Today, we emerged above the clouds encountering a memorial to victims of the Spanish Civil War. Onward past a Camino oasis in the forest and the timeless alchemy of a bar in Agés to a Camino lesson in patience at Atapuerca where humanity’s deep history lies revealed.
To get to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, we have 21 kms ahead of us so it’s time for an early start. Out the door at 06.30 AM and straight into a climb as we wound past the cave monastery and onward through a rock cutting. A bright yellow arrow …
We started out from Navarrete with its ancient pilgrim hospital, past Roland’s Hut, the site of a David and Goliath battle between Christians and Moslems, and on to Nájera where a bird and a vision decided the fate of a battle, and a French abbot gave us the first Western translation of the Koran to build better understanding between two great faiths.
The council has upgraded the path to Navarrete out of Logroño. I really liked the anamorphic shadows of pilgrims and cyclists painted on the walls of the underpass beneath the road. We passed through the university grounds as we headed out from the city. A shrine stood at the entrance …
Bound for Sansol, we left Villamayor de Monjardin before sunrise, taking a farewell photo of the church as we headed down the hill and out into the valley. The kites soared over the hills as we headed out of the town. Looking back into the ripening dawn we could see …
Cirauqui beckoned. The day dawned with perfect weather and a well-made track. We met a French pilgrim from Toulouse, and we all chatted in English. He was a young guy but very interested in people’s stories, and he was really enjoying the Camino. The guy told us he was finishing …
With a quick last look out of our window overlooking the Town Hall square, we packed up and headed out early to the outskirts of the town, past the University of Navarre en route to Uterga. There we found a cafe/bakery and enjoyed a pot of tea and a Napolitana …
Pamplona is the goal today. The morning dawned clear and cool as we headed back over the medieval bridge and left Zubiri behind us. It wasn’t long before the path began to climb. I looked back to see the town receding beneath us before we wound our way through leafy …
We had planned to send our packs ahead for the descent into Zubiri, but when we woke, we were eager to set off and had completely forgotten our plan. We were deep in discussion and walking down the road, when we remembered how treacherous the descent into Zubiri can be. …
