Susan Gilbert

May 16th – Staying in Ventosa was an alternative pilgrim path less traveled, leaving the main path to Najera.  Shortening my walks for these few days also keeps me in the countryside and out of the larger cities.

Today’s walk will be short – about 10 miles – and the weather is perfect.  Cool and while cloudy, no rain.

Because this is not the common path I see no other pilgrims after leaving Ventosa where there were only a few.  It feels strange to be on the path with no one in sight in front or behind me and it feels like the Camino belongs to me.  I am spinning in 360 degree circles in the middle of the path and see vineyards and breathtaking views in front, beside and behind me.

I arrive in Najera in a snap (about 8 kilometers) and see a welcoming cafe where I decide to stop for a cafe con leche.

Look at the message on the napkin on the table!

I pull out that napkin and find the next one in Spanish.  How fun that this message greeted me!

Winding thru the narrow streets of Navarrete, following the yellow arrows marking the Camino, I see many well maintained original period houses with handsomely carved family crests and armorial shields.  I pause at the imposing 16th century Church of the Assumption in the town square.

I arrive in Azofra after passing actively worked vineyards – people and tractors reflect that today is a busy workday.

Arriving in the tranquil village of Azofra I feel like this should be a lunch stop, not the end of the day, until I remind myself that today is a short day so I can rest my still sore right ankle.

I see a man with his dog – a Yorkie no less and show him the address of my lodging for the night.  I point with a quizzical look and in sign language I am asking him to point the way.  I am also fussing and petting his dog, holding up 5 fingers in an attempt to say I have five Yorkies at home.  He grins and begins to walk forward in a follow me stance so that I am escorted to my destination by new friends.

Amidst all this beauty and magical sights my heart aches for my fur family at home and having this special welcome means more than he can know.

May 15th – I’m falling into the habit of taking off my shoes when I arrive at my destination, putting my feet up, and writing my post for the day which gives me a break and much needed rest before exploring my stop of the day.

It is a 3 day holiday here in Spain and the city of Logrono was filled with families and festivities last night.  I felt like I was enjoying the city like the Spanish would making me feel less of a tourist and more of this world.

After a good nights rest I am ready for today’s walk to Ventosa.  The normal stage would be to continue to Najera.  Rather than take two days in Burgus in a few days, I’ve decided to break up the couple of 18 mile days into smaller chunks of 10 to 13 miles which is what today’s walk should be.

Making my way through the city of Logrono the path was not well marked and I stood still at a crossroads looking for a yellow arrow or sign when a passing man said “Camino” and pointed. I hadn’t gone much further when I faced making another directional decision when a man in a little newsstand pointed saying “Camino”.  I have angels all around me!

I continue on the path leading out of city finding parks and a reservoir where many local runners and cyclists are getting together for their group workouts.  Leaving the city I pass by more vineyards as the path weaves close to farmlands then back along the road.  I see a man with two small children walking through the vineyards and wonder if he is inspecting his crops and has brought along his children this Sunday morning.

I had read about the section where hundreds of crosses have been made out of strips of bark from the adjacent sawmill.  It is said that at this stage we are told there is no way to happiness – Happyness IS the Way!

It started raining just after I passed through Navarrete and I walked the remaining few miles through a steady downpour arriving in Ventosa quite wet but happy to call my walking to an end for the day after 13 miles.

Thank you for all your comments.  I really enjoy reading them and makes me feel like you are virtual peligrenos traveling with me.

May 14th – Last night I had dinner in a restored 17th century building’s wine cellar. Two women, pictured on the right in the above photo who finished before me and kind of hobbled out in the familiar walk of someone whose legs are tired.  I said, “Pilgrims?” to which they smiled and nodded yes. I wonder what our gait will look like on Day 40.

Today will be my longest walk so far – over  17 miles.  I can hardly believe I have been walking for a week, long distances daily.  There are clouds in the sky so I am wearing my raincoat.  However I loved seeing my shadow cast from the current sun in the sky.

I am facing a slight wind and the hat held by a cord around my neck acts like a kite sailing out behind me.

Today’s countryside is filled with vineyards and rolling hills.  Knowing this will be a long day I pace myself and stop in the first village, Sansol, after only 6.8 kilometers.  Pilgrim friend Tim from the UK waves me over to his table.  We met yesterday in a cafe along the way.  He started 100 miles north of Pamplona in St Sebastian and is having problems with blisters.  I inquire how he is doing and smiling, he said,  better.  We have a lovely discussion about how long the Camino has been on our radars and how delicious it is to be here – a dream come true for us both. Leaving Sansol I can see the next village, Torres Del Rio from across the valley.

I plan to stop again at Viana but find that I passed by all the cafes and am now outside the village.  Rather than go back I forge ahead with a plan to stop along the way and eat a snack from by backpack – a hard boiled egg that is squirreled  away.

Up ahead I see the familiar platinum blond hair of a pilgrim friend, Patricia from Marsailles, France.  As I come along side her and say, Hola! she smiles and asks if I would take her picture.  I do, and then she takes mine.

Continuing on I pass a man I haven’t seen for a few days.  Saying Buen Camino he waves something at me.  It is a large bar of chocolate and he is offering me some.  This man knows the way to a woman’s heart!

The last few miles today are through a soulless industrial area along the busy highway and is an assault to my senses after being in the countryside.  I look up at the cloud formations and across the now forgotten vineyards taken over by weeds in search of things I can connect with when a bird darts and weaves around me as if to say, Look at me!  I am once again flying along the path and into Logrono, my destination city.  Time to find my lodging, take a much needed shower, and then investigate this old city and the Catedral de Santa Maria.

May 13th – Not even a twinge in my right ankle today. Yesterday on the path I used my poles like two extra legs, hardly placing my right foot on the ground which I think gave it the rest it needed.  Fourteen more miles today in what looks like on and off rain storms.  I bid farewell to the lovely medieval town of Estella, head over the bridge and onto the path.

The first highlight of today’s walk is at the famous wine fountain, Bodegas Irache.  While it’s only 8 am, I have to follow tradition and drink from my shell thanking the generosity of the Bodegas Winery.

At 3.4k I stop at a cafe in Azquete for a cafe con leche (coffee with milk) as there will be no more stops until I reach Los Arcos.

The last few days I could hear the cuckoos  singing in the woods but could not see them.  Today the swallows swoop and glide on the winds over the fields and across the path.  This is working wine country and there is activity as I walk.

While I walk alone there are other pilgrims in front of me and behind.  Sometimes I am passing fellow pilgrims with a greeting of Hola or Buen Camino.  Sometimes they are sitting on the side of the path taking a break which where I found Cindy and Sandra who I first met at Orisson Refuge but had not seen since.  There is a comraderie here on the Camino that is hard to explain – a common experience being shared that becomes a bonding agent.

Walking through the narrow section I breathe in the musky earth and shrub smells.  My senses are heightened here on the Camino and I feel so alive!

Tomorrow I’m headed for Logrono which will be a little over 17 miles.  A restful evening is in order.  I pass through the Portal de Castilla of Los Arcos to my lodging for the night.

13.93 miles from Estella to Los Arcos

May 12th – I’ll be walking about 14 miles today which seems like the norm now.  My right ankle is still sore and I’m wondering what today’s surface will be like on the path.  There were sections between Burguete and Akeretta that had been paved in slate and at first thought compared to the loose rocks  I believed it would be an improvement.  However, they were very slippery and slick from the rain during the night and with nothing to sink the poles into for stabilization it was rough going.  Fortunately my friend Ann Marie who walked the Camino last year had loaned me rubber tips for my poles that were to be helpful on gravel.  I pulled them out of my backpack and used them on this slippery surface which helped considerably.  Swapping stories with some other pilgrims I learned that the day I came through that section, three separate individuals had slipped and had been taken to the hospital via ambulance.  Of all the things I thought about for the Camino, the challenges of path surfaces was not one of them.

My intention for the Camino is to walk it being present in each moment – not to worry or think about what hasn’t yet happened or ruminate about what has and it’s a challenge.  Checking weather and being aware of not walking into a storm,  preparing where possible, then letting go.  A fellow pilgrim, Sue from Australia, shared a photo with me that so perfectly demonstrates that.  She captured this gorgeous dog with a baguette in his mouth as she ‘in the moment’ peeked through the door and saw him,  snapped the photo, and just that fast he was gone!  What sights, sounds and experiences do we miss when we aren’t present in the moment?

Photo by Susan Moller

As I meet other pilgrims at rest stops or in the evening the most asked question after “Where are you from?” is “How far will you walk today?”;  and, “How far are you going (Santiago)?”  It’s obvious what is constantly on our minds!

I was told of a frail man who was supported by two people one on each side first spotted in Roncevalles.  How surprised they were when turning the corner of a narrow winding cobbled street in Pamplona there he was once again.  You have to wonder if the two people who were supporting him were helping the man to fulfill a lifelong dream.

Leaving Puente La Reina I passed under the old  wall arch and over the often photographed XII century ‘Queen’s Bridge’ (photo above).  I’m surrounded with history as the path continues along the Arga River.

Today I found myself taking my backpack off and on initially as I pealed off layers of clothing then when the rain started putting clothes back on, my raincoat and hat.  The scenery is once again stunning and I find myself doing 360 degree turns to see not only what is ahead of me and at each side, but also the view from where I have walked from.  I pass through beautifully preserved medieval hilltop villages with narrow winding streets; and, across gently rolling farmland with vineyards.

I’m in awe of this experience and find wonder in all that surrounds me.  Look at the rain glistening on the grass.

I arrive at my destination, Estella, and crossing over the restored medieval bridge Puente de Carvel, I find my hotel is located right next to the parish church of Iglesia San Miguel.

My second floor room has a lovely view of the old walled city street.

Tomorrow I will be walking to Los Arcos.  There are two paths to choose from – one more rural but steeper, the other thru villages and still with a climb.  I’ll decide which one in the morning after I check in with my ankles.
My walk today from Puenta La Reina to Estella.
The elevation as provided by the RunTracker app.

PS – I am adding the above two charts to my prior posts if you want to go back and see them.

PPS – I’ve been posting more photos than included here on my Facebook profile.  If we aren’t already connected there and want to see them, follow me at: http://www.facebook.com/susangilbert

May 11th – There are thunderstorms predicted for early this afternoon so I am on the path earlier than normal today, daybreak at 6:45, sans breakfast so I can reach my destination before the weather.  A power bar while I walk will give me needed sustenance until I can find a cafe/ bar on the Camino.

My hotel is right off the pilgrim path that runs through Pamplona marked with silver inserts in the road.  I pass the gardens I visited yesterday and I liken it to Pamplona’s “central park”.  The first 5k today (3 miles) will be on city pavement and suburban roads.  My feet ate very happy with this surface.  While I don’t have any blisters ( yet) my ankles are very sore from the uneven paths of gravel and rock that are unstable making your feet roll from side to side all day.  After exiting the city I am dismayed to see a rocky path once again.  Struggling with the discomfort I decided to change the conversation and instead of being angry I decided to play with the path and pretend the rocks are cushions that lift and support my feet and me.   I’m not sure how successful I was in reality but it did shift my outlook.

Today’s walk will include a healthy climb that will take me up to the famous wind turbines that tower over a wrought iron representation of medical pilgrims at Alto Del Perdon, heads bent to the west wind with the inscription:  ‘Where the way of the wind crosses the way of the stars.’

I ran into my Orisson pilgrim friends Claire  and Eddie from Ireland and we take turns taking pictures of each other at this highlight of our Camino.

After heading back down the hill and passing through the towns of Uterga, Muruzabal and Obanos I arrive at Puente La Reina at 1:30 ahead of the thunderstorms due at 2 pm.

Tomorrow, Estella here I come!