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Los Arcos

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    • TravelerCamino Frances
      121
      Day 14

      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

    • Camino de Santiago
      13
      Day 12

      Walking Through the Fields to Los Arcos

      September 29, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

      One of our first stops on our drizzly, 14km walk this morning was a little town Villamayor de Monjardin. There was a church with a big steeple bell. It reminded me that we learned from other pilgrims that the bells we are hearing from the churches along the Camino are not real bells. They are recorded bell chimes that are sent out over a loud speaker....kind of disappointing! I didn't want to believe that is was true, but this morning when the bells rang & I watched, there was no movement at all by the bells. Our walk was pretty uneventful, lots of brown pastures. We did see hills that had been burned by the forest fires this summer.

      The highlight of the day was running into Patsy & Kevin. They were the first friends we made on this adventure back when we all were in Paris waiting to board the TGV. It has been 3 days since we have crossed paths with them and we rjust happened to run into each other as they were ending their day in Los Arcos. They are also staying at the same hotel we are tonight.      Read more

    • TravelerCamino Frances
      2
      Day 8

      Estella til Los Arcos

      April 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      I dag fikk jeg sendt sekken til dagens destinasjon, Pension Mavi i Los Arcos, en tur på 22 km. En lett sekk viste seg helt nødvendig, for etter noen km begynte det venstre kneet å vise seg fra en verre side. Senere skulle det vise seg at det ikke var den verste siden, den kom senere. Leden tok oss ut av Los Arcos og snart til en vingård som serverte vin og vann fra tappekraner i veggen. På en informasjonsplakat var det skrevet at de leverte 100 liter pr dag i snitt til pilegrimer. Etter vingården passerte vi en smed som lagde alt mulig av pilegrims-artikler av skrapjern. Mye fint som jeg kunne tenke meg å kjøpe, men ikke å bære. Resten av turen gikk stort sett gjennom det åpne landskap, vin og jordbrukslandskap. Vi passerte et par mindre byer - på noen høyder - bakke opp og bakke ned. I bakke ned ble det venstre kneet rimelig surt - ingen Paracet å oppdrive - så det kneet måte jeg slite med helt fram til Los Arcos. Ironien pr nå er at det er det høyre kneet som normalt er ugreit, men det har bestemt seg for å spile med - med støttestrømpe.
      I dag har jeg kjøpt Cinfadol ibuprofen krem, og Paracet. Klar for morgendagen, som er en strekning på 28,5 km, en lang dag. Jeg traff den koreanske familien igjen og de inviterte meg på middag i Logrono, som er morgendagens endemål. I Logrono blir jeg i to dager, hviledager, og på dag to skal jeg treff den koreanske familien til middag. Om det venstre kneet ikke bedrer seg, har Jeanette funnet en klinikk i Logrono som kan setter en kortison injeksjon.

      Den koreanske familien foreslo buss eller taxi de siste 5 km. Vi får se hva morgendagen bringer. Kvelden ble avsluttet med et amerikansk ektepar, hyggelig selskap og ikke så høylytt som amerikanere kan være. Nå er det kvelden og i dag har jeg enerom - heldig som jeg er.      Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerOne More Camino in Spain 2023
      1
      Day 23

      A calm walk to Los Arcos

      April 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

      Yet another beautiful day…and this time not many ups and downs, just one out of Estella, and one up to Villamayor de Monjardín, otherwise just even walks through these never ending green fields that we have been so wanting to see! Again it was cold, about 6° when we left, and took longer to shed another layer as there were many shaded areas, and also a lovely breeze. But it did get hot by the end, and I realise I have totally misjudged the strength of the sun…I had thought it is early spring, and it is even snowing a bit…but of course the longest day is June, and I have got sunburnt hands and legs, and even lips…I keep using lip balm but it doesn’t have sunscreen in it…I will have a visit to a Farmacia in Logroño and get some strong (and up to date!) sunscreen…

      So today was 22 kms according to Amr’s watch…mine was a bit less (21)…but less demanding, and through such gorgeous countryside…it is the day when leaving Estella we pass the Fuente del Vino where you can get vino (and agua) from the fountain at a monastery winery…not maybe the thing at 8.30am, but you have a sip to set you on your way! Even taking it fairly leisurely we arrived at Los Arcos at about 3 o’clock…so much quicker without hills. Found our hotel (we stayed here last time) and the bags were even in our room! Luxury! Then went to the plaza to have a beer, and found many others there and had a lovely unwind.

      Back to the hotel for downtime before dinner. Our hotel’s restaurant is closed at the moment, and he had directed us to a restaurant across the road. When we investigated at 3.30 it was all very quiet, except the bar, and I wondered if people would be out for dinner, as in the plaza everyone was snacking…so when we wandered over to the restaurant at 7.15 I wondered if we would be dining there alone…well we got there and it was full! We were told to wait, but a lone American saw our predicament and invited us to his table, so we got in…so much for dining alone!! The American was Eddie from San Francisco and was good company…he was the person who took our photo together at the Fuente de Vino in the morning, and we had a good dinner together. (Again €14 for 3 courses, wine and bread). I wanted to have the rabbit, but it had finished sadly…but had a delicious veal stew, starting with the bean soup…Amr had a trout. And we both ended with arroz con leche …yum…

      It is very good..the camaraderie is still there…we are getting to know people, and we all greet each other very comfortably..from many countries. We will lose Eddie probably as he is going straight on from Logroño where we arrive on Friday. There is an Austrian who we meet and greet..he always knows us and calls us Australia and Egypt, and we call him Austria…one day we will find out his name! I am glad the Camino warmth and support continues.      Read more

    • TravelerAventure de randonnée
      3
      Day 19

      Prélude à la Mesata

      May 7, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

      La Mesata est la portion désertique du chemin réputé pour une étape pour travailler sur son mental, un chemin de même décor avec la sensation constante de revoir la même image pendant
      200 Km.

      Ce matin nous avons eu un avant goût, vignoble de la région du Botegas et des champs de blé d'une distance de 12 km, la température était idéale et le chemin bien balisé,

      Arrivé à Los Arcos nous avons fait notre pause diner espanada repos avant d'entreprendre le dernier
      8 km et atteindre le 30 km de marche pour la journée, arrivée à l'auberge 3h15 marche de 6h14, température idéale, de 11 c à 21 ensoleillé avec une bride constante pour refroidir les ardeurs
      de certaine montée.

      Belle journée

      Demain logrono capital de la région du Rioja      Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerCamino
      Day 9

      Day 10. Los Arcos

      May 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

      A pleasant, short 21 km walk today on natural paths. I had only walked 5 km when I came across a place offering pilgrims as much free wine as they wanted from an outdoor spout. We’re in wine country wine country surrounded by by vineyards and olive groves. It was just 9:00 am , so I only took a sip with a little water - very dry. Shortly after the 5 km point, a fork in the road gave us the option of taking a longer, level route or a shorter, steeper one. We opted for the latter. The two routes came together about 5 kms from Los Arcos, today’s destination. I walked the whole 21 kms accompanied by Thomas, from Germany, who did an excellent job maintaining the conversation in English. He is recently retired, and set a healthy pace. He knew a lot about botany, identifying all the plants and birds as we progressed. The only issue was that he identified the German name for each tree type, so I didn’t learn much. We did spot a few cherry trees along with the sound of a cuckoo bird. I did recognize the many oak and pine trees.
      Thomas and I parted in Los Arcos as he went to a town 5 kms further. I later connected with a group of fellow pilgrims a few hours later in the town square. The first thing I enjoy after a long walking trek is a shower, then the next step is having a beer- just one seems to do the trick. Tonight, I connected with a few Americans, two Danes, an Aussie, and a Kiwi. One American, from Michigan, named Tony, was a real treat. He suddenly decided to do this trip two weeks ago, and when his work refused to give him the time off, he quit, much to his wife’s chagrin, they’re still on speaking terms. According to him , the most important job he does is shop for his wife, and three daughter’s clothes . He had us in stitches with one story after the other. His most endearing quality was his ability to laugh at himself.
      Today was easy, but tomorrow is another story. Many people have foot issues and tomorrow’s distance is 50% longer than today, so I’m hoping for an early start.      Read more

    • TravelerWalk-about in Spain
      12
      Day 11

      Day 8 - Los Arcos to Viana

      May 23, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      At a glance:
      Cultural highlight: ancient paintings on the roof of a church that was a ruin yet the paintings have survived amongst the rubble.
      Food highlights: red peppers stuffed with spinach and walnuts in a tomato sauce. And lentil and chorizo soup. Oh, and white asparagus on our lunch picnic boccadilla.
      Kilometres walked: 18.34k
      # of steps: 28,842
      Elevation gain: 150m but some of it was lost and regained.
      Our choice was to walk 28k or 18k. We chose (wisely I think) 18k. Trudy, however, felt she could walk the 28k. I replied that I could too but it wouldn't be fun.
      Trudy woke from a dream that she and Peter and others were at Barry Lortons who with Elvane who were hosting a potluck and neighbours and friends were bring food. Later today you got an email from Elvane that Barry had died. He had suffered from bladder cancer. Barry was one of those characters that make the world more interesting. Sad to not have him here.
      We have become immersed in the social life of the Camino constantly running into the same people. Today we had coffee with four Aussies, whom we met at Orison, on our first day. This evening we had dinner next to them. One of them Viv, originally from England, worked as a hairdresser on the Alaska cruise ships back on 1975. She worked for a hair salon that had salons around the world and ended up in Australia.
      Tristan, with whom we shared a room, is having foot issues but still walking.      Read more

    • TravelerCamino 2023
      5
      Day 35

      Los Arcos

      May 26, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      I left Villamaria at 8.10 a m. And walked through the beautiful fields for the next 13 kms to arrive here in Los Arcos. I tried to get a sense of the very old albergue I stayed in last night with a couple of pics, but they're a bit blurred.
      The rest of the photos today are of the beautiful surroundings as we walked. Jessie I met on the trail, from Colorado, was very kind and shared some time and resources with me. After she walked on she came back to me and put some flowers in my hair, "heart's desire" she said, and she was off again. This is as it happens on the Camino. We are all fleeting companions.      Read more

    • TravelerCamino de Santiago 2023
      11112
      Day 14

      Day 10: Los Arcos to Viana

      May 27, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

      Mileage: 13 miles? Guidebook says about 12, Garmin says 14
      Elevation gain: 1,401
      Elevation loss: 1,230
      Total mileage: 96.5

      I wasn’t sure that my feet would ever function again at the end of yesterday’s walk, but somehow they felt pretty good this morning. A beautiful sunny, cool morning turned into a warm sunny afternoon as we continued to walk up and down the hills. The scenery continues to amaze. We’re starting to recognize quite a few fellow pilgrims who seem to be on the same schedule as us. Tonight we’re in an albergue (hostel) with many people. I think the earplugs will come in handy again!

      1. Iglesia de Santa Maria in Los Arcos
      2. Yes, more
      3. Lots of impressive mountains in the distance.
      4. The village of Torres del Rio
      5. Many of the steeper slopes, especially near towns, are paved like this. You see the paving stones and know it’s about to get steep!
      6. I like the post horn symbol the national mail service uses
      7. Lots of vineyards today. This one reminded me of a Van Gogh painting with all of the crooked trunks. (Vines? Roots?)
      8. We passed several wild cherry trees with ripe fruit today. My family knows how very happy this made me!
      9. The weather was nice but there were So! Many! Gnats! today. They really loved Angela!
      10. Ruins of la Iglesia de San Pedro in Viana. We had cheap but delicious beers and snacks at a table quite near here in perfect weather. Great ending to the day.      Read more

    • TravelerCamino de Santiago
      Day 9

      New plan

      August 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

      I felt a bit sad this morning waking up and being the only person left in the hostel eating breakfast at 730. Everyone else seemed to have left early to beat the heat. I made my way to the bus station to take the bus to Los Arcos and was heartened to see other pilgrims waiting. I started talking to an American girl who is also walking alone. She had to get her blisters treated because they had gotten so bad. Another woman was waiting because she hurt her knee on one of the descents. Another had bought new shoes and the shop gave her one shoe in the right size and one shoe in a smaller size. She had to cut a hole in her shoe to give her big toe more room because it kept pressing against the top of the shoe. Clearly I wasn’t alone in getting a bit beat up physically in the first week.

      I had a nice conversation with the American girl who agreed how hard it is not to compare yourself to other pilgrims and stay focused on your own journey. And how to decide what pain is tolerable and what pain needs to be listened to to avoid injury. It’s validating to hear that others are experiencing similar things.

      After taking the day to think, I’ve settled on a new plan. I’m going to take a bus for the next few days to visit Logrono, Burgos, and Leon. After Leon, I’ll take one last bus to Astorga and rejoin the Camino in Galicia for the remaining 260km. This will put me back in the mountains (which I love) and will give me ample time to do slower walking days and take rest days when I want or need to. If I get to Santiago a few days early, I’ll see if I can change my flight to have more time at home before going back to work.

      I don’t have the courage yet to cancel all those reservations I made for the rest of the trip, but I’ll do it soon. I’m going to pick up a sleeping bag in Logrono and do it the “pilgrim way” and either arrive at albergues (hostels only for pilgrims) and ask if they have a bed or make reservations a day or two in advance. I definitely learned in a big way that sometimes you really can’t plan for things, so I’m letting go of planning and taking it as it comes. I also underestimated how important the pilgrim community feels and I’m opting to stay in hostels and albergues rather than the comforts of private rooms to be able to connect more with people. I’m learning and pivoting as I go.

      (PS - I know this is a long post, but I was excited to spend time in the church in Los Arcos. It has one of the few Black Madonna statues on the Camino and I was excited to see it. If you don’t know the history of Black Madonnas, I recommend reading God is a Black Woman by Christena Cleveland. She did a pilgrimage in France visiting the many Black Madonnas there.)      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Los Arcos, 31210

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