Spain
Zabaldika

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    • Day 8–9

      Zubiri to Zabaldika

      September 7 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      Zabaldika felt like a slice of heaven. I arrived in the heat of the day after climbing a steep goats track off the main Camino route to arrive. It was so quiet and leafy & we were greeted by a sister from the society of the sacred heart that run this Donativo albergue perched up on a hill looking over the district. She showed us the church which has the oldest bell in the Navarre region. I walked up the over 100 steps in tiny circular stone staircase to ring the bell and hear it sing to welcome the pilgrims. It felt so peaceful and quiet after the booked out towns in the nights before. Ed had taken the bus to Pamplona as he had sore legs & a blister. I asked if it was ok with him if I stay in Zabaldika & meet him in Pamplona in the morning. I knew he wouldn’t be alone as he was with pilgrims in a Donativo. There was a beautiful mass with singing & we had home made dinner cooked by the volunteer hospitaleros, old local people who spoke no English (& when we didn’t understand she explained further with lots of fast words and more explanations of which we understood nothing 😂) of salad & bean & chorizo stew as a family with the other pilgrims. Best meal in Spain so far. Ed enjoyed his day to himself in the city exploring & I enjoyed my day of peace with heaven smiling on me. 😇Read more

    • Day 5

      Onward to Pamplona!

      June 27 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

      We got out a bit earlier this morning and it paid off by beating the heat. According to our travel service today’s walk was a #2 difficulty day. Day one was a 5 and yesterday was a 4. We like #2 days! The walk was very pleasurable and we made it to Pamplona by noon!…

      …However, my feet began to feel different than they had the first two days. It’s something I hadn’t felt even in my practice walks. I was concerned about the famed hot spots (places where blisters may begin to form) that I hadn’t really experienced yet. I stopped briefly to check my feet and add a bit of sheep’s wool where a hot spot may have been forming toward my heel.

      The feeling persisted as we got to the outer city limits. Upon arrival to the hotel I checked my feet. There’s one location where it looks like a blister was beginning to form and one of my heels felt a bit raw. I added some moleskin and compede to the two locations in hopes that it mitigates any foot issues. We shall see. 😰
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    • Day 9–10

      Day 4 - Zubiri to Zabaldika

      May 25 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

      Well, today was a pretty magical day for so many reasons!

      The walk was along a river pretty much the whole way along the cutest little paths under huge, neverending canopies of beech trees!

      I'm getting ample dog love with the local 'perros' ...in fact there was this one dog called Ori who guided us back onto the track when we took a wrong turn! He literally started barking, and then his owner came out and, in her broken english, redirected us! Camino Magic right there ✨️

      We stopped for lunch on the river Arga in Zuriain, and I seriously ate the best vegetarian spaghetti ...it went down a treat! 😋... or maybe it's because I got my appetite back?!

      Tonight, we chose to stay at Zabaldika, a Municipal albergue run by nuns! It was the most tranquil, calm place, and only 7 pilgrims staying there! The nuns were so, so kind and the hospitaleiro, Veraso, was also amazing and helped me sort out some accommodation issues by calling them on my behalf and speaking Spanish! AND they let me stay in a room on my own because of my noisy cough! 🤣😷
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    • Day 9

      Day 5: Larrasoaña to Pamplona

      May 22, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

      Mileage: 10.25
      Elevation gain: 833
      Elevation loss: 1,007
      Weather: beautiful! Partly sunny with a cool breeze
      Total mileage: 44.5

      More beautiful weather and scenery. This won’t always be true, so I am savoring it while I can. I was awake before the roosters (and the snorers in my dormitory!) so I was ready to hit to hit the road at 7 this morning. I didn’t *need* to leave so early, but it was cool and crisp with lovely early morning light, so I was happy to be out. I stopped for cafe con leche and Spanish tortilla for breakfast a few miles in.

      Much less climbing and downhill today, although there was still some! The walk along the wheat field was one of my favorite sections so far. Some of the Pamplona portion wasn’t very pretty, but it’s all still very interesting. I’m in a hotel tonight with a day off tomorrow; both of those things feel odd at this point but very welcome. I was as happy to see the bathtub as I’ve ever been to see an inanimate object. I’m going in search of tapas tonight!

      1. Beautiful light this morning.
      2. I don’t get tired of this kind of trail.
      3. Hilly but pretty
      4. Lots of poppies and wheat today. I loved both but the combination!!
      5. Looking over the Arga valley
      6. Not sure if this was a farmhouse or a church
      7. Lots of this yellow bush today. I don’t think it’s forsythia? Maybe gorse? Smells nice and cheered me on up this hill.
      8. The medieval (!) bridge that took me into Pamplona
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    • Day 6–7

      Zubiri to Pamplona

      May 26 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

      Sunday started out to be a very lovely day. A nice walk with beautiful weather. But we quickly realized that it was Sunday and it would be a good 10-12 km before we found food. After that the hard trek into Pamplona began. We took a little bypass and climbed up to the church San Estaban (St. Steven). We explored the beautiful church in its original condition from the 12th century. We climbed the bell tower to ring the bell that only Pilgrims (Peregrinos) get the honor of doing. In the video I’m out of breath but mind your own business haha. Steve got to ring the bell.
      Then we literally limped into Pamplona a few hours later because of a foot injury.
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    • Day 6–7

      Zabaldika - Albergue Parroquial

      April 19 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      We happened upon this wonderful alberge in Zabaldika, which is attached to a small church run by the sisters of the sacred heart. It is a ‘donativo’ alberge, which means that rather than a set fee, you donate what you can to help cover the food for the next night of Pilgrim travelers. It was a truly incredible & moving experience for the both of us, from the community dinner with pilgrims from Slovenia, Korea, Spain, France, Hungary, Netherlands and Florida, to the service where we all shared our reasons for hiking the Camino, followed by the singing of the pilgrim song “Ultreia”, which losely translates to ‘move forward with courage.’ ❤️🙏🏼Read more

    • 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.
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    • Day 6

      The Camino provides once again

      August 22 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

      Cold Spring water. Also Spanish people having wine in the park before lunch on a weekday. I think I want to live here.

      All of this before a hot climb in the Sun

      I also saw my first Muslim on the Camino trail. I am not sure I would want to climb that hot mountain trail in a burka.

      I would look weird in a burka anyway.

      Before I left I took my backpack off and laid down on the Cold Stone. I was really tempted to take a nap but it's not going to get cooler so I need to move
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    • Day 2,959

      Zabaldika, San Esteban

      September 27, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Statt weiter links des Rio Arga zu gehen, kann bei Zabaldika auch die Seite gewechselt werden, um auf dem "Camino de S. Esteban" eine Kirche aus dem 13. Jahrhundert zu besichtigen (Aufsteig zum Turm möglich).Read more

    • Day 3

      Zabaldika to Puente la Reina

      September 1, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

      Matt teamed up with me and we launched down the hill to Pamplona. In town we had a quick stop as we devoured a fantastic sour dough baguette and some pastries.

      We set of to the pass del Perdon in the full sun. Wind turbines overhead milling at speed looking for Don Quixote to poke them in his fancies.

      In Obanos folks were wearing their traditional Basque white with red bandanas for the week long fiesta. Tonight is the bull run and we choose to stay in Puenta la Reina and missed a fabulous albergue, next time I'll use the Gronze app! Had to the hike back 3k for the fiesta in flip flops, we got pinned down in Obanos by rain and then a hail storm, but escaped in the only 15 minute clearing.

      I stressed the front of my shins just above the ankle in the process though and that would become the start of my "Camino adjustment".
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Zabaldika, Zabaldica, 31699

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