Rick's Camino de Santiago

The reasons pilgrims walk the Camino de Santiago are as varied as the millions of people who have wandered these trails over the past 1200 years. Everyone has a story and everyone, as far as I’ve learned on this Camino, is looking for meaning and answers. Today we met a lovely Australian who walked with us between Castrojeriz and Fromista. It was great meeting another English speaking pilgrim. Her name is Ebony. She shared many stories with us, but the most memorable story she shared is of the reason for her Camino. Six months ago, Ebony lost her Fiance in a tragic accident. Their date to be married was May 1st of this year. Having gone through six months of depression over the loss of her fiancé, Ebony decided to walk the Camino with the ashes of her Fiance, Jeremy. One the first day of the Camino, just outside of St. Jean Pied de Port, she left a small handful of his ashes on top of the mountain peak. Since that time she has been unable to leave any of his ashes behind, as she still grieves for him and wants to bring as much as him as possible along the journey. Most of our day and conversation with Ebony was fun and jovial and we kept things light, but I couldn’t help but think of the pain she must be going through, losing the man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with just months before their wedding date.

Our walk today started with a steep climb up the mountain side from Castrojeriz. We were tired after reaching the top, but nearly as soon as we’d reached it we were walking right back down the other side of the mountain. It was a beautiful walking day with some of the most gorgeous areas we’ve walked through. I spent the full day walking with Eladio. We had great, interesting conversations and laughed for much of the way. We then met Ebony, which added to the charm of our day. We also met a lovely couple from England. Their names are Peter and Gloria. They are in their 70’s and loving their journey on the Camino. Donna has painful shin splints, so she took a taxi to the next town and hotel. We are hoping she will be back on track and walking with us soon.

After arriving into Frómista, Ebony joined us for dinner at our hotel. She brought a friend named Graham that she’d met on the Camino. Graham is from Ireland. He quit his high pressure job and decided to walk the Camino for solace. The 4 us thoroughly enjoyed our short time together.

Rick and Eladio about to climb mountains.

The ascent just outside Castrojeriz

Going down the other side of the mountain from Castrojeriz

Pilgrims bridge at Itero de la Vega

Eladio walking with Peter and Gloria from the UK

Arriving into the Province Palencia

Forests just before Fromista Spain

Irrigation ladder just before Fromista Spain

The view from our Hotel in Fromista Spain

Since Burgos is such a large city, we took a taxi to get out of the city and back into the country. Our drop off spot,  Hornillos with a 13 mile walk to Castrojeriz, Spain. Donna has painful shin splints, so she opted to continue in the taxi to our next overnight spot in Castrojeriz.

Hornillos is a small, charming village with one small grocer, two bars and several homes. We arrived as several pilgrims were marching their way through the village. We met the charmimg local grocer who set us up with fresh water and snacks before we started our walk out of the village, up a mountain trail an onto a large plateau area. Once on the plateau the area was so Flat that the heavy rains from overnight has nowhere to go, but to sink into the dirt road, creating a thick layer of sticky mud that felt more like paste. It was difficult to walk on, caking into the bottoms of our boots. Bicyclists had a very difficult time passing through the heavy mud, as it would accumulate in the tires. We walked in this mud for about 2 miles across the plateau. It then started to rain on top of that. Eladio and I looked at each other like, “uh, this could get bad.” Just a few minutes later we came to a ravine leading off the plateau and into a quaint village called Hontanas. We dodged a bullet, arriving into the village and into a cute cafe before the heavy rains fell. We waited out the rain over a coffe and fresh croissant.

The next leg of our walk from Hontanas into Castrojeriz was some of the most beautiful scenery we’ve experienced on our Camino, lush green pea farms, laced with large trees along the street edges with puffy white clouds and deeo blue skies simply took our breaths away.

My favorite part of the day was wandering upon the ruins of a huge monastery and church in the middle of the street we were walking on. The ruins of St. Anton Monastery were beautiful and haunting at the same time. A city street now runs through the center of the chapel entrance arch. Inside the cathedral ruins, pilgrims have built a small albergue (pilgrims hostel). You can stay the night in the ruins for around 8 euro in a cozy bed. There are volunteer pilgrims who run the place. We met one of the volunteers, Karen, who is from New Jersey. She’ll be working the albergue the next two weeks. She really wanted us to stay the night, but we already has reservations in Castrojeriz.

The village of Castrojeriz is charming. We thoroughly enjoyed walking up to and through the village. It’s built on the side of a small mountain. There’s a castle in the mountain top. The village offers lots of friendly services to Pilgrims.

Hornillos Spain. Kinda looks like Mexico.

Hornillos. They have a rooster.

Walking from Hornillos to Castrojeriz. Windy first part.

A nice place to stop for a rest on the plateau

Walking through 2 miles of mud

Bikers getting mud on their tires

The mud is gone, yay, a village – Hontanas

Gorgeous walk into Castrojeriz via pea farms

The ruins of St Anton

Ruins of St Anton Monastery

Eladio at Ruins of St. Anton

With Karen, a volunteer at the albergue in the ruins

Ruins of St Anton

Ruins of St Anton

Ruins of St Anton

Approaching Castrojeriz. Looks like a ferry tale.

Cross bones on Santo Domingo church in Castrojeriz.

A nice place for pilgrims to stop for lunch in Castrojeriz

Almost immediately after leaving Atapuerca, there’s a fairly steep mountain ascent over and through sheep pastures. The sheep in the area don’t look like any I’ve seen before. They have long white hair with black faces and they are quite large. (see photo below). The area looked different than what we’d walked through previously. It looked how I picture a lot of bliblical areas, like the Garden of Gethsemane.

We walked through wheet fields and farms until we arrived at the outskirts of Burgos. Then through miles of industrial areas, passing a gigantic Bridgestone tire factory, warehouses,  factories, car repair and dealers, etc. Mile after mile until reaching areas with large high-rise apartment buildings that looked like they were built in 1970’s.

We then, finally, reached the city center of Burgos, an amazingly beautiful city with so much to offer. The large catheral in Burgos is spectacular and one of the largest and best I’ve ever seen. I spent 2 hours wandering theough the cathedral, which included at least 6 giant chapels. Built in the 13th century, around 1232, the style is Gothic. The interior is light, bright and colorful. I was one of only a few people touring the cathedral, so it was wonderful having the place nearly to myself. The hero of Burgos, El Cid, has his tomb in the cathedral, another stunning tomb, worthy of it’s own massive chapel was the tomb of the Constibles of Castille.

After touring the cathedral I met Bob aka Paul for drinks and dinner. This would be our final night on the same schedule plan and it is unlikely we’ll see him, or any of the other pilgrims we’ve met previously

Leaving Atapuerca, in the distance

Sheep of Atapuerca Spain

The areas above Atapuerca look biblical

Biblical looking area above Atapuerca

Sign at the summit of the mountain pass from Atapuerca

Modern high-rise apartments in Burgos

I’ve never been more happy to see a McDonald’s, in Burgos

Walking as pilgrims through Burgos

Medieval church near our hotel in Burgos

Entrance to Cathedral of Burgos

Tomb of El Cid, Burgos Cathedral

One of many chapels in Burgos Cathedral

One of many chapels in Burgos Cathedral

Inside Burgos Cathedral

The tomb of the Constibles with their own massive chapel

The tomb of the Constibles, Burgos

Ceiling of carved wood in Burgos Cathedral

Tombs of important people, Burgos Cathedral

Inside Burgos Cathedral

Strike a pose Christian art in Burgos Cathedral

Burgos Cathedral

Entrance to the square of Burgos Cathedral

Restaurant with Bob aka Paul

I wasn’t sure when I woke up this morning if I’d be capable of wallking the longest day of our Camino, 20 miles from Belorado to Atapuerca. I’d gone to bed last night dehydrated, exhausted and dizzy. Fortunately, after a good night’s rest and drinking plenty of liquids, I felt confident enough to suit up and give it my best shot.

What a gorgeous day it turned out to be.  The sun was back shining, for the most part. Birds were singing nearly the entire way and we passed through terrain different than we’d seen previously. The only hard part of today’s journey was the long mountain ascent through pine and oak forests. While beautiful, the hills required a slow, steady pace with lots of rest breaks.

The highlight of the day was stopping in  San Juan de Ortega after coming back down the other side of the mountain. Juan from Ortega was a good friend of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. They worked together to service pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. In the small town square is a Medieval monastery housing the tomb of Juan, who is now a  Saint. I spent a bit of time in the monastery cathedral, where I lit a candle for my sister.

From San Juan de Ortega it was 4 miles through deep green countryside to Atapuerca. Atapuerca has the oldest human remains ever found in Europe,  over 900,000 years old. There’s an archaeological museum in the town, which is now a Unesco World Heritage site.

We found our way to our 400 year old inn, settled in and called it a night. 20 miles, no problem.

Camino from Belorado to Atapuerca

Church in mountain between Belorado and Atapuerca

Ruins of ancient building near Villafranca

Pilgrims built this heart of carried stones

Mountain crossing into San Juan de Ortega

Lighting a Candle for my sister in San Juan de Ortega

Monastery of San Juan de Ortega

Tomb of San Juan de Ortega

Resting with other pilgrims, San Juan de Ortega

Our country inn, Atapuerca Spain

Leaving Santo Domingo de la Calzada was a little sad for me. I had such a great and inspiring experience there. Domingo Garcia was a simple man who lived in the forest in the 11th century. He never really excelled at much until he dedicated his life to serving pilgrims who walked the Camino de Santiago, as the trail passed through the forest in which he lived. He built bridges, places to stay and services for the pilgrims to make their spiritual journeys easier and more meaningful. The first thing we did leaving town was to cross a large bridge he’d built over 900 years ago.

The rest of the day’s walk was through farmland that has now mostly changed to wheat fields. We had a constant, steady light rain the whole day. We had to put on our rain gear and I wore my waterproof boots. Despite the rain, it was not cold. One thing about walking in the rain, under overcast skies, is that i forger to take breaks to drink, eat and simply rest. We pretty much carried on for 14 full miles with only one short stop for a coffee break. This proved to be a mistake, as I felt weak, dizzy and ill when we arrived in our small village of Belorado. I laid down, rested, slept abs then ate a meal Donna found for me in town. After a bit more sleep, I felt a lot better. Our hotel is a charming country inn that truly looks like it should be in rural Spain, as we are.

Camino from Santo Domingo to Belorado

Donna and Eladio walking the Camino

Camino in the country

Green door on the Camino to Belarado

Our inn in Belorado, 400 years old

In the 11th century there was a young man walking the Camino de Santiago with his parents from Germany. On their way, they stopped in Santo Domingo de la Calzada for the night. At the inn they stayed in was a young woman who instantly fell in love with the young man. He, however, was not interested in her, which made her angry. She put a silver goblet in his bag and accused him of thievery. The town mayor sentenced the boy to death by hanging. His parents, in grief, continued their journey to Santiago de Compostela. On their return home from their pilgrimage they stopped in Santo Domingo de la Calzada to visit the grave of their son, but they found him still hanging and still alive. The boy told his parents that Santo Domingo had brought him back to life, that they should get the mayor to cut him down. The parents rushed to the mayors house to tell him of the miracle. When they arrived, the mayor was with company about to eat dinner. His response to them was, “if that boy is alive, then so are these two roasted chickens we’re about to eat.” Suddenly the chickens sprang to life and began to crow.

The miracle of Santo Domingo is celebrated to this day in the city and cathedral that honors his name. After arriving into the city, I went in and toured the cathedral that keeps live, a holy hen and rooster to commemorate the beloved miracle. This week is the festival of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. We were pleasantly treated to a special mass and concert in the cathderal, where Santo Domingo’s crypt is prominently located. At the end of the mass, the congregants gathered around his tomb and sang a song of celebration. In the mass you coukd hear the two chickens cackling, which cracked me up.

Prior to arriving in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, we walked from Najera through picturesque villages and towns on a fairly simple 14 mile day. The highlight of the day was the city of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, where we stayed in a monastery run by nuns. The town has a massive belltower in the square. I climbed to the top for an amazing view before the celebratory mass started in the cathedral.

A welcome sign of Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada

The tomb of Santo Domingo

The tomb of Santo Domingo is 3 stories

Concert honoring the life and miracles of Santo Domingo

The concert choir and tomb of Santo Domingo

In the cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada

At the top of the belltower

The belltower in Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Camino trail out of Najera

Camino trail out of Najera

Mid way between Najera and Santo Domingo de la Calzada

One of my favorite things about walking the Camino de Santiago are all the friendly people we encounter each day. We have been starting our walks between 8am and 8:30am. At that time, locals are out on their morning walks. They generally greet us with a friendly “Buen Camino,” wishing is a Good journey on our Camino.

Locals also place blessings, religious artifacts and markers to lead you the correct way on the trail. Sometimes you have to pay more attention than others,  but if you keep a careful eye, we keep saying “the Camino will provide.”

Today was our longest walk,  so far. We walked 18.2 miles on mostly wide, country roads deep in wine country. We are now out of Navarre and into the Najera region of Spain. Wine vineyards and wineries are everywhere.

We encountered our first rain today, although it was fairly mild. We donned our rain jacjets and waterproof overpants for the final 2 of 9 hours.

We stopped in a beautiful village called  Navarette. Our moments there were delightful. The gorgeous cathedral in town was open, something we haven’t seen much on this trek. We entered as the music of Gregorian chanters filled the cathedral.

Since today’s walk was on the long side,  we stopped for a hot cooked lunch in a small village on the way. The food and service were excellent and we were soon back on the Camino.

We saw only a few of people we recognized, including Bob aka Paul and the French couple that doesn’t speak English. Other than that, the trail was very sparse of pilgrims. We felt as though we were the only ones for miles.

Our path today was clear and wide most the day.

Eladio in the wine growing region of Najera

Religious artifacts placed by locals as a blessing to Pilgrims

Me at the Cathedral of Navarette

Inside the cathderal of Navarette

Winery in Najera Spain

Grapes growing in wine country of Najera

Eladio and Rick with rain gear on

Donna crossing river near Najera

Sometimes you come to a fork in the road

At the fork, arrows lead the way.

8 miles. A few weeks ago that seemed like a lot to walk, but today the 8 miles we walked from Viana to Logroño seemed like a walk in the park.

As we left our hotel this morning we noticed a doorway open across the street corridor that had been closed when we arrived. We popped in and our jaws dropped as we realized we were in the ruins of an ancient, large cathedral. San Pedro church was built in the 13th century. The celing collapsed in 1844 because of war. The cherished church was kept in its current state and is open to the public as a monument and memorial.

Mid way to Logroño, we met two catholic priests on the trail who invited us into a prayer circle and gave us Pilgrim blessings. They then placed hand made bracelets on our wrists as symbols of peace for the remainder of our walk to Santiago.

Our walk today tookbus through beautiful meandering trails of grape vineyards and farms, then into Logroño. When we arrived into the city, we first found Logroño cathedral. I was happy to see ot open. I made my way inside to think about, honor and light a candle for Tenny Arlen, a vibrant 24 year old who walked the Camino 2 years to date. Tenny lost her earthly life shortly after her pilgrimage on the Camino. I felt her with me this day.

We arrived in the city early enough for lunch, yay, food! We opted for burgers, Spanish style.

San Pedro Church Ruins in Viana Spain

San Pedro Church Ruins in Viana Spain

Outside of San Pedro Church Ruins in Viana

Camino graffiti, aka art

Grape vineyards in Navarre Spain

Eladio on the Camino Day 4

Blessed by Priests on the Camino

Donna received a blessing from a priest

Me receiving a blessing from priest

Donna on the final stretch into Logroño

The Camino crosses this bridge into Logroño

The City of the Camino, Logroño

Logroño Cathedral

Inside Logroño Cathedral

Lighting a Candle for Tenny Arlen

A Burger Spanish Style

Walking today was the easiest, so far. Only 12.4 miles from Estella to Los Arcos. It did take an hour, however, for us to walk the first mile, for various unprepared reasons. After making our way out of Estella it was a warm, sunny day with the bluest skies I think I’ve ever seen. The colors were all so vivid today in the bright sunshine.

We ran into other pilgrim friends again today, the French couple that doesn’t speak English and Bob from Atlanta, who we found out is really Paul (see photos below).

There seemed to be quite a few more pilgrims on the trail today vs. yesterday. I’m assumimg many people begin their journeys in Estella.

We walked through the wine growing region of Navarre, through several mountainous areas dotted with medieval castles on the peaks. I love walking through the ancient, historic towns that gives a sense of connection to the past. We had a picnic lunch amongst the grape vineyards at an ancient stone house that was crumbling  from years of weather.

We ended our walking day in Los Arcos where we met our shuttle driver who transported us to Vianav for the night. Viana is a lovely medieval period town with a giant old cathedral. We arrived at 6pm, but the Spanish people don’t eat diners until 9pm. Food has been the midst challenging part of the trip. It is not readily available at convenient times due pilgrims.

Estella, Spain on the Camino

The French Couple that Doesn’t Speak English

Wine Fountain Provides Free Red Wine For Pilgrims

Walking by Mountain Top Castles and Vineyards

Walking Through Vineyards

Walking through forested trails helped keep the day cool.

“Bob” aka Paul, lol

Our Hotel in Viana, Palacio Pujadas

Cathedral in the Town Square of Viana, Spain

We were so tired and our feet so sore, we weren’t sure how things would go this morning for the second leg of our day. Once we got going we did surprisingly well on our 15 mile day from Puente la Reina to Estella.

To leave Punte la Reina, you must first cross the large pedestrian bridge the city is named for (the queens bridge). It was a great way to start the morning. It only took minutes before we were out and into the Navarre countryside.

We are starting to meet other pilgrims and recognize several from yesterday. We don’t know any of their names, so we’ve created nicknames for the ones we’ve talked about. There’s Brazilian guy with beard. He’s with his Mom, traveling the Camino for her retirement. We met a guy from Atlanta who is walking alone because his wife isn’t healthy ebough to walk with him. We call him Bob. There’s French couple, self explanatory. They only speak French. We did figure out they’ve walked a portion of the Camino before, but not sure where. There’s also a guy we call gibbers because we can’t understand a word he says, but he keeps talking. Then there’s “the group,” about 20 people traveling together. It will be interesting to see if we run into these people tomorrow.

The typography today was very different than what we’d experienced day one crossing the Pyrennes foothills. Quaint farming towns with medieval pasts, rolling hills dotted with pine trees and wildflowers, and patches of vineyards and olive orchards. We all commented how today was easier than yesterday’s mountain journey.

We found a creek with a clear patch to sit and picnic mid day. Donna has made sandwiches, I had nuts and Eladio provided desert. It was enjoyable sitting at the side of the creek. We had been walking for hours and our simple sandwiches tasted so amazing.

The afternoon was hot and sunny, we has to shed our layers and don sun hats for the rest of the day. Wandering through the medieval villages was very enjoyable, best the best part was arriving into Estella at the end of the day to the gorgeous riverside town. We first met a delightful man who paints the emblem of St James on scallop shells for Camino Pilgrims. We each purchased one of his shells to carry with us the remainder on the journey. We quickly found our hotel, right next to a beautiful medieval period cathedral.

Puente la Reina (Queens Bridge)

A pilgrim walking out of Puente la Reina

A Medieval Bridge on the Camino

Donna and Eladio admiring an Olive Grove

Eladio approaching an old village on the Camino

Medieval village church

Wildflowers on the Camino de Santiago

Medieval church across from Hotel Hospederia Chapitel