Camino de Santiago

May – July 2023

Walking to find clarity, seeking the present. Read more

List of countries

France
Spain
United States

Categories

Hiking, Self discovery, Solo travel, Spirituality

7.0kmiles traveled

Means of transport

Flight6,292kilometers
Walking508kilometers
Bus94kilometers
Train91kilometers
Hiking-kilometers
Bicycle-kilometers
Motorbike-kilometers
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Cruise ship-kilometers
Horse-kilometers
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Barefoot-kilometers

Newest first

Footprints
Photos

Traveler Camino de Santiago
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- Day 16
- Monday, June 12, 2023 at 2:17 PM
- ☁️ 72 °F
- Altitude: 1,608 ft
- Spain Arroyo de Pozuelo 42.416667, -2.73333342°25’0” N 2°43’60” W
Nájera from Navarette
June 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F
Today's walk was brief and fairly flat;
the weather mild.

I met Kristan along the way and enjoyed hearing about her journey to get here. We tried a brief detour to find a coffee, but were not successful. We did, however, manage to manifest a bedding store where she bought a sheet to make albergue life more comfy. That was a fun win!

After finding our lodging and cleaning up a little we met down by the river to eat a snacky lunch of chorizo w bread, apple, and tomato. Yum.Read more
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- Day 17
- Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 8:06 AM
- ☁️ 57 °F
- Altitude: 1,690 ft
- Spain Nájera 42.413333, -2.73542°24’48” N 2°44’6” W
Start of Pasomalo
June 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
Guidebook basically says, "Amazing trail unless it rains... In which case you're fucked"

Might not rain.

Feelin lucky.
TravelerIt was amazing.
6/13/23Reply
TravelerSuccess!
6/15/23Reply
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- Day 17
- Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 9:58 AM
- ⛅ 61 °F
- Altitude: 1,978 ft
- Spain Badarán 42.371667, -2.80166742°22’18” N 2°48’6” W
Pasomalo was bueno
June 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
I felt some trepidation this morning as there were several warnings online that Pasomalo, the trail from Nájera to Badarán is prone to landslides and is impassable when wet. It rained a bit last night and the forecast was for rain today at 11am. But A) the weather forecast has been wrong every day this month, B) I felt lucky, and C) I really want to see the UNESSCO world-heritage sights at the end of this Camino detour....

And so I decided to give it a go.

Yesterday, in chatting with Kristan, I confessed that I am not much taken with the phrase 'everything happens for a reason' and after walking with her for a few hours she told me... "You know, I think you might believe that things happen for a reason a lot more than you think you believe it"....

And that has really stuck with me today. She might be right. Because as I entered a spectacularly beautiful valley full of dew-sparkling grapevines growing from deep red clay, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'm here for a reason. Maybe that reason is just to enjoy one of the most places I have ever seen. Maybe the reason is not yet apparent.

One thing I know: as I stood, smelling grapevines, mud, wheat, and flowers; smiling at the sunshine sparkling on the hills; and watching birds soar and hop to their own sounds.... I couldn't think of anywhere else in the world I should or would rather be.

And there's a heckuva lot of peace in feeling like I made an excellent decision.Read more
TravelerIt was meant to be 😄
6/15/23Reply
Traveler@brett.. exactly
6/15/23Reply
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- Day 17
- Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 10:35 AM
- ☁️ 63 °F
- Altitude: 2,073 ft
- Spain Badarán 42.366845, -2.80884842°22’1” N 2°48’32” W
Bells!!
June 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
Apparently today is San Antonio's day.

The bells lasted quite a while, and added a nice touch to my mid-morning coffee break.
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- Day 17
- Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 8:01 PM
- ☁️ 59 °F
- Altitude: 2,431 ft
- Spain San Millán de la Cogolla 42.326667, -2.86542°19’36” N 2°51’54” W
1 1 2
Suso and Yuso
June 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
I took a detour, strolled 20km through tremendously beautiful terrain, and found myself booking a room in a 4-star hotel that is located within the walls of a 14th Century Monastery. ....and costs less than a motel 6 in SF. This is a UNESCO world heritage site, and I can see why!
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/805/

There is another, 11th Century, ruin here (Suso) that is considered the birthplace of the Castillian (Spanish) language. It is where the oldest written Spanish text has been discovered. The cave/temple/church/mosque/tomb (hey... 1,500 years is a long time) is where the hermit-saint San Millán lived. It also may well be the 1st monastery in Spain.

Pretty cool... and very eclectic for all the remodeling that has happened to it. I was particulaly interested in the 14th century mosaic floors made by Muslim occupiers.

Inside the larger Monastery (Yuso), there's an impressive pipe organ and they have original, well preserved, 140lb hymnals that are written on calf skin and date back to the 17th/18th century. Neat stuff.

The walk up was fantastic. Fields of fragrant flowers, wheat, vineyards, tree plantations, a sonorous river, birds, a little rain, and picturesque vistas kept me company. I did not see a single person on the trail all day, which is odd but was nice for the opportunity to be present and introspective.Read more
TravelerAmazing pictures and terrific words.
6/13/23Reply
Traveler Also the oldest known relief carving of the last supper. On ivory. Which is bullshit as only elephants need ivory, but .... Those were ancient times and people were pretty ignorant, tbh.
6/13/23Reply
Traveler 14th ? Century mosaic floors. Amazingly well preserved (we were walking on them)
6/13/23Reply
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- Day 18
- Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 9:15 AM
- ☁️ 55 °F
- Altitude: 2,467 ft
- Spain San Millán de la Cogolla 42.326667, -2.86666742°19’36” N 2°52’0” W
Adios Yuso y Suso
June 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
I really enjoyed this detour and will be seeking others.

The Valley is magnificent.

Sleeping well makes everything easier, even without coffee this morning I feel invigorated and strong.

So far it seems that the trail is well marked and not-too-muddy.

Onward!Read more
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- Day 18
- Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 10:14 AM
- ☁️ 57 °F
- Altitude: 2,831 ft
- Spain Berceo 42.345, -2.87333342°20’42” N 2°52’24” W
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1 1 1
GPS is good
June 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
I'm enjoying this path-less-travelled

And deeply grateful for gps technology. There have been sections where I would have missed the right path entirely.
Traveler The "trail" is a smidge overgrown
6/14/23Reply
Traveler No water. :/
6/14/23Reply
Traveler *sometimes* the trail is well marked
6/14/23Reply
Traveler This feels like my nightmare. Noooo thanks.
6/15/23Reply
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- Day 18
- Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 1:38 PM
- ☁️ 66 °F
- Altitude: 2,625 ft
- Spain Manzanares de Rioja 42.396667, -2.88542°23’48” N 2°53’6” W
Cirueña
June 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
Very small town, slow. I probably wouldn't recommend staying here.

But I'm enjoying good people at the dinner table: we have Korea, Netherlands, France, Italy/Morocco ,USA (me), and Germany.

Also, I finally paid for machine-wash laundry. Everything smells clean and fresh. I'm delighted.

The walk down the mountain wasn't bad. The views were amazing.
Changing out of wet socks into fresh ones felt fantastic. I may just swap more often.... Fresh feet are happy feet.Read more
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- Day 19
- Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 6:42 AM
- ☀️ 54 °F
- Altitude: 2,484 ft
- Spain Cirueña 42.41, -2.89542°24’36” N 2°53’42” W
Sunrise Peace, and a Dog
June 15, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
Somewhere in this, is a lesson.

I woke to a colorful sky and jumped out of bed to get some sunrise stretchies in.

I was glad for the puffy jacket, sunrise temps were very cool-feeling (maybe mid-50s?) with an Eastern breeze.

As I walked up a small rise, in front of a ruined building, to catch a better vantage I thought... "Perfect! Quiet, cool." And I dropped my phone and water to begin sun salutations.

That's when the enormous-sounding dog in the 'ruin' woke and told me in no uncertain terms that (s)he was not ok with me standing there.

So I moved. Not far, sunrise waits for no man after all. But far enough to restore some tranquility.

It's often very easy to make a small change to find tranquility.Read more
TravelerKinda pretty, I guess. Haha
6/15/23Reply
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- Day 19
- Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 11:39 AM
- ☀️ 68 °F
- Altitude: 2,425 ft
- Spain Grañón 42.45, -3.02666742°27’0” N 3°1’36” W
Grañon from Cirueña
June 15, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
I intended to take a detour but bumped into Kristen (we met in Pamplona) and I decided to walk with her instead. After a few days solo I'm craving company and hers is delightful.

On that line of thinking, I stopped in Grañon because it has a famously social albergue that is all about a warm familial environment.

...and I immediately opted to sit in the shade of an umbrella on the plaza to read! Sometimes my own mind surprises me, but I guess I need a little me-time before the socializing. Okay, then.

The tortilla here was delicious and watching the hubbub is always a pleasure.

Before Grañón, strolled through Santo Domingo de la Cruzada and enjoyed a fantastic tour of the Cathedral. Their collection of treasures is remarkable. Some was truly beautiful.

My favorite part of the Cathedral is the enclosure *in* the main part of the church that houses, I kid you not: a live hen and cock. They are white and they look pretty darn bored in their little chicken prison. I am told that they swap the poultry out weekly. I don't know what happens upon retirement.

Ok, my *other* favorite part of the self-guided tour was finding a door that took us up into the battlements (defenses) it was like being a kid scrambling through secret passageways. Very fun.

The walk was not particularly remarkable beyond Santo Domingo. It felt easy, not very much up/down and nearly all of it was decent quality gravel.Read more
TravelerWait…but why the chickens??
6/17/23Reply
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