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Walk-about in SpainWalk-about in Spain
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Walk-about in Spain

May - June 2023
In which two intrepid travelers head to Spain to walk the Camino for three weeks and then head to a castle south of Barcelona to attend a wedding. Read more
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  • TravelerWalk-about in Spain
    Day 1

    Day -1

    May 13, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    First leg of the trip--walk across Protection Island with approximately 20lbs on my back. Then we take my otter poop laden boat over to Nanaimo Yacht Club where we tie up and use the new hose and nozzle to blast of the night's latest otter dumps. Yes, plural. At least 2 on the bow deck and 2 or 3 on my new $6,000 (! Yes that is not a typo) canvas top.
    I did the same yesterday. The boat has become a battle ground between island otters and NYC otters, each leaving a challenge for the other otter team as if to say 'Take that, you scum, try to beat this pile of shit.' And the opposite team does just that.
    I am hoping a month long tie up on Nanaimo side brings the moving battle ground wars to a halt.
    Next step park the car on Vancouver St. and catch the, Airporter to Nanaimo Airport.    Read more

  • TravelerWalk-about in Spain
    Day 1

    Stage 2, Day -1

    May 13, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    YCD aka Nanaimo to YYC aka Calgary.
    So far, so good. Airporter was 10 minutes early and we were 20 mins early. I got a phone call from the driver "Are you wearing a blue shirt?" I look around and there he is two cars away. We were all sitting around waiting.Read more

  • TravelerWalk-about in Spain
    Day 2

    Day -1 stage 4 BCN to Irunã

    May 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We are in good spirits but tired after very little sleep in the last 24? 36 hours? Who knows how long.
    Barcelona train station is very busy. We are in the midst trying to figure out what platform we need to get to. Without a Spanish SIM card we can't download our train tickets so first stop is find a cell carrier.
    Changing SIM cards has gotten so easy over the years. Nowadays you just pop it in and you are good to go with Spanish phone numbers.
    Armed with tickets we are in our next leg...getting to Iruña aka Pamplona where the bulls (and young bucks) run down the streets. The fast train takes us through much dry ground under cloudy skies. I am hoping the Camino landscape is different.    Read more

  • TravelerWalk-about in Spain
    Day 2

    Day minus 1 and start of day 0

    May 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We walked into the old city of Iruña from the train station. An easy 30 minute walk. It gave us confidence that we could walk uphill with our packs on.
    The train was 10 minutes late. I was hoping it would be 15 minutes late as they have a commitment to be within 15 minutes of posted arrival or else you get a 50% refund.
    We had booked in advance into Hostel Casa Ibarrola which advertises as a Japanese pod-style hostel. You get a pod cubicle with a locker at your foot, a shelf, light and plugin by your head and a pull down curtain for privacy. €21 per night and it includes coffee tea, toast. On the pricey side for pilgrims but a good way to ease into crowded noisy dorms with no privacy.
    Being in Pamplona we had to go out for tapas aka pinxos so we walked down Calles de la Estafeta which was cafe after cafe offering incredible looking pinxos which were so temptingly tasty looking we ate them before taking any pictures.
    We slept well!    Read more

  • TravelerWalk-about in Spain
    2
    Day 3

    Day 0 Pamplona

    May 15, 2023 in Spain

    At a glance:

    Kilometres walked: 12.03 going in circles
    # of steps: 15,291
    Elevation gain: 0
    Food highlights: Tapas or pinxos! And cafe con leché and croissants.
    Highlight: My favorite cafe, Cafe Iruña which was Hemingways favorite cafe too. And seeing Plaza des Toros where the bulls start their run.
    We are here to figure out a Plan B and C. The once-a-day bus from Psmplona to St Jean Pied du Port is full! Plan B is to take the once a day bus to Ronsevalles, then take a taxi down the Pyrenees. Plan C is to hang around the bus station and pick up two more stranded pilgrims and share a taxi to St JPdP. Plan B is cheaper so we will do that first.
    They have modernized this city in a way that keeps the old roads for pedestrians. Vehicle deliveries seem to be allowed before 10 a.m. and all parking of cars is below ground hidden from view, including the bus station. Check out the modern glass entrance to the station.
    Meanwhile we took a walk along the ramparts (wall? My castle terminology is s bit rusty) of the medieval town, walked around the bull ring, took a photo of the Hemmingway monument which basically said he was an honorable party goer, and stopped in at the cathedral and the city archives where we walked around a wooden model of what the city looked like in 1920.
    Plan B seems to be working. We are sitting on a bench infront of the Roncesvalles bus and are third in line.
    Update. Plan B working. Teamed up with two women from Croatia . We phoned 6 taxi companies and the last one could take us...in an hour so we are waiting.
    It worked. Once in St. Jean Pied du Port we headed to our lodging and then out to get our Camino credentials stamped to mark our official start, then bought walking poles. We felt we were ready to begin to walk the Camino.
    We ran into the two Croatian women again at our albergue. They hadn't found a vacancy and it was now after 7pm. It was raining and 7pm is late to be looking for accomodation.
    We're not sure what happened to them.    Read more

  • TravelerWalk-about in Spain
    1
    112
    Day 4

    Day 1 - St Jean Pied de Port to Orisson

    May 16, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    Day 1 of walking.
    At a glance:
    Food highlights: Basque almond cake
    Kilometres walked: 7.15 (note 6.9 was all uphill)
    # of steps: 14,272
    Elevation gain: @700 meters

    Weather forecast has been dire with a high of 6 degrees and a low of 3C. And the next day a high of 7!
    Some eager pilgrims were up at 5 tiptoeing around organizing their packs. Twice in the night I heard torrential downpours.
    We doned wool leggings and long sleeved tops, shorts, tshirts, fleece jackets, and rain gear and headed put.
    We found a bar opened and fueled up on croissants and cafe au lait.
    The first hour we got wet from sweating under all those clothes and slowly disrobed which brought on a few sprinkles but nothing serious.
    The second hour we walked into fog. Not long after we found Refuge Auberge Orisson emerging from the fog.
    Basque cake for lunch and then another walk if you can believe it. The sun peeked out and the wind blew the fog away so we walked back 1k to see the view we had missed. Then had a nap and when we woke up to the sun shinning! We have fingers and toes crossed for sun tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerWalk-about in Spain
    1
    Day 5

    Day 2 Orisson to Roncesvalles

    May 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    At a glance:
    Food highlights: a picnic of ham and cheese boccadilla complete with mountain view.
    Kilometres walked: 16k, 12k of those uphill.
    # of steps: 14,918
    Elevation gain: 700metres

    We were supposed to get a wet foggy day but it was mostly sunshine with a few clouds. Approaching the peak we had close encounters with fast moving clouds and had to wear 4 layers. But once over the peak it was perfect hiking weather, not too hot, not too cold.
    We had reservations for the Albergue in Ronsevalles and weren't worrying about getting there for the great bed scramble but they close the doors st 10 and we hoped to be there in time for an afternoon nap. The last 3 times I never had reservations but word on the Camino is about how busy it is.
    We had boccadillos made for us and found a south facing ridge which blocked the wind and gave us a close view of a herd of horses whose neck bells rang out a some sort of mountain music while we munched our sandwiches.
    We took the easy route down, it wasn't steep and it wasn't well marked but I had fallen on the steep route years ago so the easy route was etched in my mind. Others ended up on it without knowing the risk. Sure enough, a very fit woman who shared our room the night before walked that route and fell but only bruised.
    They ran out of beds. They have something like 125 beds and floor space with mattresses for another 100 for emergencies and they were all in use. Many people were turned away.
    Just after 10pm as I was falling asleep, I heard the faint yell of a man 'Help'. Then a 'help, help, help' and banging on the door 3 floors below. They lock the doors st 10pm and I suspect he arrived after 10 but someone must have taken pity on him and let him in.
    Thank goodness we had our backpacks transported for us!    Read more

  • TravelerWalk-about in Spain
    Day 6

    Day 3 - Roncesvalles to Zuburi

    May 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 4 °C

    At a glance:
    Food highlights: baguette picnic with sheep cheese and jam
    Kilometres walked: 22.37
    # of steps: 30,367
    Elevation gain: minus 400m

    Still no rain and a mostly downhill walk.
    We left around 7:30 not staying for breakfast as I knew there was a bar 3km away that served croissants and at Roncesvalles is was dried baguette with jam.
    We got to the bar and they were sold out of croissants so we had to make do with toasted baguette and jam.
    Saw Steve, from near Stoke-on-Trent waiting for his godson Adam who had nipped into the cafe to get a stamp for his credential. Each stamp is unique and proves where you have been. The stamps are stamped onto your credential. Think of it as a passport with stamps.
    Trudy and I just get the necessary stamp at each albergue we stay the night at. But Steve told us Adam wants as many stamps as possible, so he made him buy a bundle of credentials in advance.
    Not 2 minutes after we left the cafe and there is Steve waiting for Adam outside a store. I hope we run into him again.
    I forgot to mention that we met Steve and Adam at dinner in Orisson. Steve, a likeable portly character did part of the Camino a few years ago but suffered a stroke in the middle of nowhere. He thinks it was caused by a too tight knee brace that he took off when his feet were getting numb, and wham a blood clot hit. He had to walk to the nearest village, then bused to the nearest town, then a train and finally flew home to be diagnosed--a stroke (of luck). An epic trip.
    Now he is back but this time with a guardian.    Read more

  • TravelerWalk-about in Spain
    1
    Day 7

    Day 4 - Zubiri to Pamplona

    May 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    At a glance:
    Highlight: the many wildflowers on the trail.
    Food highlights: pintxos (tapas) again, a chopped mushroom in sauce on a slice of baguette
    Kilometres walked: 23.3
    # of steps: 30,219
    Elevation gain: 150m
    We are back in Pamplona and back at Cafe Iruña but this time eating an apple custard tart. The city is full of people and no beds to be had. There were no reservations available in the whole city. We sat next to two women who have to take a taxi to get to their accommodations at the edge of town.
    The square infront of Cafe Iruña is packed and it isn't even 6pm. We plan on a nap and then out for tapas and pintxos.    Read more

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