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Carolyn + Camino!

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.

Stay tuned to this page for my adventures September 10- October 24. Buen Camino.

Why would anyone in their right mind hike nearly 800 km along a trail in northern Spain? That is a very good question, and one I don’t have an answer for yet. I am embarking on this journey to enjoy a long reflective walk, to savour Spanish culture and cuisine, and to meet many of the people. Thousands of people make this trip every year.

Day One

They say “The Camino will provide.” Today I was blessed with that providence several times. First, three fellow hikers appeared as I was arranging for transportation to St. Jean Pied de Port from Bairritz. We shared a cab, arriving at the Camino Pilgrim office at midday. Many rooms were already booked up in St. Jean, but we secured accommodation here. I was also able to book the last room at the only hostel (aubergue) in Orisson, which is my destination for my first day of hiking tomorrow. We spent the afternoon exploring local sites including the citadel and a local church. St Jean is a bustling little town that, like many along Camino, exists largely to serve visiting pilgrims. Hikers are friendly and share their tips on booking hostels, best places to stop ad their tips on foot care.

The view from the bridge at St. Jean Pied de Port where my Camino hike begins.

A view of St. Jean Pied de Port from the citadel.

A Pilgrim breakfast at our albergue in St. Jean Pied de Port. Croissant and bread and jam and coffee. The people here really love their bread.

Day 2 sept 13

I enjoyed beautiful weather for the first leg of the journey to Orrison. It is a steep climb, a gain of 800 meters in elevation over less than 8 km. It is believed to be the toughest leg of the journey. I hiked with Kevin, a young architect from Ireland who planned to hike the full 25 km that day Roncesvalles. I opted for Orrison, which is the last stop before Roncesvalles. This is a heart pounder of a hike which required many breaks at the top of steep inclines. We were rewarded with breathtaking views of sweeping vistas of the Pyrenees and pastoral scenes. Orrison is nestled in the Pyrenees mountains and consists of an albergue (hostel only open to registered pilgrims) who are completing legs of the Camino trail. The night was clear revealing a full moon. The atmosphere at Orrison was festive as hikers marked the first leg of a journey with beer and wine on the patio followed by a Special Pilgrim dinner. This journey will take most of us at least 33 days.

Sunrise over the Pyrenees just takes my breath away.

Carolyn with one of many stunning views enroute to Orrison.

Another view of Orrison

Enroute to Roncesvalles

We continue to climb through the Pyrenees from Orrison before descending to Roncesvalles. This is a 17 km hike. We are rewarded with beautiful views.

Sept 15 we arrive in Zubiri where we soak our feet in the creek. I also enjoy the best Sangria ever.

Kate wades into the creek in Zubiri just meters away from our albergue at the edge of this bridge. Kate, Veronica and I were among the Pilgrims to chill our tired feet in the creek.

On Sept. 16 we hike to Pamplona, the home of the Running of the Bulls. This is where crazy people try to outrun bulls that are let loose in the streets. Sadly, we are too late to watch the spectacle which happens in July. We make do by exploring the city, and having wine, sangria, beer and pinchos on the patio. In the evening we attend a Pilgrim’s Mass at the local cathedral where we receive a blessing, hopefully for safe travels and fewer blisters. Much of the service is in Spanish.

On Sept 17 the Camino takes us from Pamplona to Los Arcos.

Frederica and Eva and I left Viana before dawn enroute to Logrono where we stop for breakfast. This usually includes tortilla (a potato and egg pie), cafe con leche and freshly squeezed orange juice.

We snack on Chorizo, roasted potatoes with hot sauce, roasted peppers and fresh bread in Pamplona.

Another glorious cathedral with extraordinary architecture, stained glass and ornate sculptures.

Oct. 7 León to San Martin del Camino. (I have had some trouble uploading to WordPress blog. It is not clear whether it is weak wifi along the Camino or operator errors. Sorry for the interruptions, for those of you who are trying to follow my progress. I have been uploading to Facebook when WordPress has failed. )// Today (Oct 7) my Camino hiking friend Kate Elliott and I hiked 30 km from our hotel in León to San Martin El Camino. It was the most boring, soul-sucking landscape so far. Imagine hiking along a major highway complete with constant traffic noise and wafts of diesel. Industrial buildings and scrubby terrain was our view along a dusty, rocky trail. Just to keep us on high alert, we had to cross that highway several times as the Camino wound its way forward. On the plus side, we did bust the 480 km mark. This means we have fewer than 300 km left to get to Santiago, a feat we expect to complete in 13 days. We are betting on better landscapes ahead. Our long hiking day put us in the afternoon heat longer than we like. Not sure if it’s sunstroke or what, but when we get into that second hour of hot hiking it seems that the village we are aiming for is on wheels and keeps moving just ahead of us, like a mirage. We finally arrived at Albergue Veira, a hostel where we share a room with 8 people in bunk beds. Yep, just like girl guide camp although the snoring may be louder! We are back to basic 8 Euro a night accommodation after springing for a real hotel with our own beds and bathroom for our rest day in León.

You know the landscapes were poor when the most memorable photo of the day is a sign saying you are less than 300 km away from Santiago.

Images of Santiago or St. James are everywhere in Spain, but this is the first one we saw on wheels. Spotted at one of our coffee stops about halfway between León and San Martin del Camino

Carolyn’s Camino

Oct. 2 Carrion de Los Condes to Terradillos de Los Templarios.

We hiked 27 km today over the same path as the old Roman road Via Aquitaine. There were no towns or facilities for 17 km. We were grateful for the el Camino coffee truck and trailer that appeared at the 9 km mark like a mirage at sunrise. Cafe con leche and croissants never tasted so good! The landscape was fairly flat, but variable.

Last night we stayed in a hostel run by Augustian nuns at Santa Maria cathedral in Carrion de Los Condos. (Yes it seems Santa Maria churches abound in communities across Spain.) We were serenaded by the nuns during vespers. Men and women were segregated in separate dorms with 16 bunk beds in each. No hanky panky in this nunnery! We were grateful that most of the snorers would not be in our room. But squeaky springs allowed us to know when anyone moved in our room.

WiFi is spotty and sometimes weak. Efforts to post and upload posts and photos are often unsuccessful.

Coffee at sunrise. El Camino coffee truck was a welcome vision at sunrise.

Oct. 6 Leon

On our rest day in Leon we hiked four km to a six-storey store to buy some hiking supplies. At noon we walked to the city centre where we took a historical tour. Later we sat at a bistro in awe of the nearby Cathedral of Leon. Fellow Camino hikers we hadn’t seen for several weeks joined us for wine and olives. We bought tomatoes, roasted red peppers, cheese and fresh bread and had dinner back in our hotel- a rare treat. Tomorrow we hit the road before dawn for a 20 to 25 km hike. We are about 320 km from Santiago

The Cathedral of Leon is impressive inside and out.

A poignant statue that caught my attention inside Nuestra Senora de la Mercado.When in doubt call it Santa Maria church. We have been to numerous Santa Maria churches across Spain. Indeed this church used to be called Santa Maria del Camino.

Sept. 23 from Azofra to Granon

After hiking about 21 km from Azofra, I slept last night on a mat in St. Juan Baptiste church in Granon. We prepared and shared a communal meal with 57 other people. It was an experience of connecting with people from all over the world including Ireland, Korea and Australia. Most spent the night in the church on two floors with our mats literally touching. Some of us attended the 7 pm Pilgrim mass where the magic was having the lights turned on to illuminate the gilded figures on the main altar. A giant stained window at the back of the church was also stunning.