The last of the Beatitudes :

Blessed are you pilgrim if on the way you meet yourself and gift yourself with time, without rushing, so as not to disregard the image in your heart.

Blessed are you pilgrim, if you discover that the “camino” holds a lot mjof silence, and the silence of prayer, and the prayer of meeting with the Father who is waiting for you.

Today was the first day we have felt we are getting into the rhythm of the Camino. Walking has become a subconscious activity. Like when breathing you don’t think of every breath, now the walking just happens without thinking about it.

The majority of today was on delightful natural paths through forest of Holm oak and pine trees, then through open country with vineyards on the left and peas and olive groves on the right. In the open the path was again lined with poppies, mostly red but also some orange and pink.

Soon after leaving Estella we came to one of the highlights of the day, the Bodegas Irache winery which has an ornate fountain built into the wall of the winery and right on our route. It is called Fuente del vino and has two taps, one with aqua, water, and the other vino tinto, red wine. Each day the winery makes 100 litres of wine available for pilgrims to fortify themselves with for the journey ahead. We only had a sip as it was still only 8.30 in the morning. The young ones empty their water bottles and fill them with wine planning on a fun day ahead. There is a web cam there so anyone who was awake could have seen us.

There was a bit of a climb up to Villamayor de Monjardin, a typical hill town with narrow streets radiating from the church. From here there was a great view down the valley we were about to descend. This was all out in the open with no protection from the sun but we were going into a mild head wind so that kept us cool. There are no villages in the valley but there is Cafe Movil, a mobile cafe set up to provide refreshments. We had freshly squeezed orange juice which was fantastic.

We meet up with and chat with a few people. Carolyn and John from Melbourne who we have seen since St Jean, a group of five friends from the north of England who are going as far as Burgos, Tom and Eileen from Philadelphia who are doing the same as us. There is a sort of etiquette that allows you to chat as long as you want and then without awkwardness or embarrassment just say we will see you later, and you walk ahead or drop behind or go into a cafe or whatever. A lot of people like to walk alone and only socialise at a cafe or albergue.

Barbara is continuing her good works. Yesterday Carolyn was complaining of corns so Barbara gave her some of her precious Wool-it. Today she found a hat on the path and raced ahead inquiring until she found the owner. She is now the lady of the water on the mountain, the bike mover of the turbines, the easing of the foot pain, and the provider of sun protection. She will be canonised long before we reach Santiago.

Ipod theme song for today is from Canned Heat:

I’m goin’ up the country, baby don’t you want to go,
I’m goin’ where I’ve never been before
I’m goin’ where the water tastes like wine

Beatitudes of the day :

Blessed are you pilgrim, when you don’t have words to give thanks for everything that surprises you at every twist and turn of the way.

Blessed are you pilgrim, if you search for the truth and make of the “camino” a life and of your life a “way”, in search of the one who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Another quiet day through gently rolling farmland heading for the large town of Estella which was founded in the twelfth century specifically as a rest and refuelling stop for pilgrims.

We left Puenta la Reina and crossed its magnificent twelfth century Romanesque six arch bridge. The wife of King Sanchez III ordered the bridge to be built over the River Arga to allow safe crossing by pilgrims. Hence Puenta la Reina – Queens Bridge.

The land is very fertile, if very stoney. As the day wore on we passed through more and more vineyards and orchards of olive trees. There were four towns nicely spaced between Puenta la Reina and Estella, unfortunately they were all located on top of hills so a few gentle climbs and descents.

One of the highlights of today was walking on a fine example of a Roman roadway complete with a single arch Roman bridge. It’s amazing to reflect on walking the same stones millions have walked on for about two thousand years. Actually the road is a little lumpy and the Romans should be asked to come back and do some maintenance they have been neglecting.

75% of today was on natural tracks through the countryside but several times we had to cross under the motorway that connects Pamplona to Estella. All the subways were graffitied with Basque separatist slogans, mostly in Basque but some in English. At one stage we walked under a modern concrete aqueduct carrying water across a valley.

Today Barbara managed to successfully decipher the instructions on the little screen on a coffee dispensing machine. The machine reluctantly delivered a coffee in a cup complete with spoon in it. Unfortunately there were about three teaspoons of sugar in the bottom. The machine could do without or with milk of varying amounts, without or with sugar of varying amounts and umpteen types of coffee.

Clare was asking how Barbara’s Spanish is going. She says it is terrible and is giving much amusement to whoever it is inflicted on. But she is far too hard on herself. I think it is fantastic. She fearlessly uses it on shop assistants, hotel receptionists etc. They always try and use English but Barbara persists and so they speak simply and slowly and communication is very good.  In Zubiri while we were sitting by the river she had a very long conversation in Spanish with a very kind elderly gentleman who helped her with pronunciation and the correct choice of the sense of a word. Even though English (and French) are widely used on the Camino she believes everyone should make some attempt, however feeble, to speak the local lingo.

There are many pleasant little touches to walking the Camino. One of them is that there are villages at regular intervals along the way and every village has a church. Every church has a belfry, and every belfry has bells that are still used to tell the time. The bells now have electrical /mechanical clappers but it is so nice to hear the bells ring out over the valleys.

Ipod theme tune for today is the Rolling Stones :

If you start me up I’ll never stop
I’ve been running hot,
You’ve got me ticking gonna blow my top

Today’s Beatitudes:

Blessed are you pilgrim, if your knapsack is emptying of things and your heart does not know where to hang up so many feelings and emotions.

Blessed are you pilgrim,if you discover that one step back to help another is more valuable than a hundred forward without seeing what is at your side. 

Another day in paradise. Or at least another clip on our ticket to paradise.

It took an hour to get out of Pamplona. About 15 minutes through the old town, deserted except for street cleaning trucks hoovering up the detritus from last night’s party, and the delivery vans that are allowed in for a short time to service the shops. Then street after street of apartments in the “new” town and finally through the park like university.

Looming up ahead of us was the Alto del Perdon. A long but not arduous climb through farmland with a rise of 350m. There were fields of wheat, rape seed and other silage crops. By the side of the path were thistles and red poppies. Along the skyline there was a gargantuan line of 40 wind turbines.

About half way up the climb we stopped at a tiny village and bought a coffee and a potato and onion omelette filled bocadillo.  The usual filling is ham and cheese, both cut so thinly they are transparent. We have found that if you get the omelette bocadillo, wrap it up tightly in paper and let it stew in your pack for a couple of hours, then the razor sharp crust softens up.

At the summit you are right under the swoosh, swoosh, swooshing turbines. There are marvellous views back down to Pamplona and on the other side the Arga Valley where we are heading. At the top of the path, right on the skyline is a steel sculpture of life size pilgrims in silhouette. The sculpture was commissioned by the owners of the turbines and some believe it is a cynical sop to public opinion as the turbines sort of destroy the atmosphere of the Camino. I think it is really cool.

At the sculpture it sort of works if people arriving spend a couple of minutes in front of it to have their photo taken, and then step aside. Two French cyclists arrived and promptly propped their bikes against the sculpture and took photos of themselves, then each other, then look at the view, then shot a little video, then had a little chat, some more photos etc for about 10 minutes and then wandered off to read some information boards. Everyone else had to have their fricking bikes in their photos. I was watching this and getting really pissed off with them. One came near Barbara and in perfect French she asked him to please shift his bike. He was actually very good, immediately saw the issue, apologised and moved the bikes. Once again Saint Barbara came to the assistance of the pilgrims. No wonder there was a statue of her in that nuns’ chapel the other day.

The walk down the other side was a steep rocky path but surrounded by dozens of varieties of wild flowers in blue, lavender, white and yellow. This is the best time on the Camino for wild flowers. We stopped and ate our now softened up bocadillo. The rest of the day was spent walking through fields of peas, broad beans, asparagus, olives and grapes.

Near the end of the day I convinced Barbara that we should do a detour that would add an hour, to see one of the most important Romanesque monuments in Navarra. It is a beautiful little octagonal church dating from about 1170. It is thought to be associated with the Knights Templar and based on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Unfortunately it was closed on Mondays but still worth the extra effort to see the exterior.

The region we are passing through is Navarra which is Basque. The Basque are fiercely independent, sometimes violently so. Historically they have fought everyone, the Moors, the Francs, the Castillians. Even though the Basque Country has a lot of autonomy there is still a separatist movement. We see graffiti on buildings and walls saying “This is not Spain”  and “Welcome to the Basque Country”.

One of the problems I am having is that I am walking too fast. Barbara is always telling me to slow down. On a journey of a million steps it is important to pace yourself and most of all to walk softly.

So the Ipod theme song for today was from Simon and Garfunkel: Feeling Groovy

Slow down you move too fast, you’re got to make the morning last. . .

Beatitudes of the day :

3 – Blessed are you pilgrim, when you contemplate the “camino” and you discover it is full of names and dawns.

4 – Blessed are you pilgrim, because you have discovered that the authentic “camino” begins when it is completed.

When we woke this morning we felt we wanted to get out on the road again. We saw many of those who had started with us in St Jean Pied de Port making there way out of the city. It was a bit sad knowing we wouldn’t see most of them again. There is quite a comraderie that builds up with the people you see everyday.

Instead we explored the old town. Pamplona is an expanding, vibrant university city with a population of about 200,000. It dates from the 1st century BC and has a long and dramatic history of seiges, occupations, sackings, destruction, fires and rebuilding (several times). It is located on a high, defensible bluff with elaborate and sophisticated fortifications. Much of these survive and are now public parks with some for example having moats drained and now occupied by deer and peacocks.

Our hotel is located in a side street just a few metres from the main square, Plaza del Castillo. This is a huge open space with arcades and canopies shading the shops, bars and cafes around the perimeter. When we arrived last evening it was packed with people out enjoying the entertainment in the afternoon sun. There was music, an old fashioned Punch and Judy show, string puppets dancing to Elvis, very loud marching street bands, many buskers and entertainers.

After the peace and silence of walking in the countryside for three days the sudden vibrancy and noise was quite startling.

This morning the square was very different. It was set up for the running of a half marathon. Barricades, loud speakers, banners and hundreds of super fit looking athletes, male and female. I don’t know what level it was but there were a lot more elite level looking runners than The Round the Bays Fun Run. They were all beautifully turned out in the latest colour co-ordinated Lycra. We guessed a field of about 500.

Pamplona is known of course for the running of the bulls made famous by Ernest Hemingway who visited here many times from the 1920s to the 1950s. There is quite a Hemingway cult with all the bars and hotels he frequented cashing in on his name. The Cafe Iruna has a life size brass statue of him leaning up against the bar in a corner. There is also a counter culture with one bar having a sign announcing that Hemingway never drank there.

Each year in July, Pamplona selebrates it’s patron, San Fermin, by running bulls through the streets and then holding bull fights. Both bulls and steers run and the steers get to run another day, but the bulls run just once to their death in the bull ring. Hemingway’s celebration of this festival made it world famous and turned it into the touristy, overcrowded, drunken rite of passage it is today.

At the end of a long day on the road pilgrims are starving and want a meal. The Spanish custom is that after the afternoon siesta they work a few more hours before coming out in the evening to relax. The restaurants will serve drinks but will not serve meals before about 10pm. This is hopeless for tired and hungry peregrinos.

Fortunately there are dozens of bars that sell tapas. Often if you buy a drink the tapas are complementary. We have taken a liking to tapas. They are cheap and there is a huge range from the simple to the very elaborate. The Navarra region we are in is renowned for the quality and variety of its produce so the tapas are delicious. Most of the time we haven’t a clue what we are purchasing but that just adds to the fun.

A bit cold today and drizzly at times with a strong wind. Twelve degrees at lunchtime but it improved to nineteen later in the afternoon.

i pod theme song for today is from Willie Nelson.

On the road again, I just can’t wait to get on the road again.. . . . .  . . . . .