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It rained and it poured and it turned to mud. 29 kilometers later we got to Najera.  We also discovered where the gold the Spanish took from South America went….INTO EVERY CHURCH IN SPAIN!!!

We lost Anne on the path,  we lost Maggie to tendinitis, we lost Gary when we turned left and we turned right and we lost the Buen Camino in us all….So really, all that came to mind were songs….

Singing in the Rain

It’s Raining Men

Raindrops keep falling on my head

It raining, it’ pouring

Who’ll stop the rain

Let it rain

Purple Rain

Can’t stand the Rain

I can see clearly now the rain is gone (well almost)…..

Los Arcos to Logrono – video 1

Los Arcos to Logrono – video 2

When you prepare for the worst, it sometimes doesn’t happen.  So the caper with the leaking boots turned into a standard Blagaich fiasco with Amazon being abandoned because they don’t deliver overnight in Spain.  Necessity being the mother of invention, I discovered I had a heavy duty plastic bag in my luggage and Anne from Oregon (who doesn’t travel without gaffa tape) provided the means to affix said plastic bags….and so waterproofing was created!  Put on wet weather gear, cover back packs in wet weather protectors and commence walking waiting for the predicted deluge….NOTHING….NOT A DROP….continue to leave on wet weather gear until close to expiring from heat exhaustion – remove wet weather clothing and undo protective heavy duty plastic covers and gaffa tape (because everyone wishes you Buen Camino and continues staring at your boots).  Lori in the mean time goes to Church, pays the lady a Euro, gets a photo and is now on the path to redemption (SHE THINKS).  Our Camino group which includes Anne from Oregon (with the gaffa  tape which is now depleted by a metre), Gary from Hunter Valley,  Maggie from Newcastle, Lori and me all managed to take turns walking with each other somewhere along the 29km today.  Anne had us in fits because she has taken to downloading musicals and listening to them on the road to Santiago…today was “Fiddler on the Roof”.  Very disconcerting when she comes up behind you singing “If I were a rich man” on the Camino.  I am going to suggest that she goes for “Man of La Mancha” to keep up the Spanish theme.

Probably the most interesting sight today was the 12th century cathedral that was demolished during the Spanish civil war – spectacular in its deconstruction.

Tonight we are in Logrono and enjoyed Pinxos for dinner…again.  Tomorrow we head off at 8.00 to Najera – 29.4 km away.  We don’t think too much about this distance anymore, just start walking!

Los Arcos….Los bloody ARKos….we needed an Ark yesterday …IT BUCKETED and to make the journey more fun I discovered that my water proof boots…aren’t.  We started off in the morning in drizzle and headed out through the town of Estella and got to the village of Bodega where the kind vignerons provide those walking on the Camino with a red wind fountain (see picture above) – some folk even fill they canteens!  The price clearly for drinking at 8.00am is that the rain gods dump on you!  As we started the first climb of the day it opened up and kept bucketing for the better part of two hours.  So to the placid accompanying sounds of squelch and squish, the next 5 hours and 21 km was passed.  Actually we walked through probably the most scenic rural countryside we have been through so far.  In spite of the rain, everyone you pass still wishes you a Buen Camino.

I decided to put a hoof on and managed to make cracking time into Los Arcos and commenced the process of stripping off to dry off as the rest of the group that we have adopted made into the square – which is the place that we always meet.  We have discovered that you wear as little as possible under rain gear because you basically become a walking sauna….and so today is one of our longer hauls at 29km and rain is predicted for the next three days….hmmm sock drying is becoming a feature of the day….

It rained on the parade….most of the day.  It was a great experience nonetheless….jackets on…jackets off….ponchos on….ponchos off.  Koreans having breakdowns on the way – clearly it was getting to be too much for some.  We entered the first of the vineyard areas.  Amazingly neat vineyards with olive trees planted throughout.  Met a young Pamplonan who has bought 9000 sq meters and has set up a stall where you can choose from fruit, coffee, wine, biscuits and all variety of fruit and all that is asked is a donation for anything you take.  The donation will be put towards building an albergue (pilgrim accommodation) on the site.

Pleased to see the sign which told us we were down to 676 km to Santiago….we’re getting there, one step at a time.    Moved on and found a place for more coffee – a dungeon really but the Koreans were taken by it (picture above) and then started another climb.  The climbs are FINE, the downs are not so fun…but the trusty sticks are the blessing of the path (my view of the world – Lori thinks it’s the other way around).

Every town has a church, of course on the highest piece of land and the Camino takes you past every  front door.  Amazing buildings and amazing histories.  One was started in  12th century and we walked over a bridge built by the Romans in the 3rd century to get to it…on the theme of religious enlightment, my traveling companion caught me unawares today.  After about three hours of walking I hear quietly from behind “I’m looking for a sign”…I didn’t respond thinking that this was clearly the moment of enlightment and that the purpose of the Camino had become clear….the next sentence was a louder refrain…. “ I’,m looking for a street sign, have you seen it?”  Oh well 650km to Santiago…

Well the book lies again!!!  We thought we were in for a 21km day and it ended up 29km!!!  For those of you that are familiar with the Camino there are several iconic Camino images on the way.  The first is the iron sculpture of the pilgrims which sits on the highest peak leaving Pamplona.  It is the area where the wind turbines are also placed.  The second on this leg is the bridge after which the town we are staying in tonight is named, the Puente de la Reina.  The third  is the octagonal church of Santa Maria de Eunate which is linked to the Knights Templar.  We covered all three today and have included the photos in the blog above.  The killer was to get to Santa Maria which entailed a detour off the main Camino of 4.2 km ,which in the morning we had agreed to and by the time we were walking up an incline of what felt like 40 degrees, our legs quietly regretted.  Nonetheless, two vino Biancos later, all is forgotten for another day.  The routine was back on again, we keep seeing the same groups of people, but in different orders.  Many of the men are looking less identifiable as their beards are growing and many are suffering from blisters or leg ailments. The spirit and sense of commitment to the pilgrimage is still there with all of them.

We have discovered that many of the MANY churches we are passing are  locked because many artefacts have been souveniered or stolen (not sure what the difference is but any way).  We have managed to get into some and have our Pilgrim passport stamped – they are all very ornate and very Spanish and there is most certainly no shortage of gold!

I managed to provide a running commentary on market gardens today and was very excited to be able to order fresh artichokes and white asparagus at the bar we had dinner in this evening – all produce which had walked past during the day.

The routine we have inadvertently dropped into is to walk for two hours, stop anywhere that sells a coffee (by the road in caravans, in little towns or outside Albergues) and eat a muffin or biscuit that we have “souvenired” from breakfast (that is OK because it is not from a Church!!).  Today’s ritual was not without incident.  Lori was off getting her passport stamped in the church, I purchased the coffees and we met back at the bench in the courtyard of the church.  Without either of us being prepared the Church bell at a distance of about 20 metres and a diameter of about a metre and half struck – neither of us were prepared but least of all Lori who let out an F*** Me at the top of her voice which mercifully was drowned by the incessant clanging….the man next to us we discovered does speak English but was either too polite or now temporarily deaf from the bell ringing simply looked at us and smiled.  Oh well, we may be on a pilgrimage and hopefully all will be forgiven!!!

 

Images from Pamplona – Jamon for breakfast or lunch, instructions about running with the bulls “you can carry a newspaper but don’t touch the bulls” (seems pretty straightforward really) drinking with Hemingway in his bar (looks just like Mr Rad with a beard), discovering beautiful squares and pinxos and vino bianco for dinner….21.8km tomorrow heading for Puente la Reina and praying for the rain to stay away.  Buenas noches.

Today was a remarkably short walk….the guide book lies, we walked only 14 km. The day started with breakfast in Akretta and Lori locking herself in her room…well sort of, she needed to try the handle and she was able to “escape” (the key has subsequently emerged in her suitcase in Pamplona). We set off again in early morning mist which burned off quite quickly. After the Pyrenees, this was really quite an easy walk and we were in Pamplona by 1.00pm. One of the joys of this walk is chatting with people on the way and everyone has to love an Irish accent. Today I lost it on the path in hysterics with Carmel from Ireland who spent the better part of 45 minutes explaining that she has given up chocolate biscuits to take up what sounds like Milk Arrowroot biscuits “but with lashings of butter and jam” (say that with an Irish accent). She then went on to wonder why she would even think of doing this but in the most beautiful Irish logic….Lori was behind about 100 meters talking to Carmel’s walking partner, Ray the Maltese guy from Melbourne, and wondering what the heck was going on up front. Everyone seems remarkably united in the one goal – Santiago.

Pamplona is beautiful. Squares and church’s and beautiful four story buildings with ornate wrought iron balustrades (from which my socks and jocks are now drying) and cafes and restaurants in all the squares. The Cathedral of Santa Maria la Real is the most amazing labrynth of churches and chapels and the most beautiful of cloisters which are currently being restored. You still draw breath when they are excavating and finding mosaics from Roman times. Dinner in a square and another day here tomorrow before we set off again.

 

Thirty km day from Roncesvalles to Akerreta … amazing scenery and great chats along the way with other walkers. So many people walking for so many different reasons. Everyone is up for a talk and as you cover the path locals have set up coffee vans and fellow walkers become familiar faces sitting, having a coffee and many of them changing socks or airing feet…these things suddenly all become part of your day. Tomorrow we’re on the road to Pamplona … no running the bulls just walking in…

 

 

 

 

Well we have finally made it.. The challenge has not been surviving the mad driver in London who couldn’t stay in his lane or realizing that I had left my deodorant in the hand luggage  and Lori had left her iPad in hers and half Stansted airport came to a stand still as a result,  we’ve made it to St Jean de Port.  We have got our bearings, collected our Camino passports and been given instructions about not mooing at the cows and to  NOT under any circumstance miss the turn right in the paddock with the large tree … yep really ready for this !!! Anyway, going to split the first day in two but by the time we’re done we will have walked 28.5 km with a gain of 1240 meters …. hmmmm