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  • Traveljonez

Back to the Camino de Santiago

We return to the Camino Francés for the first time since 2021, walking from Pamplona to Navarrete. Read more
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  • Trip start
    June 10, 2025
    TraveljonezBack to the Camino de SantiagoTraveler
    Beers on the Café Iruña terrace
    Inside Café Iruña's secret Hemingway barHave you met my leetle friend?Fritos pamploneses at Café RochChorizo and chocolate croquette and a duck molé pintxo with Cocoa Krispies at BaserriberriPoached egg and foie gras pintxos at Bar FiteroLovely Pamplona at night

    The Jones Also Rises (and Walks)

    June 10 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    It's June! This must mean it's time for our annual Camino. For 2025, we're going old-school, on the Camino Francés- the famous route that is assumed to be "The Camino." We last walked the Camino Francés in 2021, from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. That section of the Camino Francés is the final 120 kilometers of the full 800 kilometer path, and the one that's most commonly walked by tourists and noobs. I know...how basic of us.

    The section of the Camino Francés that we're walking this week is 107 kilometers, from Pamplona to Navarrete. We've never been to Pamplona before, a city made famous by Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises" (which described the annual running of the bulls), and the pintxos are supposed to be amazing in this region...so this should be a fantastic week.

    In the late morning, we took a high-speed train ninety minutes from Barcelona to Zaragoza, then transferred to a bus for the two-hour ride to Pamplona. We arrived at 6pm and immediately noticed... it's a bit toasty here. Normal June temperatures in Pamplona are in the 70s/20°C, but today it is, holy shit, 100°F/36°C. I'm melting.

    We spent the very warm evening crawling Pamplona's famous pintxo bars, starting with Café Iruña. In the 1920s, this was Hemingway's favorite hangout, and where his characters would gather in "The Sun Also Rises." And if you walk to the back of this stunning art nouveau café and notice a door near the toilets...and open that door...you will enter into a teeny bar area (closed to the general public) that has a life-sized statue of Hemingway at the bar. It is incredibly cool.

    We hit three other pintxo bars, starting with Café Roch, in business since 1898. This bar is famous for its "fritos pamploneses" (like croquettes but with a tempura coating), and we sampled the mushroom and the jamón options. My verdict: Croquettes are better. So there.

    We visited Baserriberri, formerly Michelin-listed, for possibly the weirdest pintxos I've ever had: Duck molé rolled in a tiny waffle, and covered with Cocoa Krispies; and a chorizo croquette with... chocolate sauce. Weird, but in a good way. I think.

    Our final stop was Bar Fitero, where we abandoned the super creative pintxos and went old-school, ordering grilled foie gras and poached egg pintxos. At 11pm, our evening was over; unlike most of Spain, Pamplona closes up early. But we have all day tomorrow ro explore Pamplona before beginning our Camino on Thursday!    Read more

  • TraveljonezBack to the Camino de SantiagoTraveler
    The Running of the Bulls statue on the promenade
    Paseo Ernest Hemingway, outside the bull ringThe bust of Hemingway outside the bull ringWarning signs on the streets where the bulls are runPamplona's Town HallThe first Camino sign of the trip!!!The Camino sign in front of Town HallThe Cathedral of PamplonaEl Rincón de Caballo Blanco. Bring me some tapas!Mini slider, morcilla, pisto, and milhojas de foie at IruñazarraThe Best Cocktail Ever, with a yummy huevo frito and tempura shrimp at El RioOoooh that amazing egg with truffle cream and fries, and duck rillette in a phyllo sack

    Walking With the Bulls

    June 11 in Spain ⋅ 🌩️ 66 °F

    In previous Caminos, we would begin our walk the first morning after arriving. But this time, we spent our first day sightseeing and exploring Pamplona.

    We started on Pamplona's pedestrian shopping street, which eventually led us to where the bulls are run. There's a very cool life-sized sculpture of the bull running on the promenade, and the street terminates at the bull ring on Plaza de Toros. Right outside the bull ring is a statue of Papa Hemingway, thanking him for bringing this animal cruelty to the masses. Thanks Ernie.

    To be clear, I get that the San Fermín bull running festival is hugely significant, both historically and in literature, but it's barbaric and should not exist in 2025. Also, the San Fermín festival occurs every year ON MY BIRTHDAY, so I feel like my opinion matters. I am just saying.

    We visited Pamplona's stunning Town Hall, a Baroque fever dream that almost looks Germanic. It's where the Pamplona mayor opens the San Fermín festival every July 6, but most people don't notice that if you go around to the back of the building, there's a parking lot also known as Plaza Santiago. It's the medieval site of the beginning of the Camino from Pamplona, but the plaque is pretty much used as a parking space. I am not pleased with Pamplona's choice to focus on the bull run instead of its ancient Camino history! The white lady in me wants to speak to the manager.

    We had lunch at two different pintxo bars: Iruñazarra and Escalerica. At Iruñazarra, I tried "pisto," a local dish that is like Middle Eastern shakshouka, but with the poached egg over French ratatouille. We also shared the milhojas de foie, kind of like a Spanish tortilla but layered with foie gras and apple jam. Surprisingly this was not fantastic, which is a foie tragedy. Matt ordered the mini slider and morcilla (Spanish blood pudding), which we did NOT share, because yuck. We then moved on to Escalerica, where I had a chicken bao bun that was so good I devoured it before I remembered to photograph it. Oops.

    Before everything shut for the midday siesta, we visited the Rincón del Caballo Blanco and the Baluarte de Redin. We had two reasons to visit: One, it's the former bastion of the ancient city, with views over the town, and the pilgrim's welcome into the city; and two, it was the filming location for the classic scene in the film "The Way" when Martin Sheen asks the waiter to "bring me some tapas." (If you've not seen this 2010 movie, go see it right now. It is the only Camino film that actually captures what it's like to walk.)

    After siesta, we visited the Pamplona Cathedral which actually has the cojones to CHARGE PILGRIMS FOR ENTRY, so by "visited" I mean "we stared in disbelief at the entry fee, took a photo, and bailed."

    We had more pintxos for dinner, starting at El Rio, which is by far my favorite bar in Pamplona. We tried their famous huevo frito (a hard-boiled egg in bechamel, then fried), tempura shrimp, and my new favorite cocktail: A mix of vermut, Campari, and cava. Yes please.

    The final pintxos bar of our Pamplona adventure was El Gaucho, which is my SECOND favorite bar (apparently I prefer old-school classics, none of this Michelin nonsense). We shared a poached egg over truffle cream and french fries, which is possibly one of the best things I've eaten all year. We also had duck rillette in a phyllo sack, which was very good, but I only had eyes for that egg. Mmm.

    With our bellies full of pintxo deliciousness, we headed to bed for an early start on the Camino tomorrow!    Read more

  • TraveljonezBack to the Camino de SantiagoTraveler
    Starting our Camino from Plaza de Santiago in Pamplona
    Our first Camino milestoneHeading up the ascent to the Alto del PerdónThe sculpture atop the Mirador de Alto del PerdónPosing with the sculptureAt the MiradorThe long, slow, rocky descent down from the MiradorWe climbed OVER thatWalkin'At the junction to Puente de la ReinaThe monument to the spot where all the Caminos convergeThe puente of Puente de la ReinaEntering the medieval Camino town of Puente de la ReinaPuente de la Reina's main streetThe statue of Saint James at the Iglesia de Santiago in Puente de la ReinaThe puente at night

    Perdón Me, I'm Walking Here

    June 12 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 70 °F

    Total walked today: 24 kms
    Total walked: 24 kms
    Kms left until Navarrete: 84 kms

    It was a damn good decision to go to bed early last night, because at 10pm, a storm of biblical proportions hit Pamplona, with lightning and sheeting rain that lasted until 4am. But when we were up at 7am this morning, the day was clear and sunny...and a far more temperate 85°F/27°C than the previous days of 100°F/35°C.

    We started our walk at 8am from Pamplona's Plaza de Santiago (also known as a "parking lot"). We spent an hour walking out of the city and its suburbs; and Pamplona will forever be remembered as the city that installed its embedded Camino shells in the pavement BACKWARDS. The shells are pointing pilgrims in the exact OPPOSITE direction, which caused a bit of panic until we realized this. I can only imagine the conversation between the city planners and the contractors who so fully fucked this up. Fun times.

    After a few hours of walking through suburban towns outside of Pamplona, we arrived at the tiny town of Zariquiegui (it's Basque, I can't pronounce it either). It was the first town that looked historically Spanish instead of a modern exurb, so we stopped to view their medieval church and take a break at the lone café. We made sure to drink a lot of water and prepare ourselves, because we'd been warned that the upcoming part of the Camino was steep and brutal (especially in the heat).

    After our break, we continued on to walk a hot, 350 meter/1050 foot ascent over three kilometers to the famous Mirador de Alto del Perdón (The High Outlook of Forgiveness). It was not easy, and I would not call that walk "fun," either. But the Mirador, with its famous 1996 sculpture of Camino pilgrims throughout the milennia, is breathtaking.

    The descent down from the peak, however, is a rock- and scree-covered death trap that took us longer to walk DOWN than UP. By the time we reached the teeny town of Uterga at 2pm, we were starving. Luckily this one-street town had a fabulous tavern, where I ate a roasted chicken platter so fast that I think I scared the server.

    After our lunch break, the Camino flattened out, and wound through some small towns; but it was siesta time and hell-hot, so we didn't stop. At 4pm we finally arrived at our stopping point: Puente de la Reina (The Queen's Bridge), so named because in the 11th century, Queen Muniadona declared that a bridge be built for Camino pilgrims. The entire village is essentially a medieval truck stop for pilgrims- it's gorgeous, and looks like a scene from Don Quixote. The town is also the point at which many of the Camino routes through France and Spain converge, and join with the Camino Francés en route to Santiago de Compostela.

    We ate a light dinner near the town square, and headed to bed early. Tomorrow's walk is both shorter AND flatter, so my feet are happy.    Read more

  • TraveljonezBack to the Camino de SantiagoTraveler
    How to reuse a 16th century sculpture
    On the road to CiriquiIf only we'd gone a few steps further, we'd have noticed medieval CirauquiThe staircase exiting Cirauqui, from Roman timesWalkin'A Camino marker outside VillatuertaBeating the heat with a vino break in a Villatuerta parkWith Saint Veremundo, the patron saint of the Camino in NavarreArriving in Estella!Estella from the rooftop of the Iglesia de Saint MiguelEstella's gorgeous Iglesia de Saint Pedro de RúaThe Temple of the Holy Sepulchre

    Luck Be a Pilgrim

    Jun 13–17 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Total walked today: 22 kms
    Total walked: 46 kms
    Kms left until Navarrete: 62 kms

    Happy Friday the 13th! It was another bright, hot day when we left Puente de la Reina over its namesake bridge. The terrain was textbook Camino: Golden wheat fields, dirt paths, and rolling hills.

    For reasons I can't explain, we both thought today's terrain would be flat. It was not. The path up to Mañeru, the first town after Puente de la Reina, was a nearly wall-like incline straight up. It was a brutal way to start my morning, but Mañeru made amends by featuring the cleverest "Pilgrim's welcome" at its town entrance. Not only did the little park offer seating and a water fountain, but the fountain was a repurposed 16th century sculpture that was plumbed for fresh water. I do luvs me some engineering ingenuity.

    We walked through picturesque Camino scenery for the next few hours, en route to the medieval hilltop town of Cirauqui. This section of the Camino, with the rolling path and Cirauqui in the distance, is apparently one of the most-photographed scenes of the entire Camino. I of course took the required photo.

    We stopped at the entrance to Cirauqui for coffee, and despite being told it was a movie-set-worthy beautiful village, it seemed a bit ordinary. So after our break, we continued on...and the Camino led us INTO Cirauqui, a stunning medieval town situated on stone staircases. Had we just walked five minutes past the café, we would have seen this. Oops. But the exit from Cirauqui was equally as impressive- the staircase out of town was built in Roman times, with views over the valley.

    Around noon, we were both out of water and getting a bit hangry, and poof, the Camino provided. We walked past an unstaffed table offering free water, bread and cheese, nuts, and crackers to pilgrims. We were joined by a lone French pilgrim, and marveled on the generosity of the Camino community while I scarfed free peanuts. And at 1pm, we finally arrived at the tiny town of Lorca. But instead of eating lunch at their lone (and iffy) bar, we bought ice creams and bananas from a shop, and had a picnic in the town square. We were soon joined by our French pilgrim (whose name is Alán) who shared his apricots with us, and together with our shared Heineken beers, it was a perfect lunch.

    Later in the afternoon, we reached Villatuerta, where we escaped the heat with an aperitivo in the park, before continuing on to Estella, our stopping point for the night.

    I was a bit surprised by Estella. It was built in 1090 just for pilgrims, by order of the King. But I was not expecting the magnitude of medieval architecture- it is known as the "Toledo of the North" (Toledo, SPAIN!) because of its huge array of historical, medieval, and gorgeous churches. Saint Pedro de la Rúa, situated up a picturesque staircase, is the most famous. But we spent the early evening visiting the stunning 12th-century Saint Miguel, with vistas over the city; the Palace of the Kings of Navarre, now a museum; the Temple of the Holy Sepulchre, an odd, square fortress on the river; and the Iglesia de Santa Maria Jus del Castillo, a church built literally over a Jewish synagogue. I was not expecting a town so steeped in Camino history, but also so beautiful.

    We had a late dinner at a pilgrim's restaurant in the Old City, then our exhausted selves had a very early bedtime.    Read more

  • TraveljonezBack to the Camino de SantiagoTraveler
    Leaving Estella over the town bridge, 8am
    Ciao, Estella. Vámanos a Camino!La Forja de AyeguiThe iron forge master at workApproaching the famed Wine Fountain of IracheThe Bodega Irache WineryThe entrance to the wine fountain, right on the CaminoFree wine from the fountain!Getting a sello fron the winery museum!The gorgeous countryside of our walk todayI'M THE KING OF THE WORLDA little fun with Saint JamesWalking out of the last bit of shade for the next 10kmsThe Pilgrim's Oasis food truck, the only bit of civilization for 12kmsGreatest food truck everCamino picnic at the Pilgrim's Oasis (the food truck provided ice creams!)The last stretch to Los Arcos

    Fields of Dreams

    June 14 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Total walked today: 22 kms
    Total walked: 68 kms
    Kms left until Navarrete: 40 kms

    I think today might be my favorite day of walking the Camino, ever.

    We departed Estella at 7:45am, surrounded by many other pilgrims. This is notable because we're usually the last ones out- most pilgrims leave before 6am. But there was a reason for the early birds' late start: Less than an hour's walk from Estella is the famous Wine Fountain of Irache...which opens at 8am. The Wine Fountain is legendary on the Camino Francés- the Bodega Irache Winery sits right on the Camino, and wanted to pay tribute to the many pilgrims passing by. So in the 1990s, they installed a tap into their external wall, and every day it's stocked with 100 liters of free wine. Pilgrims are invited to have a small cup for "strength and vitality" on the day's walk. It's amazing...the wine itself is a bit rough, but it's free and fun so I'll forgive that.

    Nearby the Irache Winery is the La Forja de Ayegui (The Forge of Ayegui), a heritage blacksmith's shop. The blacksmith works the hot, live forge while you wander his outdoor shop- I've never seen anything like it. Matt was so impressed that he purchased a small iron Camino shell.

    A bit farther on past the forge and the wine fountain, we stopped for coffee at a café owned by a former pilgrim. She had set up the garden with easy chairs overlooking the valley, and it was kind of perfect.

    Today's walk was 22 kilometers; however, once we passed this café's town, at kilometer 10, there was absolutely nothing but Camino path for the remaining 12 kilometers. We had to pack enough food and water, plus hats and plenty of sunblock because not only was there no civilization for 12 kilometers, but also NO SHADE, and today's temp was about 88°F/30°C. But while that may sound painful, it was actually glorious. The landscape was stunning: Rolling hills, green valleys, fields of flowers, and an endless blue sky, with nothing but the sounds of the birds and our feet crunching on the gravel. I loved it.

    We had heard rumors that halfway into this 12 kilometer stretch was a food truck. This mythical food truck appears regularly in the summertime for just a few hours, selling drinks and snacks, and we had our fingers crossed that today was a lucky day. Imagine our glee when, a bit before the halfway point, we saw a whiteboard propped up by the road saying that the Pilgrim's Oasis Food Truck was just 1 kilometer away. We nearly ran that last kilometer.

    The Pilgrim's Oasis food truck is a Camino highlight. It's run by a Canadian couple, who also own a café in Viana, an upcoming Camino town. They're welcoming and kind, and let all the pilgrims set up picnics at their tables under some shady trees. We bought ice creams to go with our picnic, ate lunch with 20 other hot, tired pilgrims, and it was amazing.

    The final 6 kilometers to Los Arcos, our stopping point for the night, was fairly easy, despite being in the direct, hot sun. We arrived in Los Arcos before 4pm, and I was excited to have a bit more time to explore the town- I feel like we missed a lot of Estella with our later arrival. But imagine my surprise to note that despite it having history and architecture from Roman times, and being a major stop on the Camino...Los Arcos does not give a fuck about the Camino or pilgrims. Nothing was open at 3:30pm; no bar offered pilgrim's menus (special discounted menus for walkers); there is zero Camino iconography anywhere; there isn't even a grocery store walkable from the Camino. Huh. Looks like a very quiet evening tonight.

    Tomorrow we walk to Viana!    Read more

  • TraveljonezBack to the Camino de SantiagoTraveler
    Ciao, Los Arcos
    The requisite foot-shell photoThe Camino marker at the start of the day's walkOn the road to SansolHappy walking in the cooler tempsGorgeous vistas over the Navarre valleyThe long stretch to VianaThe paved flagstone descent to VianaArriving in VianaPalacio Pujades, our fancy digs in VianaPalacio Pujades's lobby, with decor by Torquemada's interior designer (Spanish Inquisition humor)The view from our balcony of the ruins of Iglesia San PedroViana's medieval city wallsThe interior of the astonishing ruins of Iglesia San Pedro

    No Sweat Pilgrim

    June 15 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    Total walked today: 19 kms
    Total walked: 87 kms
    Kms left until Navarrete: 21 kms

    Last night a strong wind blew into Los Arcos, and today the temperature plummeted from 90°F/30°C down to 70°F/20°C. We had planned a shortened walk today- 19kms instead of 30kms- based on the expected heat. But! With now-cloudy skies and cooler temps, the 19kms felt almost effortless. It was literally no sweat.

    After leaving Los Arcos, our morning walk was an easy, flat 7 kilometers to the first town of Sansol (which I noted sounded more like a detergent or a vegetable oil brand than a town, but you do you, Sansol). Sansol is a VERY tiny town, and it's Sunday in Spain, so nothing was open except single shop near the town square. I felt pity for the elderly proprietor who was in nonstop motion serving espressos and baguettes to all the hungry pilgrims.

    We were sipping our coffees when a man started yelling in Spanish and threatening another pilgrim- and we realized the pilgrim was our French friend Alan. Apparently this crazy dude was accusing Alan of stealing his euros last night in the town's pilgrim dormitory- and Alan speaks no Spanish and little English, so he was a bit terrified. The police arrived, and we vouched for Alan and attempted to translate the weird situation. It took so long to resolve that there was no longer enough time for Alan to walk to his planned stopping point; he was forced to cut his day's walk short to the town of Viana...which coincidentally was also our final destination for the day.

    Our day's walk was gorgeous. There are no other adjectives. We spent much of it walking along a high ridge overlooking lush green valleys; the descent into Viana was via a lovely flagstone-paved path, bordered by wildflowers and olive groves. As we walked into Viana, we passed by the Pilgrim's Oasis Café...owned by the very same people as yesterday's Pilgrim's Oasis food truck. We walked in and were immediately recognized and welcomed by the owners, who gave us free coffee and cookies while we chatted and exchanged contact info. We expect to see them in Barcelona soon!

    We checked into our Viana hotel- tonight we're splashing out for a room in a former medieval palace, with a balcony overlooking the astonishing ruins of Iglesia San Pedro. And an hour later, as I was sitting on the balcony of our plush digs, I saw Alan down on the street below. The three of us went out for drinks, and in another weird coincidence, in that bar were two other French pilgrims who had been at the Sansol shop that morning. The five of us ended up closing the bar, after many bottles of Rioja, pintxos, and Google-translated conversations. It was a perfect Camino evening.

    I always quote the idiom "the Camino provides." For me, this time around the Camino has provided unexpected moments of friendship with incredibly kind people. The Camino is awesome.

    Tomorrow we cross into Rioja country for our final day of walking!    Read more

  • TraveljonezBack to the Camino de SantiagoTraveler
    Walking through vineyards en route to Logroño
    Cool graffiti on the CaminoArriving in Logroño and Rioja Country!!Heading down to LogroñoLogroño is incredibly proud of its Camino heritage, and has its own unique Camino iconography!Smelling the Camino de Santiago rose, bred here in LogroñoAt the Camino de Vino exhibition on Rua Vieja in LogroñoThe Iglesia de Santiago in LogroñoLogroño's Camino Pilgrims monument11am: Rioja wine stop in LogroñoRunning into the Pilgrim's Oasis food truck owners in Logroño!!Leaving Logroño, and onto NavarreteTaking a break at the reservoir in Parque La GrajeraParque la Grajera's terrain becomes very woodsy, unlike the rolling hills we've seenClimbing up out of the valleys, and into vineyardsNavarrete in the distance!Arriving in Navarrete!The stunning baroque interior of Navarrete's churchOur last stop for the night, Posada IgnatiusI don't think this needs a caption.

    Vino-Camino

    June 16 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Total walked today: 21 kms
    Total walked: 108 kms
    Kms left until Navarrete: 0 kms!!

    We left Viana on a cool but sunny morning, the last day of our Camino walk. There were no towns between Viana and Logroño, our day's halfway point, so the morning was a soft blur of rolling hills, vineyards, and music from our Spotify playlist. Around 10am we crossed out of the Navarre region, and into Rioja wine country. Next stop: Logroño, the capital of Rioja country, and a place we'd visited and loved in 2023.

    An hour later, we emerged into Old Town Logroño from the Camino. With the exception of Santiago, I've never felt so welcomed as a pilgrim. The path into town was lined with "Camino de Santiago" roses, bred here in Logroño, the town has its own Camino logo (and it's everywhere), and the tourist office even gave us candy. The entry into town led us through RuaVieja, a street that has been making wine for centuries. There was a cool (and free!) "Camino de Vino" exhibition center, and despite our sweaty selves, we were cheerfully welcomed.

    The path led us past the Iglesia de Santiago, and into Old Town...which is renowned for its incredible pinxtos bars. There wasn't much open at 11am, but one bar let us in early, and we devoured several croquettes and glasses of Rioja wine. We visited two more pintxo bars, and after several hours of decadence, we headed out for the remaining 11 kms to Navarrete.

    As we crossed the street to exit Logroño, we were surprised to see the Pilgrim's Oasis food truck owners standing on the opposite corner! It was a bizarre coincidence- we've now encountered them three days in a row- but we happily chatted for 20 minutes before exchanging hugs and goodbyes.

    For six kilometers, the path out of Logroño was through city parks or nature reserves. As the temps were back up to 85°F/26°C, we were grateful for both the shady trees and the many water fountains.

    We walked along the municipal reservoir in Parque La Grajera, followed by a steep climb that led us into vineyards. An hour or so later, we saw Navarrete in the distance- though I am convinced that SEEING your destination is morale killer, because it seems to take forever to reach it. Especially when it's hell-hot, your water is lukewarm, and you really, really just want an Otter Pop.

    Approaching Navarrete, we passed a winery offering tastings for "tired pilgrims" that was CLOSED on Mondays (UNFAIR), and had to climb a staircase (double unfair) to finally reach the medieval Old Town. It was deserted for siesta time, so we checked into our posada, and showered and napped until the heat cooled and people returned to the town square.

    We had a roast chicken dinner on a terrace overlooking the hills we'd crossed, and toasted the completion of our Camino with Rioja wine. Tomorrow we bus it back to Logroño for one more pintxo lunch before heading home.    Read more

    Trip end
    June 17, 2025
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