Spain
Uterga

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    • Day 8

      Questions for Eva

      March 30 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

      Eva is my most rurally educated friend, she grows most of my food and she's got a head for science that works shockingly similarly to mine. She's quite brilliant and sometimes I save up questions to ask her instead of Google because I'm more interested in what she thinks. Eva, direct your attention to the captions pls.Read more

    • Day 5

      Uterga Erkenntnis Teil 2 nachmittag

      April 27, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

      Wir kamen an. Und alle beiden Herbergen..... Geschlossen.

      Zurück wollten wir nicht und so blieb nur weiter laufen ins nächste Dorf 6 weitere km.

      Auf dem Weg Überlegungen evtl als Alternative Übernachtung im Freien? Wie können wir uns zusammen helfen, ne Lösung finden?

      Feststellung : gemeinsam Probleme lösen, zusammen halten. "Man kann seine Probleme nicht nur alleine lösen, tragen".

      Wir kamen an. Und alle beiden Herbergen waren..... Geschlossen.

      Endlich hat der Litauer jemand telefonisch erreicht und drei Betten reserviert.

      Der 🇨🇿 hat, weil ich echt nicht mehr konnte Gute 2km dann seinen und meinen Rucksack bergauf geschleppt und ich kam dennoch nicht hinterher mit 😂. War mir das unangenehm, aber gelernt :auch mal Hilfe annehmen und danke sagen für. Martin sagte : Danke fürs Gespräch über seine Probleme gestern und Probleme gemeinsam tragen. Heul 😢+😍+vielen Dank 😔😉😘

      Ansonsten war der Weg zum Bett

      Problem eins : weitere 8km hinlaufen.

      Problem zwei : bergauf bergauf wenig gerade, wenig bergab 😭

      Um kurz nach sieben waren wir endlich da, völlig kaputt, Sachen gewaschen, geduscht, ein alkfrei Bier, jetzt hier geschrieben und einfach fertig.

      Gute Nacht 😴

      Morgen möchte ich mal nicht wie n bekloppter durch die Gegend rennen, sondern auch mal inne halten und eben auch mal mit mir selbst was klären. Darum geht es ja schließlich. 😢💕

      Zuviele Gedanken gerade.......... Ordnung schaffen
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    • Day 6 - Trinidad de Arre to Urtega - 24k

      September 4, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

      AM I FN CRAZY TO DO THIS?!!!

      I am in Urtega now. Just barely out of my shower and with very little energy to do much. I forced myself to wash my clothes because they stink! I did 24 km today with a start time of around 7:30am to a finish time around 5pm. A lot of mistakes were made today given it was a long day ... not enough water, not enough food and not enough sunscreen.

      I started the day strong, about .5km in, I ran into a couple ladies from my albergue. They were going for breakfast and told me I was going the wrong way. I thought it was right but I doubled back, and sure enough, I was right ... those B*&%^es added 1km to my day for nothing! :-)

      I was going a good pace at the start, in fact 4.5km per hour which is great given I have been averaging 3km per hour most days. It was straight city sidewalk walking so it was a wonderful break. I got into Pamplona at about 8:30 and stopped for a croissant with ham and cheese and a coke. I bought some sweet lemon treat to take with me. Pharmacies opened at 9 so I stopped in to grab some bandaids, throat lozenges , and voltarin.

      I then stopped at the pilgrims store and bought a few other necessities and then I was off. I still had my full bottle of water but hadn’t had any yet but figured I was fine. About 5 km outside of town in Cizur Menor I stopped and drank all the water and about half of my sweet treat and figured there was a fountain in town. I didn’t find one so I kept going.

      I was thinking of Jörg often. I found the spot where we stopped for our picnic lunch so reminisced a little but kept on moving (read more about it in the throwback at the end).

      Well, now I was getting tired and slow. No water and little food. I wasn’t hungry but I know I should eat for fuel. It wasn’t until another 5km that there was a little town that had a fountain. I drank a full bottle (700ml), then filled it again. I passed through town and they had food for sale but I wasn’t hungry so I decided not to stop. That was a mistake, again, even though I wasn’t hungry, I needed it for fuel.

      I was really slow going and it was all uphill now to the Alto del Perdón (790m high). Just before the top, I found the fountain were I had stopped before. It was a little overgrown now and I remember the picture clearly from 2009 with me looking exhausted ... I absolutely know why now, I had completely forgotten how difficult the climb was.

      I made it to the top and rested there for about 30 minutes. A tour bus stopped and people poured out to take pictures. I was sitting with a German lady (Cordelia I think) and we both joked that they must be excited to see real pilgrims and wonder how many took pictures of us.

      It was now 4pm, very very late to still be walking in the Spain heat. There is a reason they take an afternoon siesta, no one should be out here. I had 3.6km to go and it was downhill now, so decided it best to push off. The downhill was just as hard. It was all stones and I was needing to watch every step. About 1km outside of town, I stopped one more time in the shade and drank the last sip of water I had. It was uphill again into town but I made it.

      This is the most exhausted I have been, even more tired than the Pyrenees hike. I just didn’t have enough energy (food and water). I won’t make that mistake again.

      Dinner was good, lots of protein, egg, tuna, chicken. Time for sleep.

      TTYL

      Throwback to 2009 from Julie’s Journal

      Today we awoke at 6am. I took my time as my back and ankle still hurt. We had breakfast which was bread, jam and cheese (I am sooooo sick of bread!!!!). We left around 7:45am. We arrived at Cirquar Minor in about an hour and half and my ankle was a little sore. We stopped for about 30 mins. I decided to go on (after we put more cream on my ankle).

      I was very surprised but my ankle was not so bad now and my energy was good. At one point, I was tired and Joerg looked at me and said “we stop here in this field for lunch.” He blew up his air mattress and when I sat down all tired and exhausted, I looked up and saw the famous ruins right there in our view. It was beautiful. It was exactly what I needed. I told Joerg that he was heaven sent (and then I had to explain what it meant). He truly is a blessing.
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    • Day 13

      Day 6-Uterga

      September 9, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

      I was a little sad to leave Pamplona and the great time we had there. I could easily spend a month or two just "living" there. The Camino took us past the University of Navarra so we detoured to the general office to collect a stamp. For those who don't know much about the Camino de Santiago, we collect ink stamps in a booklet to present to the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago. If we fulfilled certain requirements, we are issued a Compostela which documents our pilgrimage. We can get stamps at our lodging, restaurants, churches, etc.

      Our 12 mile journey today included gentle ascents to the Alto de Perdon peak which is covered in wind turbines and a Pilgrim monument. The decent into Uterga was steep and covered in loose rocks but we made to our lodging in good shape.

      After two nights at a nice hotel in Pamplona, tonight's accommodation leaves alot to be desired. We reserved a private room, but there is a room behind ours and that couple has to pass through our room to get out. They are very nice so I don't think there will be any issues. The place smells a little off, like mold and Raid.

      We happened to meet a fellow Sacramento pilgrim couple on the way today. Paloma and Enrique are pretty much on the same schedule we are. There are a few others here that we've shared dinner with over the last week.

      After my hair product fiasco, we bought some conditioner this morning. I figured I'd use our Dr. Bronner's bar soap for my hair and the conditioner would make me somewhat presentable. Luckily, someone abandoned shampoo in the shower so now I feel like a million $$$.

      If you've noticed I'm always wearing the same clothes in the pics, it's because I only have two sets of clothes, one I'm wearing, and one I change into after my afternoon shower. Then I wash the dirty set and hope it will dry by the next day.
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    • Day 28

      Uterga to puente la reina

      May 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

      Different opinions on how far I walked today, let's say around 8 kms, mostly all down with a few small ups...got a bit lost in Ubanos, such a quiet village...with beautiful homes and some falling into disrepair. Again the scenery just fabulous and I noted the olive trees and how they've been pruned.

      What a beautiful environment to live in... Many people commute to work in the bigger cities. Shared bege gardens looking amazing coming into Puente la Reina township. I said hola to a group of Argentinian women architects who are enjoying the buildings and working out how to replicate or change some things.. we did some stretching exercises together which was fun took some photos and off we all went..

      The albergue here has a big kitchen but not well serviced, the stove tops taking forever to boil water for my spaghetti.
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    • Day 11

      Sierras del Perdon

      September 22, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      If climbing the Pyrenees wasn't enough for one week, today I got to climb and descend the Alto de Perdon which was 756m high and is the highest point for the next 170km on the Camino. I hope that means I have at least ten days before I have to do that again.

      I left Pamplona just as the sun was rising and walked a nice flat, easy on the feet, 3km out through the parks and suburbs. After that we started to rise and in the distance you could see the wind turbines on top of the mountains over which we would slowly climb.

      Without my pack I made a much more respectable pace and covered 11 km over roughly three hours before reaching a cute village where I stopped for an early lunch and an 'airing of the feet'. The path was still rising and the windmills were getting closer. There was some climbing left yet, but only 6 km further to my hostel.

      I'd walked all morning with a bigger crowd passing me by than usual and few people I had met before as those starting out with me were now getting kilometres and days ahead. I said goodbye to Jody after enjoying some good chats over three nights together. She will be 10km ahead of me by the end of today.

      As Pamplona is a stop for the main stages of the Camino followed by many, lots of people headed out of Pamplona this morning but after my long lunch they had left me in the piece and quite again. The views all day were spectacular but my camera completely inadequate to capture them. For most of the day there were views of the mountains ahead, of numerous idyllic villages and farms, and the vista of Pamplona slowly retreating through the day.

      Those last 6 km to Uterga were a killer. 2 km up to the top, and two down, then a smooth if not flat road into town. The two kilometers down was torture. For some reason they drop tons of round river rocks on the path that make going down a treacherous, ankle breaking exercise you wouldn't subject your worst enemy to. I guess if an army decided to invade over the pass again you might slow them down?! So I hobbled once again into my accommodation. My bag had arrived and I now have my feet up waiting for my Pilgrim dinner at a typical Spanish old fashioned hostel - checkout the cobblestone floor in reception, I think I'm sleeping in what used to be the barn.
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    • Day 5

      Day 2 - A long slow slog

      September 17, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      “After a day’s walk, everything has twice its usual value.” – George Macauley Trevelyan

      Day 2 - Uterga to Villatuerta -15.5km + 10km

      Ok - I am day late posting. Don’t judge. A lack of electrical outlets at my Albergue was the culprit.

      Saturday dawned cool but beautiful. I even got a quick chat in on What’s Ap with one of my daughters who was still awake at 1:40am! I was meeting someone in Puenta La Reina at 9:30 so I gave myself plenty of time. Despite apps and maps, you ever know exactly what’s ahead!

      Sabrina and Paula (the German girls that I bunked with) passed me and I them, a couple of times but we walked into Puenta La Reina at 9 am. They had a rest while I walked through town and found a cute little bar (bar =cafe here) for a tea and pintoxs of toast with tomato paste, olive oil and prosciutto. Marie showed up at 9:30 and gave me back my backpack that she had borrowed. And I made my first big Camino mistake. We hung out and chatted while she ate, and started off again at 11:00. Not smart at all!!! 11:00 and baking hot. About 1.5km from town, a nasty long and reasonably steep hill awaited. I was dying. Stopping every 20-30 steps and in total misery. Eating tiny blackberries that grew beside the trail and amongst the fennel, to cheer myself upI seriously thought that due to the last start from Puenta La Reina, that I’d be the last person on this part of the Camino. I was wrong of course. But at least there were less than 5 people that passed me on this stretch and witnessed my frustration and tears.

      I finally made it to Muñez which was the next town. Had a rest at the town fountain and refilled my water, soaked my hat and put it on. It was probably about 1:30 at this time. It had taken me ages to get up that hill. Decided that since Marie had told me the girl in her room had woken up with bites all over herself, and Marie was coming up with spots while we had breakfast, that I should make sure I had no hitchhikers on my small backpack. Probably too late if there were, as I had tossed it in my backpack on top of my only long sleeved wool shirt, which I had taken off just before she arrived. Anyway, no bugs present so I was relieved. Got up to carry on and my foot pain was incredible in my right foot. I’ve had this before (neglected to get it checked before I left) and it bothers me most after resting. Once I am able to get moving, it’s pretty much ok. But those first 20 steps…oh boy!

      I got moving and took it slowly. Before I got out of town, I caught up with a lady named Karen from the States and we walked to the next town together, admiring the fig trees, olive groves and vineyards. We may have had a quick snack of grapes along the way :-). We arrived at Ciraqui to the sounds of music and all the people in town walking around in white (some in red) with red bandanas. It’s Festival time - for over a week! Oh it was so lovely. Decided I wanted to stay here and I knew Paula and Sabrina were too, but not which Albergue they were at. I made my way to an Albergue and found they had space but that it would be noisy. Hhhmmm. I really needed sleep, and because I had been sitting down, my foot was killing me again. I decided to take a taxi to the next town, but it would be a two hour wait. As I was on the phone, the girls came out of the hostel. Now I was In a quandary. They were encouraging me to stay but I wanted to get to the next town and get some sleep. The deciding factor came when I saw Marie’s bunkmate from the night before go into the Albergue. If she was staying there, I wasn’t. Again, didn’t want hitchhikers (the bed bug kind). I called an Albergue in Villatuerta and they felt bad that I would have to wait for 2 hrs for a taxi - so the owner came and gave me a lift! The Camino provides.

      I got settled into the new Albergue and went to a bar for a tea. Ended up staying there the rest of the day chatting with people and had dinner with two older guys from the US named Bill and Rip. Lovely evening.

      Early night - and yes- I finally got some sleep!!
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    • Day 4

      Day 1 done - and it didn’t kill me!

      September 16, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

      “Defeat is always momentary.” – Peter Jackson

      Day 1 - Pamplona to Uterga -17.5 km

      This quote is the story of my day. I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to Alto del Padron - where the iconic steel pilgrim statues are, and 14km from my albergue in Pamplona. There was an elevation gain of “only” 330 feet, but I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to make it. I did, but think I had suffered a bit of dehydration on the way. I rested and chatted to a lady named Sue from the US and when I went to stand and continue, I really didn’t feel well! Another 10mins, some water and beef jerky later, I was good to go. Made it to the top and had a little break to video chat with family.

      From there, it was 1.2km downhill on rather dodgy loose rocks which really stresses the joints. A further 2km brought me to Urtega. I had not planned to stop here, but the albergues for the next two towns were full. I ended up getting the last room available, which I am sharing with two young German women - both young enough to be my daughters.

      Daily routine has started of quick shower to wash the trail dust off, hand wash laundry and chill out!! Lovely dinner at the albergue and an early night for this pilgrim! Tomorrow is a new day and it’s mostly downhill - so hopefully a bit easier than today!
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    • Day 5

      Puhhh- what a ride!

      August 4, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      Got up at 5am, left Pamplona in the dark behind us and enjoyed the early sun before the steep uphill and even steeper downhill tested our legs and mental conditions. We had good conversations today… song of the day: Take me home …Country Road -…. To the place I belong! I know now that my „country road here“ is taking me back to my family, my home- the people and place I really belong! So my Camino won’t end before I am home (and not in Santiago de Compostella)- sound crazy?Read more

    • Day 5

      Divine powers

      August 27, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      This morning the weather prediction was that it was going to rain. But with just my backpack protected for the rain I didn't want to wear any rain gear I just kept walking.
      When I saw this Santuario de la virgen María, I had to stop and read the story about it.
      After I read it a rainbow appeared and stayed with me for half an hour but during that time it never rained where I was going.
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    Uterga, 31133

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