I stopped in the village of Murias de Rechivaldo for lunch. Lunch was good but I wish the bar across the street that is owned by some Italians had been open. I’m not sure about their food but I liked their decor outside with colorful flowers filling discarded boots. Then on to my Hostal in the cute but very small village of Santa Catalina to rest my feet.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 25: To Astorga

    5 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Today was a (maybe too) long day. I hiked a little over 22 miles to the town of Astorga. When I started out my left shin was feeling much better. By the time I arrived, my left and right shins were bothering me.
    I started out from my albergue Tio Pepe about 7:30 this morning and didn’t arrive until nearly 7pm. Tomorrow I am going to do a much shorter day. Fortunately, there were several small towns on the way to stop and get a coffee or Aquarius (a non-carbonated electrolyte drink that taste great). I stopped for lunch at ‘Hospital de Órbigo’. It was one of the more interesting small towns I’ve walked through. Some of my Camino family that is several days ahead of me told me then they were here there was a big medieval fair with jousting and the evidence of the celebration was still apparent when I arrived today. It turns out every June they celebrate Don Suero’s Jousting tournament.

    A little history…. In 1434 the knight Don Suero had his heart broken so he locked an iron collar around his neck and declared he would host a jousting tournament here during the two weeks leading up to Saint James Day. Nobles got behind the event and champions showed up to take his dare. At the end of the two weeks Don Suero prevailed after breaking the lances of 300 opponents. He declared himself the victor, and free of the bonds of love. He then made the pilgrimage to Santiago as a final gesture of his release.

    The whole town has a very medieval feel with the medieval bridge and Templar and Maltese crosses and coats of armor displayed around town.
    The trail continued past rusty dirt (rock) farms and fields. I stopped by one and shared a little baby-cow love. Near San Justo de la Vega there was a little donativo (donation based) oasis with fruit (watermelon!), snacks, juice, teas and even hammocks available.
    About an hour later I topped a hill with a little rest spot and a view of Astorga in the distance. I stopped and got a wax seal sellos for my credential from a vendor and continued on to my destination for the evening.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 24: To Villar de Mazarife

    4 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    On Sunday morning with the help of another 400mg Ibuprofen (sometimes referred to as “Vitamin I” by pilgrims) my ankle was feeling a bit better, so I decided to push on to Villar de Mazarife. I walked past more churches, past what appeared to be some hobbit holes and out of the bustle of Leon. After a while I was passing more beautiful wheat fields punctuated by red poppies and white daisys. Early in the day I ran across my Camino friend Lauren (American but living in Spain) and we walked together until I arrived at my albergue in Villar de Mazarife. Lauren continued walking as she still had several kilometers to go. After another 15-mile day my ankle was certainly not feeling any worse and perhaps a bit better so I’m confidant I’ll be able to continue tomorrow.En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 23: To León

    3 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Saturday morning, I started off on what would be a 15 mile walk to Leon. So far, I’ve been really fortunate avoiding the common ailments that are common if not predictable with such long daily walks. I’ve only suffered one small blister. Unfortunately, shortly after starting out this morning a tightness/pain developed in my left shin. I walked/limped through a few little towns on the way in. Mantilla Mayor had me seeing spots when I briefly stopped there, and it also had another nice mural. I passed another bell tower that was home to massive stork nests and the “new” bridge into town. (It was built in 1778). I also met a new Camino family member (Sally Jo from Houston) that helped take my mind off my aching shin. By the time I made it onto Leon (it seems to take forever to get from the rural countryside into the heart of the big cities), I wasn’t sure if I would be able to continue without giving my ankle a day or two of rest. (The standard prescription for what I am pretty certain is a “shin splint” or tendonitis). I stopped by a Farmacia and picked up some Ibuprofen, stopped by a bar and had lunch and a Tinto de Verona (basically red wine and lemon soda) and then rested awhile in my albergue. I also confirmed with them that I would be able to stay an extra night or two if needed and would let them know in the morning. Before long I was getting restless and the local 400mg ibuprofen had kicked in so I walked to the Leon Cathedral (it was spectacular) where I ran into my Camino buddy Kelly. We walked around the old town, took touristy photos, and acted silly (it was a great distraction from my shin). We then met up with our friends Collin from Austin, Sunny from Amsterdam, George from London & Bryan from Australia, and another pilgrim for dinner. Afterwards I hobbled back to my albergue, got off my feet and was in bed by 7:30. Hopefully tomorrow I can continue onward…En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 22: To Mansilla de Mulas

    2 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    I left Bercanos del real Camino headed to Mansilla de las Mulas around 8:30 accompanied by Terry, his granddaughter Emma, and her boyfriend Jack. We ended up walking much of the day together and we were all looking forward to having our own place with private bedrooms this evening.
    Today wasn’t the prettiest or most dynamic of days. It was basically just a long (partially shaded) hike along a trail next to a medium busy road. Going through the village of El Burgo Ranero, storks were working on their nest on the bell tower. (You see them in a lot of the bell towers. I’m wondering if they have some sort of barter system worked out with the Catholic Church….)
    A little later I ran across a row of trees where someone had knitted little sweaters for the trees along the path. (Perhaps to make them more huggable?)

    Tonight, we had the apartment for Sue, Terry, Emma, Jack, and me. The “kids” offered to make dinner for us, so they went out and picked up groceries to cook a great pasta dinner while I worked on laundry for the gang.
    The original plan was that Sue (a salsa and swing dance instructor) was going guide a dance party, but that plan pretty much fell apart when the reality hit home that we had all already walked over 18 1/2 miles earlier in the day and none had the energy for any kind of party. So, after dinner we just all said our good nights, and headed off to bed in preparation of our hike to León tomorrow.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 21: To Bercianos del Real Camino

    1 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    This morning I left before 7am and the sun was just up. It was a beautiful time to walk. After around 4K I arrived at Moratinos for a much-needed coffee break. After enjoying my coffee and pastry, I continued to a (fairly) major town on today’s hike, Sahagùn. Shortly before I entered the town, I passed over a medieval bridge and then through a monument that signifies the theoretical 1/2 point from St Jean Pied de Port France to Santiago de Compostela Spain. (You walk between two statues that mark the official 1/2 point.) That is of course if you walked directly from SJPDP to Santiago or about 400K of the 800K total.) Of course, I’ve been walking around the towns, having lunch, looking for bathrooms etc, so as of lunchtime today I have walked 321 miles or 517 kilometers since leaving SJPDP.
    Entering Sahagún you pass another great pilgrim mural and then a big gate “The Arch of San Benito” that was originally the entrance to a church but is now an entrance to the city.
    I went ahead and had lunch while in Sahagùn. I joined a nice French guy that I had seen several times on the Camino (Johan) for lunch. He started his Camino in a Le Puy France. It’s a gateway to the Camino that is about 750 kilometers before St Jean. So really where I started (Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port) was actually his 1/2-way point. I thought my 800k trek was a lot. Just goes to show, it’s all relative…Wow!
    After leaving Sahagún I continued my hike for a couple more hours to my stop for the evening; Bercianos del Real Camino. I’ve been walking with some of my Camino family from the US (Terry, his granddaughter Emma, and her friend Jack) off and on the past few days. It happens we are staying in the same Albergue this evening. We were all on our phones this evening looking for beds for tomorrow and I found a very reasonable four-bedroom apartment for rent. So tomorrow we are all splitting it along with another pilgrim (Sue) we just met. It should be fun!    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 20: To Terradillos de Los Templarios

    31 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    I left the monastery about 7:20 this morning and surprisingly almost immediately ran across a restaurant that was open. So, I sat down a bit for breakfast. Really, it was just bread and coffee because I knew I had about an 18-mile day ahead. Then I headed out of town past a nice tribute to the pilgrims and an old Roman road headed off somewhere. (They don’t build them like that anymore…) I then continued my trek through the Meseta.
    Pretty soon I was out of town and beginning a 17k segment that is stated in the guidebooks that is often without any services. No water, no food, no toilets, nada. Fortunately, it was a flat, easy (if long) walk past grain pastures etc. After a few kilometers there actually was a nice Guardia Civil officer parked in case anyone needed help and a little further there was a pavilion that fortunately was open. It made for a great rest and refresh place. I ran into a couple of members of my more recent pilgrim family (Collin from Austin and Kelly from Atlanta). Of course, I had to photograph some of the beautiful wildflowers along the way as well as the creative rock work from previous pilgrims. As I walked the final hour or so towards my final stop of the day thunderstorms were building around me and the temperature dropped. The cool was nice, but the thunder was a little disconcerting (my metal hiking poles and I were the tallest objects around…), although, the darker sky’s did make for some nice photos. I made it to my albergue “Jacques de Molay” before the rain hit. After dinner it wasn’t too many hours before I was tucked into my bunk to write this and then off to sleep.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 19: Carrión de Los Condes

    30 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    It was a little shorter day today at a little less than 15 miles. It’s officially about 20k but I always manage to get a little distance just walking around. I started off about 7:30 this morning and passed by the XI century church; Iglesia de San Martin (consecrated in 1066) in the warm morning light. Then I passed by a little pilgrim monument in Villovieco. There was a fork in the path pretty early today that would either take you by the road or the river. The river route was only a bit less than 1k longer and shaded so it was an easy choice. Then I stopped for lunch in Villacázar de Sirga. While there, I stepped inside the local church the Santa Maria La Blanca that was built in the last 1/3 of the 13th century to check it out.
    The Knights Templar built it with the help of the Cistercians as literally a church-fortress to protect the pilgrims bound for the holy land. What is truly amazing to me is not just that these amazing structures were built around 1000 years ago… but you run across one in practically every little village.
    Speaking of churches and such, tonight I’m staying in a working Monastery. The Monasterio de Santa Clara. Although few would say I am at all “monk like” I’m pretty sure I slept in a room that has been used for monk or sister’s quarters. I have been keeping my eyes out for Julie Andrews but no sightings yet…    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 18: To Frómista.

    29 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Today was a little bit longer day. It ended up being just over 17 1/2 miles or 28k. The morning started with a pretty steep climb up and then down a big hill that is between Castrojeriz and Frómista. From the top on one side, I could see Castrojeriz through the morning haze where I started this morning, and on the other side, my long path West past multicolored fields I would be walking later. From there, it was (mostly) downhill to Frómista. Shortly after starting out, I entered the Provincia de Palencia. (It’s sort of like crossing state lines.) I have definitely begun my passage through the Meseta of Spain. The land is flattening out and the fields are a rainbow of crops.
    I passed by two more memorials on the hike over the hill. Reminders that life is short. One appeared to be for a 44-year-old young man.
    Again, the pathways were often lined with wildflowers, and some fields were made up entirely of poppies. Beautiful.
    Along the way I passed through the villages of Itero de la Vega and Boadilla del Camino, that made for nice coffee and lunch spots. (In Boadilla del Camino I discovered even the manhole covers have a Camino motif.) The last part of today’s hike was along the canal de Castillo which was a nice shaded hike along a working canal just before crossing the canal into Frómista. After checking into my hostel, I relaxed a bit and then met up with my New Zealand friends for dinner.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 17: To Castrojeriz

    28 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    I was able to get out of my albergue about 7:00 this morning and start my hike to Castrojeriz.
    I had a minor emergency yesterday evening when I discovered I must have left my towel at my previous albergue, (albergues don’t provide towels, they’re strictly BYOT) so I was unable to take a shower and needless to say, every little village in Spain doesn’t sell lightweight fast drying microfiber towels (or any towels for that matter). So, my solution was to stay in an inexpensive hotel this evening and purchase one of their hand towels until I can get something better. (They actually ended up gifting it to me.) Simply going without a shower isn’t really a viable option…

    Shortly after starting out this morning I met Katarina and her daughter Julia from Sweden.
    On the trail today there were more spectacular poppy fields. (I never get tired of those.) so my Swedish friends and I took the opportunity to take each others photos with the pretty background.

    About two and a half hours into todays hike, below us in a little valley, the village of Hontanas suddenly appeared. It was the perfect time to stop, take off our shoes and get some coffee and breakfast before continuing.

    A couple of hours later we came across the Monastery of San Anton ruins. It seemed pretty incongruous to have such a large structure literally in the middle of nowhere. (It was very cool though.)
    A little history….
    The convent was founded in 1146 under the patronage of King Alfonzo VII and was dedicated to care of the pilgrims and treating the “Fire of San Anton”, a desease that spread during the Middle Ages. The huge arched entrance was added in the 1400’s.
    (That’s the end of today’s history lesson….)
    We stopped and took our shoes off for a bit (never miss an opportunity) before heading out again for Castrojeriz

    Approaching the town you see the Castillo (Castle) de Castrojeriz up on the hilltop and a large Catholic Church below surrounded by scattered poppy fields below. (The village climbs up the hill to the left, but you can’t see it in my photo.) After passing the church I made my way up the hill into the village. (When you’re walking, villages seem to always be on hilltops even if they are down in valleys.) Although it was still early afternoon I had walked over 22k and was feeling pretty beat so I settled into my hotel for a (much needed) bath. Then I went down to the bar for the 12€ Menú del Dia (includes the wine) and took the afternoon off. Back to my previous comment of some considering the Meseta to be ‘dull’, it’s actually pretty spectacular in spring.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 16: To Hornillos del Camino

    27 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    This morning I woke up in my comfy hotel and repacked and organized my backpack before meeting one of my Camino friends I’ve been walking with the past few days downstairs for breakfast. Elana from Bulgaria was diagnosed yesterday with tendonitis in her ankle so she is staying off of it, per the free ER Dr’s orders. Ahh… universal health coverage… (Drop by any hospital and they will do what it takes to get you better for free…)

    It’s interesting how people you meet on the Camino disappear over the next or previous hill because of a difference in walking pace or a meal stop and then magically reappear days later. Yesterday, in the Burgos plaza, I ran into a family from New Zealand that Dorothy and I met in SJPDP the evening before we started the Camino. When I arrived at my albergue this afternoon, here they are again! You never know who you may see again, and who you may not. Sorta like life I suppose…

    Back to my Camino, I started a bit late (nearly 9am) walking out of Burgos. It really is a pretty town so I spent a little more time walking around. Leaving town there were a number of art cutouts representing Peregrinos in different styles. When I reached the village of Tardajos there was a festival going on where people were dressed in costumes including the (adorable) children. I asked a local and was told it was an annual local celebration; ‘La Virgin de las Aguas’. (The Virgin of the Waters.)

    Passing through Rabé de las Calzadas there were several murals celebrating the peregrinos and one that confirmed I am between 1/3 and 1/2 the way to Santiago. Yea! One step at a time…
    A few minutes later I passed a small church with a couple of elderly folks sitting on the front porch and a sister in the doorway. I motioned to see if it was ok for me to take a photo and she motioned me in. Once inside she gave me a tiny gold medallion with a hug, then wished me “Buen Camino” and stamped my passport with an image of the medallion and a Peregrino. It instantly became my favorite sello (or seal) for my pilgrims passport. It was very sweet and a moment I won’t forget.

    Today I entered the Meseta. It’s a large fairly flat area in Spain that you walk through on the Camino between Burgos and Leon. Many peregrinos actually skip over it entirely and take a bus to Leon because of its reputation for being hot and visually dull. I would agree with the ‘hot’ description (and I’m here before the really hot months), but I would definitely not call it dull. So, speaking of ‘hot’, I became the coolest peregrino around by putting on my official hiking umbrella with a mounting attachment for my backpack. I may (or may not) have looked cool, but I was cool, and that’s what counts.
    As I walked, I continued past wheat and barley fields and a gazillion wildflowers lining the pathways. Before long I entered Hornillos de las Camino (my shelter for the evening.) As soon as I arrived at my albergue, I dropped off my backpack and then went to the square for a glass of wine.
    That evening at the albergue they served up a great pilgrims dinner including a good salad and the largest iron skillet I’ve ever seen full of Paella. After a great dinner, I was off to bed.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 15: To Burgos

    26 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    I intentionally hiked a longer day yesterday so today would be a “short” 16-kilometer day and I would have time to explore Burgos. I passed one small village Orbaneja Riopoco before entering the outskirts and walking past the airport. After that it was pretty much just business suburbs (and more churches of course) until I got near the old town city center. I went straight to my hotel to drop off my pack and clean up before exploring the old town. I did pass a large outdoor photography exhibit on my way to my hotel.
    Although I really like the group dinners in the albergues, I’m less of a fan of sleeping in a room with multiple bunk beds, so I splurged and used my son's employee discount (he is a cook for a major hotel chain) and booked a nice hotel room. Thank you Dustin! My own room with an en-suite bath was a luxury!
    After settling into my hotel, I went out exploring the old town of Burgos and the Cathedral. Not being critical here, the gates to the old town really reminded me of something you would see at Disneyworld. (Guessing these gates are older…) The first thing you see when entering the old city is the Burgos cathedral. It’s enormous. I purchased a discount peregrino ticket by showing my pilgrims passport and proceeded to walk through the tour. The place is amazing. As I’ve previously expressed, I’m not religious and certainly not Catholic (although I did sing for a while in a Catholic choir…. It’s a long story…) still it was impossible not to see the beauty and feel the majesty of the art and architecture. Afterwards I had a nice dinner and Vino Tinto at an outdoor bar on the plaza before retiring to my (wonderful) hotel room and a hot bath.    En savoir plus

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    Day 14: To Cardeñuela Riopoco

    25 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

    Today was a nice but challenging day. I started off about 8:00 this morning, left an apple from my pack for the horse, and then walked for about 6.5 hours (not counting lunch, visiting, etc. for a total of just over 30 kilometers or nearly 19 miles.) I really pushed a bit more than I have been, because I wanted to get close to Burgos so I will have time to explore the city tomorrow. I also splurged and actually booked a ‘real’ hotel for tomorrow night. The weather was nice today and one of my Camino family caught up with me, (Elena from Bulgaria) so we walked together for the first part of the day, then I walked with my Swedish friends Maria and Oso for the last part. As I’ve mentioned previously, I always tend to walk faster when I’m around others.
    One thing I have been doing the past few days is carrying my entire backpack instead of getting a few pounds off my back by forwarding a daypack to the next destination. The majority of people don’t actually carry everything on their back that they need. Most just carry a day pack and there are services that will take your big pack to your next albergue for 6€. Since I prefer the feel of my ‘real backpack’, I’ve been sorta doing the reverse by carrying my backpack and forwarding a little daypack with dirty clothes, electronic cords etc. and saving a few pounds. It is nice getting rid of the extra pounds, but the downside is you must decide in advance where you are going to want to stop for the evening instead of letting your body decide. The reality is however, they say “we carry our fears” and one of my fears is that I will arrive in a village and there won’t be an available bed for me. So, I will probably continue to book a bed the evening before to know for sure. Tomorrow, Burgos.    En savoir plus

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    Day 13: To Espinosa del Camino

    24 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Today was a day of rain, flowers and reflection.
    I left the Albergue about 7:15 this morning and before very long I was taking off my pack to put on my poncho in the rain, it stayed on until I was just a few kilometers from Espinosa del Camino about 27 kilometers (17miles) later.
    Despite the rain, it was a nice day because every few kilometers I walked through a tiny town and would take off my shoes for a moment and enjoy a cup of coffee. I also ran into a few friends during my coffee stops and that’s always a highlight. (That also no doubt added to my time, but it was well worth the breaks.) Perhaps because I hiked alone all day, today was a longer day. (I’ve found I’m a slightly slower walker than many, but if I’m with someone, I will match their pace.)
    One of the remarkable things about the Camino is the amount of resources and support it gets from the communities. In addition to the artwork you often pass, (I passed several murals today celebrating the pilgrims), there are regular fuentes (water fountains) and amazingly well marked trails (it's hard to miss the yellow arrows (or inlaid bronze shells on the sidewalks in larger cities)) that are well kept, mowed and some even have stone pathways where regular paths may be subject to erosion. Many paths seem to follow rural roadways, but many no doubt cross private land.
    Another random example today of supporting the pilgrims, this afternoon I passed a chair placed under a tree, literally in the middle of nowhere, just to provide a place to rest if you need it.
    Today someone in front of me was leaving little bouquets of wildflowers in the road. At first I thought someone had dropped one, then after passing others on the trail it was obvious it was a pattern (a gift to the walkers). Although I only photographed a couple, I passed at least 4 of them on todays hike. I have no idea who left them, but I do know they no doubt brought smiles to many Peregrinos following behind them.
    Near the end of the day, I met a nice horse and rider that is doing the Camino. When I arrived at my Albergue “La Taberna”, I discovered the rider is staying here also.
    (The horse is sleeping outside.)    En savoir plus

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    Day 12: To Grañón

    23 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    The vineyards have turned to grain. It was a beautiful hike today through multiple shades of green. Long trails into the horizon were dotted with pilgrims making their way to their next stop. I (only) did about 16 miles or 25 kilometers today but by 2:30 this afternoon my feet were done so I enjoyed a nice sandwich and vino tinto and called it a day. Later in the day I went to a Pilgrims blessing at the church. (I didn’t understand a word, but it was still impressive.) Speaking of language barriers, afterwards I enjoyed a nice pilgrims meal at the albergue. There were four French, two Polish, two Austrian’s, one Spaniard and me. Only one Austrian and one of the French women spoke some English and were able to translate enough for me to understand the various conversations. One of the most wonderful aspects of the Camino are all the wonderful people you meet from all around the world and at you truly do all have the same goal. And, although many speak English, I do wish I spoke another language or two.En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 11: To Azofra

    22 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    This morning I was looking up the address to where we are staying tonight in Apple Maps and it happily told me it would take 16 minutes to get to Azofra. That confirmed driving is definitely faster than walking… about 5 hours and twenty minutes faster. Although you definitely see, hear, smell & feel more taking the slow way.
    Today’s hike was the longest so far at about 25.5 kilometers. As of today I’ve officially hiked right at 200 kilometers on the Camino (not counting walking around towns to eat and drink good wine.) Only 600 more to go. Speaking of wine, after walking past just over a gazillion vineyards, I understand why it’s so cheap here.
    The morning started by taking an (unintentional but fortunate) alternate path at added about 1k to our hike but allowed us to stop at a nice place for coffee and make a friend with a burro (with the help of a sugar cube I have been carrying just for such bribery.) Then the path climbed up and up to where a musician from Galicia was busting on the trail. It was great to pause and catch our breath and let his music relax us to continue. On we walked towards Nájera. Entering the town was the least esthetically pleasing (let’s just say ugliest) part of the Camino so far. To keep things positive, I going to post a photo of a beautiful fence laden with roses. Nájera is a nice town and Dorothy and I had a great lunch there before continuing up past the red rocks that flank the town into more vineyards. (They really are beautiful). Finally, we made it into our little picturesque town of Azofra.
    Starting tomorrow my Camino will be markedly different. For the past couple of weeks it’s been wonderful sharing the company of my sister Dorothy on the camino. It’s been a true pleasure. I’ve also been fortunate to be able to share her photos here with you. Tomorrow she is leaving to join her husband Steve on vacation and honestly, I’m very sad to see her go.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 10: To Navarette

    21 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Today's hike was basically like a Sunday walk in the park. Actually, much of it was exactly that. We left Viana about 7:30 this morning and made our way out a city gate on the way to Logroño and then on to Navarette. Before we got to the outskirts of Logroño we passed a little roadside stand that sold fruit and coffee (yea!) and offered to stamp our credentials.

    One of the most important items all pilgrims on the camino carry is their “Pilgrims Passport” or “Credential”. It’s a simple accordion folded card that you get before you start and then get stamped where you sleep and many other places. It grants you access to the inexpensive albergues (hostels), cheap pilgrim meals and proves where you walked if you want a Compostelle of distance certificate in Santiago.

    Logroño is a pretty big city, so we ended up taking a good while to just get through the downtown area and make our way out of the city. As you’re leaving, you enter a park that goes on for ever and ever and ever. Long hike and bike trails along with a lake and a restaurant.
    It was great seeing all the locals out enjoying the space.
    Most locals would smile and say “Buen Camino” as they passed. My favorites were a little boy about 7 years old that said a big friendly “Buen Camino” as he passed on his tiny bike with his parents on their bikes, and an elderly Spanish gentleman that managed to communicate to me in Spanish that he had done two Camino’s in his younger years.
    Finally, we made it to where we could see our next destination, Navarrete before we made our way up the hill to the town.

    Although today's hike was fairly flat, it was long (24k or about 16 miles) and we were beat by the time we made it to our room. After a little break we did laundry and hung it on our balcony to dry, and then walked around town and checked out the (incredible and I’m not a “religious” person.) cathedral. Afterwards we went to the bar that’s directly across from our Hostal and ordered a couple of glasses of wine.

    One cool tidbit about Spain; when you order wine at a bar, they give you free Pincho’s (a lite snack) with your wine. The total cost for the two glasses of wine and pincho’s; 3€ ($3.25). I could get used to that…
    Now even though it’s not yet 9pm, we’re in bed listening to the music drifting into our room from the bar across the street and ready to drift off to sleep.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur
    Rainy Los Arcos Morning

    Day 9: To Viana

    20 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    I do want to comment before I continue that many of the photos I’m showing were actually taken by my sister Dorothy. Every evening we share our daily favorites and then I select a group to show. Although I’m writing this, she needs much of the credit for the visuals…
    Today we woke to a light rain falling. The good news is, yesterday we found a great little bakery that would open before we started walking, so our first stop was back past the cathedral in the rain for pastries and coffee. Then we started our leisurely 14-mile day. (For a guy that pre-Camino would average about 8000 steps a day, to talk about a “leisurely” 33,000 step day sounds absurd. But it’s really just going for a walk through beautiful scenery for about 4.5 hours.)
    Today we started off walking on a pathway past more fields of grain, olive trees and vineyards. Before long we were entering the beautiful old town of Sansol where we found a great little spot for a second breakfast. Along the way we met Mike the world traveler. He also is an avid photographer, so we enjoyed talking about photography and world travels. Later in the day he was of great assistance since he is multi-lingual, he became our official translator. Chatting with him made the miles pass quickly as we continued to pass more beautiful poppy fields and some great old vineyards. Before long we found ourselves in Viana about 3pm. After dropping off our packs we went out exploring to find a late lunch before a short nap. Then downstairs for a communal dinner and off to bed.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 8: To Los Arcos

    19 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Today we walked another 22k or about 14 miles and after a week of this, my feet are beginning to protest.
    Leaving Estella, you enter Auegi and then shortly after find yourself at the Fuente de Vino, a free public wine fountain. The only problem is we (and most pilgrims) arrived in the early morning. Of course, we still had to give it a try. 😎.
    Then we continued on the path past a spectacular field of poppies. (I considered running through them like in the Wizard of Oz but decided we would do better staying on the path.) Besides, my legs are well past running anywhere.
    As we walked on past fields of wheat and barley, up on top of the hill to our right was the castlely looking remains of the Castillo de San Esteban. Then through the little town of Villamayor de Monjardin Centro and the 12th century San Andres Church. We continued on past vineyards and olive trees then continued on through wildflower lined paths to the village of Los Arcos where we had our Albergue for the evening. After settling in, we walked to the town square for some much-needed cervezas. As is more common than not, we ran into friends we had made during our Camino and enjoyed a nice dinner on the plaza. Afterwards we walked into the cathedral Iglesia de Santa Maria which evoked an involuntary expletive upon entering. In such a relatively remote village, its splendor was almost overwhelming. Afterwards we took the short walk back to our albergue where we passed out after a long but beautiful day.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 7: To Estella

    18 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    It was another beautiful day for our trek from Puenta La Reina to Estella. All in all today was just less than 17 miles. (38,610 steps).
    Just as we were leaving town, we passed an old church (there are lots of those here) and heard singing so we stepped in to find the beautiful sounds of a nuns choir. We then walked down a wildflower lined path through fields towards the town of Cirauqui. It’s a really pretty little town that looks like most of it hasn’t changed in many hundreds of years. Leaving the town, we walked on a really really old Roman road and over a really really old Roman bridge. We then continued through several other charming Spanish towns. Lorca where we stopped for lunch, (I had a tortilla (not what you think of in the states)), Villatuerta, and of course Estella. This evening we were pretty tired and staying in an apartment, so Dorothy picked up some fresh cherries and I ran out and got a bottle wine, fresh bread, Jamin (wonderful cured meat) and a jar of artichoke hearts. It made for a wonderful dinner!En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 6: To Puente La Reina

    17 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ 🌬 64 °F

    This morning we headed out of Pamplona a little after 7:00 on our way to Puente La Reina. It’s a officially little under 24k but my Fitbit is showing 19.27 miles or 44,000 steps. My legs agree… That being said, it was a beautiful day and not too difficult a walk.
    The first 5k were mostly city streets leaving Pamplona, then we went on pathways through waves of wheat fields and wildflowers up through the wind turbines. (I’m guessing they were very happy, (it was very windy)). Then up to Alto del Perdón where there is a large monument to the peregrinos (pilgrims). Then down a steep slope and through a few little villages on our way to Puente La Reina. The town is named after the bridge an 11th century queen (“The Queens Bridge”) built to assist pilgrims on their Camino to Santiago. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around pilgrims have been crossing this bridge for over 1000 years.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 5: A rest day exploring Pamplona

    16 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ 🌬 59 °F

    Today we had a well needed rest day in Pamplona. We basically just rested, walked around the old town, took a tour of the Cathedral, and shopped for a pair of hiking pants for Dorothy.
    In retrospect, in the future I think I will just try and plan my stages, so I arrive earlier in the day in the cities I want to explore vs spending an extra night. My feet are ready to move on.En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 4: To Pamplona

    15 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

    Yea! It was a nice weather day and a really nice hike. Today our hike was (relatively) flat (in other words I never thought I might die doing down ridiculously steep muddy slick trails or supper steep inclines). I’d say any of my friends reading this could have done todays hike. Speaking of friends, we walked with our little Camino family that is falling into place. Rebecka from Brisbane, Linda from Sydney, Dorothy and me. The trail wound through an industrial site then on to trails through wildflower laden pathways and fields of wheat punctuated with red poppies. All in all, it was beautiful. This evening we went and had wine and pinchos at “Iruna”, the bar Hemingway frequented in Pamplona.
    He was even kind enough to pose for a photo with me at the bar.
    Fortunately, Dorothy, while she did not feel well, she felt much better than yesterday and didn’t want to miss out on the day, so she did great. Even so, after multiple 20k hiking days, we’re bushed and are going to take a rest day tomorrow in Pamplona.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 3: To Zubiri

    14 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    It was a tough but beautiful day on the Camino today between Burguete and Zubiri. All in all, it was a bit over 18 Miles’s and 42k steps. Unfortunately, Dorothy woke up with a fever this morning after several days of a slowly progressing cold. She (wisely) made today a rest day and slept in then met took a taxi to Zubiri.
    I ended up walking with some of our Camino family, (Rebekah, Cecilia, and others.)
    The tough part was the steep hills and descents. Including the notorious descent at the end of the day down a creek over angled slate rocks covered with slippery mud. The pretty part was the rain (mostly rain) and sun giving everything a beautiful glow. Another truly beautiful part of the day is our wonderful Albergue Suseia. Wow!
    Tomorrow we are off to Pamplona.    En savoir plus

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  • Dos PerigrinosCamino de Santiago FrancesVoyageur

    Day 2: To Burguete

    13 mai 2023, Espagne ⋅ 🌧 50 °F

    Today we walked from France into Spain over the Pyranees to Burguete. It was a little over 20k. Most folks that do the Camino stop in Roncevalles but since we stopped in Orisson we decided to go the extra 3k to Burguete. We are staying at the same place where Hemingway stayed and described in “The Sun Also Rises”. Ironically, it was less expensive than the shared room in Orisson and we have a private room! In fairness to Orisson, the room there did include a very good dinner with wine and a simple breakfast.
    Today we had a little hard rain and lots of fog and mist that made for some interesting photos.    En savoir plus

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