Day 5 (08-Aug-07) - Villamayor to Viana

A terrible nights´ sleep due to the excessive snoring of a fellow pilgrim. As far as we´re concerned people with sleeping disorders like that should be banned from dormitory accommodation (especially when we´ve decided to spend the night there).

 

05:00 was again the time for which the alarm was set and breakfast was again something not to be enjoyed at this early hour. We were on our way again by 05:40. Enjoying the dark and quiet for the first hour meant we were able to make steady progress to our first point of call along the route, Los Arcos.

 

The first 12 km had taken their toll on my (AM) feet, especially the little toe of my left foot has been suffering severely. I decided to wrap up the offending item (after attempting to lance the blister) and to replace my hiking boots by my sandals (with socks I´m afraid). Bliss!!!! - for one of us anyway. As Quentin thought my poor but ugly feet had suffered enough for one day, he decided that my hiking boots should be added to his already considerable backpack load of at least 30 kg (?) rather than adding their weight to my already hefty load of 1 kg (?).

Another 20 km later through the beautiful countryside of Navarra with regular stops for feet resting, photo taking and the obligatory watering took us to our final stop for the day: Viana. As the hotel we´d pre-booked didn´t appear to be immediately accessible, we decided to change hotel and book ourselves into a 3 Star luxury hotel (suite was the only available room) and are about to have a quick drink prior to exploring the cultural riches Viana has to offer.

Day 4 (07-Aug-07) - Puenta la Reina to Villamayor

With over 32 km under our boots today and not feeling too much worse for wear, there is hope for the future. Although we’ve got another hard 30km+ day to look forward to tomorrow, we know we can do it (in principle). Yes, we can.

As there was quite a bit of walking to be done, 05:00 was again the designated wake-up time. Getting all our stuff sorted meant we weren’t able to leave until 05:40. Wanting to ensure we will be able to continue our walk all the way to Santiago de Compostela meant pacing ourselves, therefore making regular stop.

A quick and rather light lunch (must have been as I’m starving now) in Estella around 11:00 and onwards and upwards took us to Villamayor and our first dormitory accommodation by 14:00. The last stretch after Estella was supposed to have filled up our empty water bottles with some free wine from the Iroche Bodega, but this was not to be as the, obviously too numerous, hikers ahead of us today had already managed to empty todays’ pilgrims allotment.

15:30 sounds like the perfect time for a reconnaissance trip of the village and hopefully a little drink, which is what I think we should do now.

Day 3 (06-Aug-07) - Pamplona to Puenta La Reina

Clean, well soaked, completely washed up and another 23 km closer to our ultimate goal.

Todays’ hike took us through more of the beautiful Navarra region through a number of quaint little hamlets and villages. Fortunately, weather was quite inclement with the occasional drop of rain. If the sunny conditions of the previous 2 days would have persisted, we could have been in for a rather sweaty affair. As it was, weather was ideal since no shade was to be had.

Getting up at 05:00 and leaving the hotel by 05:45 hopefully meant we would have been the only idiots setting of at this unholy hour. As it turned out we weren’t the only eager beavers by far.

With the route getting progressively busier (although that’s still relative) the types of people encountered along the route incrementally grows more interesting. Having now joined the ranks of the proper pilgrims, we are fully equipped to tackle the next and first ‘long’ day tomorrow. Not, however, before sampling some of the local goodies we’ll find on today’s food & wine lists.

Day 2 (05-Aug-07) - Zubiri to Pamplona

Although another “short” day today, being able to reach Pamplona already by 11:15, our legs tell quite a different story - not to mention hips and shoulders. As we weren’t able to check in to the hotel before 12:00 we dropped into bar next door and consumed much beverage and Tapas to oil and numb the much aching bones, joints and limbs.

Returned to the Hotel at 13:00hrs to unpack, shower and wash and then followed local tradition with a Siesta until 16:00hrs. Aftre the sleepless night before, nothing short of the famous bull run would awake us. After dressing as typical tourists we toured the town to absorb its many cultural and histroical delights, after which we sat down to early dinner of more beverage and Tapas at 19:00hrs. By 20:00hrs the lure of bed was irresitable!

Day 1 (04-Aug-07) - Roncesvalles to Zubiri

06:45 was the hour at which we were to start the first proper day of our holiday. Breakfast and the taxi at 07:45 meant we were in Roncesvalles at 08:45 to pick up our Credenciales from the appointed place, ready to set off properly by 09:00.

The first 15 minutes en route were spent vigorously adjusting and readjusting straps, boots and what have you nots (and not in the least thoroughly enjoying the greenery and fresh air). After that it was merely a matter of enjoying what was there and actually being there, having planned it for the past few months. Making the occasional stop to take pictures, watering and taking care of other relevant issues we reached Zubiri at about 14:30.

After checking into our Pension we unpacked, showered, washed clothes, went for a brief walk and finally succumbed to a well-earned afternoon kip. Awoke again at 18:00 and strolled to the other end of town for dinner – a sumptuous affair for a fixed price of €11.00 p/p – washed down with a bottle of vino blanco plus a bucket of beers. Staggered our way back to the Pension for deep sleep – only we didn’t get any as it transpired that 3-Aug-07 is the anniversary of the Patron Saint of Zubiri. As such, we were kept awake all night by a Mariacho band blasting Merenge and Salsa music all night long until 06:00, which was our designated Revele!!!

Dubai to Pamplona

Finally sitting down in a good way: behind our first glass of Rioja in our first hotel on our first day of our our long and eagerly awaited holiday.

Having had a shower and repacked the backpacks we are all ready for an early-ish start towmorrow. Up for breakfast at 07:00 to be ready for our taxi to Roncesvalles by 07:45.

The trip to Pamplona was rather long and mainly uneventful although before boarding at Madrid for our final leg of the journey we were rather worried either we or our luggage (or both) would miss the connecting flight to Pamplona. Fortunately, all of us made the flight, after which it was only a short taxi ride to our hotel ”et voila”.

We’ll finish our wine and retire to our chambers shortly, ready for our 1st days` hike tomorrow.

Camino to Santiago de Compostela

Two thousand years ago all roads led to Rome, but as the map at right shows, others opened up 900 years later to the final resting place of St. James, one of the 12 biblical apostles, in the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, tucked away in the far northwestern province of Galicia. In the centuries that followed, routes fanned out all across Europe to converge on the starting point of this 750km Pilgrimage at St. Pied de Port in France, a short distance from the Spanish border.

Today, many still embark on this Pilgrimage, some journeying on foot from afar as Poland, for spiritual discovery. Others are drawn by the medieval history and architecture, while trekkers are attracted by the shear beauty and tranquility of the Iberian Peninsula. A few more come simply to guzzle the many famous Rioja wines on route.

Whatever the reasons, those with sufficient intestinal fortitude to complete the 750km traverse are rewarded with the coveted scallop shell as a memento. Some will tackle the route in stages spanning a period of many years. Others will complete the journey in a single trip spanning 5-6 weeks. Astrid and I have just 4 weeks...