Day 10: Navarrete to Santo Domingo de la Calzada

I left the hotel at 08:10. On the way out of Navarrete. I caught up to the lone backpacker whom I'd seen the day before. The Korean girl said there were only two other people at the albergue in Navarrete. I passed her up as she could not keep up with me. Today was the first day where it rained. I finally had to used my rain jacket and pack cover. I walked by Ventosa, then was walking through vineyards for as far as the eye could see. Then it was a descent into Najera.

I made it to Najera at noon. It was a good-sized town. I crossed the clear Najerilla River and headed toward the red cliffs that border the town. There was the Monastery of Santa Maria la Real. I paid €4 to enter. The church is built into the side of the cliff with access to a cave. In the cave is a statue of Mary that was found there in 1044. I left at 13:00, knowing I still had slot of walking to do.

I walked out the backside of Najera through the red clay and over the hump. Then, it was miles of vineyards until I got to the town of Azofra, which seemed kind of dead; I saw few cars and few people. The vineyards eventually turned into hayfields. It was a long gradual ascent into Ciruena. First I passed a golf driving range, which was busy. The rest of Ciruena was like a ghost town. There were fairly new apartment buildings, of which less than half seemed to be occupied. Some of the apartment buildings seemed to be completely vacant.

I trudged on toward Santo Domingo de la Calzada. I walked past alot of farm equipment on my way into town, giving me the impression this was an agricultural hub. I finally reached the Confradia del Santo Albergue, the only albergue open, at 07:00 after it was dark. I should have not stopped off in Najera earlier in the day. The albergue was packed with maybe sixteen people, not including myself, and I did not recognize anyone. I guessed that I caught up to the group that had left the day before my original group. One skinny Korean girl helped me find an open bed and asked me what country I was from and where I had walked from.

I went out looking for dinner just before 20:00. I saw all the local people headed into the cathedral for mass, so I went inside too. By the time I got done with mass, there was only a little over an hour to get food before the albergue doors were locked at 22:00. Also, all of the nearby restaurants were packed after mass. I just settled for getting some food out of the vending machine: a microwaveable hot dog, licorice, and chocolate milk.

Ventosa.

Najera.

The statue in the cave.

Grapes that were not harvested last season.

Hay stacks.

Ciruena.

Trying to walk down to Santo Domingo de la Calzada just before dark.

Day 9: Viana to Navarrete

I got a late start at 09:00, but I would not be pushing too hard today. I left Viana, noticing there was a Mondelez factory in the town. Before reaching Logrono, I left the region of Navarre and entered the region of La Rioja. La Rioja is known for making the best wine in all of Spain. Just before noon, I took a quick break before crossing the Ebro River. I changed my socks and drank water. There were two storks in a large nest above me on the electrical tower.

I then navigated through downtown Logrono on stone streets. Eventually, I got to a more modern part of the city with lots of pedestrians and restaurants. It seemed there were several different routes to traverse the back end of Logrono based on the different signs and arrows I saw. I took what seemed to be one of the obsolete routes, passing by car dealerships and some factories as this is where the app Camino Companion said to walk. After that it was a long walk through a park with a reservoir.

Vineyards have become most of the landscape now, with the Don Jacobo Winery right along the path up to Navarrete. As I walked today, I saw people working in their vineyards. I did not walk a terribly long day due to being worn out from the long hike the previous day.

I reached Hotel Rey Sancho after a quick stop to Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion Church for a stamp. I went out for dinner later. The first restaurant I tried, El Molino, was only serving tapas. The second restaurant, El Albero, was still closed for the holidays it seemed. I ended up at a hole in the wall called Deportivo Bar. I ate a big bowl of spaghetti with tomatoes and basil. It was actually pretty decent. I washed it down with a couple Mahou's. I only saw one other pilgrim the whole day.

Looking back at Viana.

Leaving Navarre, entering La Rioja.

Walking into Logrono.

Storks nesting on an electrical tower.

A mural of a guy wearing Camino de Santiago stamps like they are tattoos.

A bull sign on a hill between Logrono and Navarrete.

A giant bottle of Don Jacobo wine.

The church in Navarrete.

Day 8: Estella to Viana

I left Estella at 07:45 and walked along the lit streets of Estella and Ayegui. I came to the Irache Winery as the sun was coming up. They have a wine fountain along the trail for pilgrims, so I tried some of their wine. It was not bad, definately better than the tinto I had on Day 6. About thirty minutes later, an English guy named Mark caught up with me. We ended up walking together and talking. It made the miles pass quicker. He decided to quit his job in his mid-forties in 2012, then travel with the money he got from selling his house. He had walked every single Camino route to Santiago, and some of the routes multiple times. Despite being a vagabond for six years, he had spent all of the time in Spain with the exception of a single trip to Peru. We walked up to Azqueta and Villamayor de Monjardin. Mark wanted a coffee, but all of the cafes were still closed.

We finally walked into Los Arcos before 13:00. We stopped to get lunch at a bar called Cerveceria Buen Camino. I had an orange juice and an overpriced plate of spaghetti. While eating lunch, the Italian guy, Alesandro, came in to get coffee. He seemed surprised I was there and asked me what time I left Estella.

I continued on walking with Mark until we got to Sansol and Torres del Rio, which are two towns on hills, but on the opposite sides of a stream. Torres del Rio had the only open albergue for miles. Mark called it a day in Torres del Rio as he had walked from Pamplona to Estella the previous day. I swapped out my socks and took a water break at a picnic table in town. I then walked on by myself through dry, hilly terrain to Viana. During this stretch, I started seeing more vineyards and olive groves.

I got to Viana just as the sun was setting, and it was getting cold. I had to take a small detour as one of the streets was being recemented. I arrived at the municipal hostal, but there was no attendant working there. Apparently the attendant ends the day at 18:00. There was a phone number I could call, but I decided to just treat myself to a hotel after a long day. I checked in to the Palacio de Pujabas, showered, washed my socks, and passed out on the bed. By the time I woke up, it was too late to get dinner. I just went back to sleep.

The wine fountain. The winery gives away 100 liters each day.

There is nothing untouched by graffiti in Spain.

There is a small castle on the hill overlooking Villamsjor de Monjardin.

Much of the day's hike looked like this.

The entrance to Los Arcos.

Los Arcos and its massive church.

Looking back at Sansol and Torres del Rio, which is mostly hidden by the barn.

Watching a tractor plow a dry field. 

I finally reach Viana.

Day 7: Puente La Reina to Estella

I started the day walking through the town of Puente La Reina and over the six-arch Roman bridge over the Arga River. Then it was uphill walking to Maneru. By then the Italian guy, Alesandro, caught up to me. It was the second time of three times that day that he was supposed to be way ahead of me. What happened was that he was in such a hurry, he missed yellow arrows and ended up taking the wrong turns. He then catches me from behind, overtakes me, and goes speeding forward again. I have no clue what he is in such a rush for since he claims to not even be a Christian. I've found is best to walk at a leisurely pace, explore the towns, and stop to take plenty pictures on the Camino.

As I walked through the hilly city of Cirauqui, I found a stamp on a chain near a post office box. I tested it out. It said "Cirauqui, Navarra" in blue ink with a picture of the town. I finally found a non-albergue stamp for my credential book.

I proceeded on through to Lorca via an ancient Roman road for part of the way. When I passed through the town, I saw an open garage with a vending machine, a table and chairs, and a sign that there is free WiFi. I get a Coke from the machine and sit down to look through my phone for awhile.

From there, I finish out the day walking through Villatuerta and Estella. It looks like some migrants had been relocated to Villatuerta as there are lots of women with headscarves with kids as the grammar school was letting out. On the home stretch through Estella, I see a tourism office. I stopped in and asked the ambassador if she had a stamp for my pilgrim credential. It turns out she did. It said "Estella" with some religious symbols. I finally got to the albergue, which is connected to a Capuchin convent. They gave me the choice of a shared room for €16 or a private room for €25. It was an easy decision.

I showered and then went to pick up more medical tape at a pharmacy. Then, I went looking for somewhere to eat. I happened across a chain place called Telepizza on the other side of the Ega River. I ordered a  cheese pizza with onions. The pizza maker, Jesus, found it hard to believe I did not want any meat on the pizza. Looking through the menu pictures, it looks like the Basque people love heaps of ham, salami, and bacon on pizza. He even showed me the pizza before putting it in the oven to make sure I really only wanted onions on it. The pizza was pretty good and probably the best meal I've had in Europe so far.

I went back to the albergue and shaved without shaving cream because I could not find a miniature bottle of shaving cream at the pharmacy.

The Roman-style bridge in Puente La Reina built in the 11th century.

Cirauqui.

The view leaving Cirauqui.

The church in Villatuerta, the birthplace of St. Veremundo.

Estella.

San Pedro de la Rua Church in Estella. It was closed, but supposedly Saint Andrew's shoulder bone and a piece of the true cross are inside.

Estella and the Ega River at night.

Day 6: Pamplona to Puente La Reina

I got up around 08:00 and had the buffet breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express. Then I showered and packed up. I used Pidetaxi to get a taxi to the spot I left off on the Camino de Santiago near the Citadel. I then started walking some time after 09:00.

It was a cloudy day, there was no rain. I walked out of Pamplona through the University of Navarre. I got mixed in with some students along the way. One was wearing a jacket that said "Mitchell's Tavern, Milwaukee, Wisconsin".

I exited the city and went up through the suburb of Cizur Menor. There was a pharmacy along the path, so I stopped and asked for some blister cream. The woman working there instead wanted me to take off my boot and look at the blister. She then out the cream on gauze and tape it over my blister. What service! I bought the rest of the blister cream and a tooth brush and tooth paste.

I continued climbing up the Alto del Perdon, which is a ridge west of Pamplona with forty windmills. It took several hours to get to the top. When I finally reached the summit, it was very windy like the lady at the pilgrim office had warned. There is a metal statue of medieval pilgrims walking and riding horses or donkeys that the wind turbine company erected.

The way down from the Alto del Perdon was hard on the knees and feet. It was kilometers of loose rocks the size of baseballs and softballs. I had to take it slow on the descent.

I finally got down near Uterga and changed my socks from a sweaty pair to a dry pair. This is something I need to do everyday going forward. Blisters are more likely to form in wet socks. I then proceeded through Muruzabal and Obanos. I tried to go to the churches in every town in the hopes of getting more stamps for my pilgrim credential, but all the churches were locked up. I think they are only open when there are masses.

I finally made it into Puente La Reina before dark. I checked into the Albergue de Peregrinos for only €5. I ran into Alesandro the Italian guy and Nicholas. The Koreans showed up shortly after. The Korean dad with his two daughters were the last ones to arrive and got in after dark. My nickname for him is Big Daddy even though he is a fairly small guy. All of the original group made it to the albergue except for one person.

I took a shower, then ran over to the grocery store to buy detergent pods, a razor to shave with, medical tape, and gauze for my blister cream.

On the way back I stopped at a bar called Cerveceria Very. I had until 22:00 before the doors of the albergue were locked. Similar to last night I got a table wine, bread, starter, main dish, and desert for €10.90. I picked a spaghetti with meat sauce, fish, and ice cream as my choices. The bar did not have salmon, so I had to settle for something called navarino. It turned out to be local trout served Navarre-style, which meant the whole fish was on the plate minus the innerds. The spaghetti was bad, the trout would have been okay if I had not kept choking on the bones, and I drank too much of the tinto wine which came from a winery in town. The best course was the ice cream. I have not been impressed by the food in France and Spain thus far.

I got back to the albergue before the doors were locked and washed my clothes.

The abandoned palace and church of Guendulain outside of Pamplona.

A look back towards Pamplona after walking a couple hours west.

Looking back at Pamplona from the Alto del Perdon.

The wind turbines on Alto del Perdon.

Metal pilgrim statues on Alto del Perdon.

The treacherous path down the ridge.

Uterga.

San Juan Bautista church in Obanos.

The medieval gate to Obanos.

Day 5: Pamplona

I got a very good night's sleep and a hot shower at the Holiday Inn Express. There was a complimentary buffet breakfast. I took another nap after breakfast. I wanted to get my clothes washed at the hotel, but they said it would take two days and gave me the address to a laundromat. I just ended up washing my socks in the sink by hand.

At 18:00, I ordered a taxi through an app called Pidetaxi. It works similar to Uber. I went to the Old City to walk around. Near the city hall I saw Nicholas, the French lute player, who I last saw last at the church in Viscarret-Guerendiain. He was busking with his lute in the walled part of Pamplona. We talked for a few minutes until a bearded guy interrupted us. He was carrying two full bags of groceries from the nearby Carrefour and was well-dressed, but he was pitching some type of sob story about being poor or homeless. Nicholas offered to give the guy €2 from his hat. The guy looked like a North African migrant rather than a Basque.

At 20:30, I went to Cafe Iruna in Plaza del Castillo. It was one of my bucket list items for the trip. If you have read The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, you will know about a third of the book takes place at Cafe Iruna. They run a deal where you get a drink, bread, starter, main dish, and desert for €16.90. I got a water, a cannoli appetizer, roasted cod in squash, and vanilla ice cream. The food was okay, but not worth returning for. I then took a taxi back to the hotel after finding a taxi station a short distance out of the Plaza del Castillo. The driver seemed to have had too much wine and pinchos earlier because he was rambling like he was drunk the whole way.

The walled city of Pamplona.

Pamplona's City Hall.

Cafe Iruna.

Plaza del Castillo.

Day 4: Roncesvalles to Pamplona

I left Roncesvalles at 08:00 and arrived in Burguete less than a hour later. The young people of the town were walking home from a night of drinking and obviously inebriated. I think I saw one bar that was still open at 08:45!

Next, I walked through farmland to Espinal. Only a bakery was open in the town. People seem to really like to eat bread in France and Spain. A few other pilgrims stopped there to get breakfast.

I then made it to Viscarret-Guerendiain just before 11:00. I walked into the church there and saw the priest who showed us around Roncesvalles the previous night, preparing for mass. Just then, Nicholas, one of the French guys who I went to church with the previous night, showed up. The priest came down and introduced us to his congregation and asked if we would stay for mass, as it was the Feast of Three Kings. I declined as the day was short, and I needed to get to Pamplona.

The next part of the trip was a lot of ups and downs over hills. The descent into Zubiri included walking downhill on loose rocks and sharp rocks, which was very rough on my feet. I saw a trout swimming in the Arga River from the Puente de la Rabia.

I continued on past the magnesium plant outside Zubiri to Larrasoana. Just before the bridge into Larrasoana, there was a utility sign saying the road to Akerreta was cut, and you'd have to detour around by going into Larrasoana, down to the N-135 highway, and then walking until the next road that crossed the river to rejoin the Camino de Santiago. This added an extra two kilometers. Just as I was walking up the hill finishing the detour, I saw Mario, the French guitar player, and two Korean backpackers on the side of the hill. They were walking in a hurry and had obviously ignored the detour sign. There were no albergues open between Urdaniz and Trinidad de Arre in the winter, so they were in a pinch to get to the next open albergue by nightfall.

I kept walking although my pace had slowed down immensely due to my feet and knees hurting. It was dark by 18:00 and I was in Zabaldika. I used the flashlight on my phone to navigate the trail into Pamplona. Once I crossed the Ulzama River, I had arrived in the suburb of Trinidad de Arre,  and there were streetlights all the way into Pamplona. From there, I got a taxi to take me to the Holiday Inn Express on the south end of the city. I needed a good night sleep on a real mattress. I was done with the snorers and middle-of-the-night bathroom users waking me up.

Ernest Hemingway stayed at the Hostal Burguete in the book The Sun Also Rises.

Horses between Burguete and Espinal.

The church in Viscarret-Guerendiain.

The magnesium plant just outside Zubiri.

Cattle near Udaniz.

A Basque-themed barn.