Day 9, 10, 11 & 12 - Pamplona to Logrono

Phase 2 of my journey is complete. My last post ended with my rest & explore day in Pamplona. I write this post after 4 more days of my journey which finds me in Logrono. Once again, I find myself having to catch up on my posts, given that it takes all my time and effort to get through my daily hike, clean up, eat and rest; so I only hope that I can remember all the amazing details to share with you.

Here's a high level summary of my miles hiked so far:

Day 9 - Pamplona to Punta la Reina - 16.6 miles

Day 10 - Punta la Reina to Estella - 13.6 miles

Day 11 - Estella to Los Arcos - 13.3 miles

Day 12 - Los Arcos to Logrono - 17.1 miles

Total phase 2 miles hiked - 60.6 miles

Phase 1 miles hiked (St Jean Pied de Port to Pamplona) - 43.1 miles

Total miles hiked in 7 days of hiking - 103.7 miles

Miles to reach Santiago de Compostella = 455 miles

My last post described my well-deserved rest day in Pamplona to explore the city. That final day hiking into Pamplona was a death march. The adrenaline and excitement of starting my Camino journey had caught up to me, and all my aches and pains had accumulated to wear me down, just as my guidebook had described. I was anxious as to how my body would react when I resumed my journey; but I'm happy to say that I've recovered nicely and I feel strong. This has allowed me to more deeply experience the last 4 days of my journey, which has been incredible!

I go on a fly-in fishing trip to Canada every year with a few of my buddies. It always takes a few days to forget the worries of home, to let the initial excitement and adrenaline wear off, to settle into the routine and a system, and to feel comfortably physically; which then allows me to experience the deeper layers of the fishing trip. This is exactly what's happened to me on this second phase of my Camino journey.

First, I've settled into the routine of the 'logistics' I talked about in previous posts.....ie, packing & re-packing my gear, finding accommodations in the next town, arranging for my baggage transport, washing & drying my clothes, making sure my electronics are charged, finding ATM machines for cash, etc. These logistics were initially a bit unnerving and all-consuming, but have now become almost second nature, so there isn't much thought and worry that goes into them any more. I compare it to what I've experienced in my retirement. I used to be thinking & obsessing about work somehow 24/7, whether consciously or subconsciously, and always seemed to have a bout of the 'Sunday scaries'. It was difficult to truly relax and enjoy life. The moment I retired, that all went away, and I've been able to experience life without those distractions in my head (and my blood pressure has dropped!). Settling into the 'logistics' of the Camino has given me the same freedom to more deeply experience my Camino journey and explore its deeper layers.

Next, my body has settled in. As I previously indicated, the longest I'd ever hiked in my life prior to this journey was 10 miles. I've broken that record for all 7 days that I've hiked, averaging over 15 miles/day.....and with a pack on my back weighing probably 10-15 pounds. Don't get me wrong, I've certainly experienced aches & pains, but I've learned to listen to my body, and do the things necessary to keep it going...ie, lots of stretching, frequent breaks, water & food. It's incredible how strong I feel, which gives me to confidence that I can do this for another 450+ miles! Similar to 'logistics', I've settled into the physical part of my journey, which further frees me to enjoy the experience.

Which brings me back to my actual Camino journey. These last 4 days from Pamplona to Logrono have been simply amazing! The scenery & landscape, the experiences with & stories of my fellow pilgrims, and the support & hospitality of the local Spaniards all along the way, have been nothing short of spectacular!

The Camino path from Pamplona to Lograno leads through a series of rolling hills, valleys, prairies & mountain peaks; along major highways; through tunnels; all intersected by rivers & streams. The landscape is covered withwindmills, vineyards; olive trees; fields of wheat, beans, barley, peas, rapeseed (used to make canola oil); all sprinkled with a variety of colorful flowers & bushes. In between are various small and intermediate size ancient villages with incredible architectural detail and charm. Along the way, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, are various 'roadside stops', providing opportunities for food, drink, rest, and reflection.

Which brings me back to the people, my fellow pilgrims. I've continued to further connect with those I had previously met, and meet new ones along the way. We continue to ebb & flow, sometimes solo, sometimes in pairs, and other times in groups. These connections, the stories of our past, and the stories we're making along the way, are truly the highlight of my Camino experience so far. We all share a common bond of searching for something along the Camino, but each of our stories are still so uniquely different. I am grateful & thankful to share this Camino experience with them all! You'll learn more about some of these people in my pictures below.

And finally, there are the people of Spain, our hosts, our "hospitaleros". The network of people that it takes to support this massive flow of pilgrim humanity is nothing short of spectacular, and this journey wouldn't be possible without them. There are the people that work in the alburgues, that give us a bed, a roof over our head, perhaps a meal, and never ending advice. There are the local landowners who allow us to journey through their land. There are the cafe & bar owners in the small towns & villages who provide us with a coffee, water, juice, food, a bathroom and a place to rest our weary feet. There are the foodtruck & other vendors in the middle of nowhere who are doing the same. There are those invisible people who create small sanctuaries along the route to provide rest, sanctuary and places for reflection. And finally, there are the people of Spain in the small towns & villages, who let this sea of pilgrims invade their space as we ebb & flow on our journey. They have all been so gracious, friendly and supportive, which has made for such an incredible experience. THANK YOU to them all! You'll learn more about some of these people in my pictures below.

I'll let my pictures tell the rest of the story of my journey from Pamplona to Logrono....

Day 9 - Pamplona to Puenta la Reina

A beautiful sunset over the Citadel on my way out of Pamplona at 6:30am.

First morning coffee break and a baguette, with a feline visitor.

Pamplona in the rear view mirror.

Off into the countryside.

Connecting with my fellow pilgrims along the way. These are some of the pilgrims that I've ebbed & flowed with since the start.

Not necessarily in order (and sorry if I don't have the spelling correct!)

Amy & Ricky from Miami (via Havana, Cuba)

Dan & Mary from Montana

Charlie & Marianne from Connecticut

RIP Pilgrim!

Fellow pilgrims into the fog and towards the windmills.

Into the small village of Cizur Menor.

Greeting the pilgrims along the route.

Almost to the top.

We made it to the top of Alto del Perdon!

The Monumento al Peregrino (Monument of the Pilgrims).

Monument to Spaniards that were murdered by the regime of Francesco Franco and found in a mass grave.

A welcome fountain in the small village of Uterga. These fountains are a welcome site along the Camino route!

A curious local watching the pilgrims pass by.

My sighting of the first lone poppy along the route. They would continue to welcome me along the trail all the way to Logrono, along with many other colorful flowers and bushes.

Entering the small village of Murazabel.

Churches like this, and sometimes several, greet you in every village along the way.

An ancient romanesque church on the outskirts of Murazabel. Notice the tree - it was a more windy, chilly day, then the previous, with a slight drizzle on and off.

Another beautiful, ancient church in the town of Obanos. Almost to Puenta la Reina and my destination!

Finally made it to Puenta la Reina and my Albergue Jakue! That was a long walk!

A welcome & tasty dinner provided by my alurgue, of chicken, fries, bread and wine.

One of my bunkmates, Paul from Holland. I had dinner & breakfast with Paul, and also sat and chatted with him during a rest in passing through a small village the following day. He is known amongst my fellow pilgrims as Paul from Holland, the man with the wheels on his backpack. But in my short time with him, I learned that he is so much more. He's a cross between James Bond and "the world's most interesting man". In my short time with him, I learned a lot of lessons about life and hiking. Without giving away too many of his secrets, Paul is a retired 79 year old mechanical engineer, lives on a boat with his wife on which he circumnavigated the world for over 2 years, has 32 patents, and is a world nomad hiker (the Camino de Santiago is luxury for him). He showed me a variety of gadgets which he made/invented to make his hiking experiences more safe and efficient. He gave me a lot of tips on how to hike with proper mechanics to preserve and maintain my body. I've used his advice over the last several days which has helped me tremendously. We also talked about politics and life in general, with his best advice "you learn more by traveling than reading 100 books". I will never forget my short time with him. Thank you Paul, and I hope to see you more along my journey! Buen Camino!

Day 10 - Puenta la Reina to Estella

2 ancient churches greeting me on my way out of Puenta la Reina early in the morning.

Heading through the gates and over the river on my way out of town

A beautiful sunny, but chilly, morning walking along the river and the yellow hillside.

The path turned away from the river and sharply uphill. I was catching up to 2 bikers who couldn't pedal up such a steep incline.

I eventually caught up with the bikers and we had a nice chat. Gabrielle and Saul are brothers, both in their 40's, who live in California. I learned that they didn't even know each other until a couple of years ago, when they found out they were brothers through Ancestry.com. Saul had been planning to do the Camino for about 10 years, but couldn't quite find the time. They decided to do the Camino together to continue to deepen their brotherhood. I was fortunate to be one of many to sign Saul's helmet as a momento to their Camino journey. What an amazing story! Buen Camino Gabrielle and Saul!

Almost to the top.

Made it to the top, and to the outskirts of the village of Maneru.

Amazing doorways and ornamental detail in these ancient villages!

Through vineyards and fields on my way to the next village. I would periodically see the locals working their land.

The ancient town of Cirauqui in the distance.

Entering the village behind fellow pilgrims.

More greeters.

More incredible doorways and ornamental detail.

A curious onlooker overlooking the pilgrims coming through the village.

An ancient roman road and bridge leading out of the village. Remnants of this roman road would serve as my pathway for much of the day.

The point where ancient roman road meets modern freeway.

Rest area ahead.

Locals had created a sanctuary rest area where pilgrims can leave gear behind for other pilgrims to use if needed, to lounge in a makeshift picnic area, and leave trinkets and memorials behind in trees.

Just one example of many memorials and trinkets on the trees. Pretty powerful stuff.

The path takes pilgrims through many tunnels to go under roads. There is amazing graffiti everywhere. I probably have a thousand pictures of graffiti artwork, this is just one example.

Another local working the land.

Another memorial along the way. RIP pilgrim!

The google English translation. Pretty powerful stuff!

Through tunnels.

And just around the corner after coming out of the tunnel. This old gentleman had set up a table with toasted bread with olive oil, freshly grown peanuts, small cakes, and water. As I was approaching, he was running up to the table with another tray of toasted bread to make sure the pilgrims before could have something warm.

Such wonderful hospitality! Buen Camino!

Continuing along the ancient roman road.

Into the next town of Valle de Yerri - Lorca, greeted by curious onlookers, and more ornamental detail,

Passing a densely packed herd of sheep on the way out of the village.

Just on the outskirts of my destination.

Another local tending to his land.

More graffiti through a tunnel. El Spongio Bob! Hmmmm, wonder why his eyes are red?

I made it to my alburge in Estella! There is a lady who is doing the Camino with her dalmatian. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to meet her to learn her story. Hopefully I'll connect with her sometime on my journey.

I had an incredible massage in the basement of my alburgue, overlooking the river and waterfalls! It was heaven!

My alburge was incredible! This is our room, overlooking the river and waterfalls. This alburgue has been the favorite of my journey so far, by a long shot!

A view from the window - not bad!

My bunkmates. Felipe from Ecuador (currently in Florida) is on the right, Kaoru is next to him. We would enjoy our short time in Estella together, but they would also be a big part of my journey in the following days. The gentleman next to me, from Brazil, was biking the Camino. I feel horrible, but I forget his name, even though we sat down together for dinner! Buen Camino our your biking journey fellow pilgrim!

One of the funnier stories from Camino experience so far. Felipe wanted to shave his head so he didn't have to worry about his hair during the Camino. He forgot his razor, so he bought some manual shavers. He did his best to shave his own head, but after several long minutes of trying on his own, he sheepishly admitted he couldn't quite get it all, and his head "looked like a raccoon". Kaoru agreed to finish the job for him. Kaoru is now known as the Barber from Estella!

Dinner at a restaurant down the street from the alburgue. The young gentleman in the lower right was a Spanish student on holiday, doing a short portion of the Camino. The group had a great dinner, shared a bottle of wine, and shared our stories. Time to get back to the alburgue for a good night's sleep to be ready for the next day's hike.

Day 11 - Estella to Los Arcos

Heading past the ancient church, over the river and through the city gate on my way out of town at 7:30am to start my hike.

The scallop shell in the road marks the Camino path.

Some interesting artwork and craftsmanship on the outskirts of town.

Free wine for pilgrims at a local winery. The tradition is to drink it out of your scallop shell.

The local farmers along the Camino so graciously share their land with the pilgrims. I'm walking with Felipe, a fellow pilgrim who I mentioned in the previous post, the one who had his head shaved from the Barber from Estella!

Heading off onto the trails into the hills. It's a bit chilly.

A local farmer tending to his fields. Notice the stunning backdrop. Nice office!

Stunning views as I head into and out of a few small villages along the route.

Heading out into the windy plains. Notice the coverings on the backpacks. It was sprinkling a bit on and off all day,

I caught sight of my fellow pilgrim walking the Camino with her dalmation. I still haven't had a chance to catch up.

Another food truck in the middle of nowhere! A welcome sight!

The vendors in the foodtruck. We had a nice chat. John from the US. I didn't catch her name, but I believe she's from Canada. It's incredible that they're out here supporting the pilgrims on their journey! Thank you for your hospitality. Buen Camino!

Back on the trail where I met up with John from Tacoma. The wind was blowing incredibly hard straight at us while we walked and chatted. John is a 79-year old pizza restaurant owner from Tacoma, Washington, who has good family help back home to run the shop while he walks his Camino journey. Buen Camino John!

Passing through more incredible prairie and grassland scenery on the last part of my hike, shortly before reaching my destination.

Finally made it to Los Arcos.

Part of the greeting committee just on the edge of the village, along with several other goats, chickens and roosters.

Passing by more incredible doorways on the way to my alburgue.

Grandma's Alburgue. Grandma cooked and served us a tasty pilgrim meal for dinner.

My accommodations for the night.

I shared dinner & conversation with Leslie from Atlanta, and Martin and Barbara from Germany. I would spend the next day and following night traveling with Leslie, and we ebbed and flowed on the trail with Martin & Barbara the next day. Barbara was heading home to work after that, but Martin was staying on the Camino. I'm sure we'll cross paths along the trail again Martin. Buen Camino!

Just like me, it's bed time for my hiking boots, to rest for the next day's hike into Logrono, which would set yet another hiking record for me at 18 miles.

Day 12 - Los Arcos to Logrono

Sitting at the breakfast table, getting ready for today's long hike. Below is an example of the camaraderie that is developed on the Camino...pilgrim helping pilgrim. Unfortunately, the young lady pilgrim had developed issues with her feet, and she wasn't able to take the hike today, and needed to take a bus into the next town. Felipe speaks Spanish, so he was helping her navigate to the appropriate health care facility. Take care pilgrim, and I hope you heal soon and return on your journey soon - Buen Camino!

Like most days, past ancient churches and incredible ornamental detail, and through the village gates on the way out of town.

Head west pilgrim!

Meeting up with pilgrims old and new early in the day. You can see the next village off in the distance. Here I am with my 'old' pilgrim friends Felipe and Leslie. With us are Allessandro from Milan, Italy and Cam from Connecticut. Allesandro is a TV Directors's right hand man on break from Milano, Italy who wants to challenge himself physically. Cam is college student from Connecticut who's taking a break from college to gain wisdom from others as he ponders if he's on the right path. The common theme is that every pilgrim is searching for something, but the reasons are uniquely theres. Buen Camino all!

Taking a quick break in the village of Sansol for coffee and orange juice, among the locals.

On the break, I learned that Cam was a musician, so I pulled out my ukelele and he showed us his talents.

A simple reminder in the bano.

The little villages sprout up quickly over the landscape. Leaving Sonsol, with Manzanas right around the corner!

Incredible views coming up the hill into Manzanas.

In Manzanas. While I didn't get a picture, I happened to run into Paul from Holland, where we had a nice chat and I learned a few more life lessons.

Yet another memorial along the Camino path. RIP pilgrim!

More incredible landscapes with windmills in the distance. Notice the darker, overcast skies. While it was cooler, windy and sprinkled a bit, we thankfully haven't experienced hard rain.

I'm not sure what you call this, but rock tower formations laid by pilgrims along the trail.

And directly behind was another tree with hanging trinkets and memorials.

So many tributes hung in the trees, with a story behind each one. Very powerful.

A random ancient structure along the Camino route.

A google translate version of the mural on the wall. For the protection of the pilgrims passing along the route.

A grove of olive trees along the trail.

The following items were all found in a small rest area along the route, no more than 10 square feet. A lifetime's worth of wisdom in such a small space.

Another much needed cafe rest stop in the middle of nowhere.

A grilled ham & cheese sandwich, chocolate donut, orange and beer never tasted so good!

Thank you for the hospitality! Buen Camino!

And we're off to the next town after a much needed break. From closest to farthest, my fellow pilgrims Barbara and Martin from Germany, Felipe from Ecuador, Leslie from Atlanta and Charlie and Marianne from Connecticut. This is a great example of the ebb & flow of the pilgrims along the trail. While we frequently connect along we trail, we also go along at our own unique pace.

Approaching the town of Viana, the last town before we reach our destination of Lograno.

Entering Viana. I didn't realize Viana was a vibrant city unto itself.

Locals as I enter the city.

I'm proud to be an honorary member of the Viana Genius Club. Solving the world's problems one beer at a time!

More doorways and ornamental details.

More wisdom along the tunnels leading into Lograno,

And encouragement. At this point, the hike is somewhere over 16 miles in!

Incredible details on some of the houses along the trail on the steep hill into Lograno.

Almost there! By this point, I had hooked back up with Felipe and Leslie.

And we made it!

Our alburgue, we all happen to be staying at the same place.

My sleeping accomodations.

It was a long day!

Time to do laundry. The outdoor patio, with hand washing facilities. The Camino isn't a 5-star journey!

Wine first, then dinner on the vibrant Saturday night streets of Lograno with Felipe, Leslie and Kaoru.

The pork cheeks were incredible!

Partying with the bachelorette party!

Then back to the alburgue for a good night's rest before another well-earned rest & explore day in Lograno.