Camino Day 7: Estella - Los Arcos (15/03/15)

We left the Municipal Albergue at 7.20 am. Despite the use of my silicone earplugs the snoring of Richard, an anaesthetist in his late 50’s from Australia in the adjoining bunk, had kept me awake and this had not been helped by the orange light streaming in the window from the street lights on the Estella bypass at the back of the albergue. I knew I should have pulled the window shutter down before I went to bed!

By 6.30am most people were already awake anyway and preparing for the day ahead; Richard was packing his bag and the Koreans had their gear spread out near the bathroom. Downstairs, as we donned our boots and took a final opportunity to use the wifi, Vira was heading out the front door in her trademark red beany and black cotton Buddhist nun robes.


David checking his email

David and I had agreed that during our walk, we would take the time each day to read two of the Psalms of Ascents; Psalms 120 – 134, as these were the Psalms the ancient Jews sang as they went up to the Temple in Jerusalem in pilgrimage on the major festivals. So we took a few minutes to read Psalms 120 & 121; the latter as mentioned earlier being my Dad’s favourite Psalm;

“I lift up my eyes to the Hills, where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth”

Vira certainly needed her hat, as the temperature as we headed along Calle Rua and out through the town gate, was very chilly and probably never rose higher than 5°C during the whole day. My hands were very cold and not for the last time on the walk, did I wish I had brought gloves. Other than that however, I was generally warm enough with three layers on, my Indian cotton scarf, my waterproof jacket and my trusty wide brimmed hat. Besides once we got walking we soon warmed up as we started ascending the small hill out of Estella towards Ayegui.

I

Estella town gate 

After about three kilometres we came to the famous wine fountain the Fuente del Vino at the Bodegas Irache winery! Although it sounds implausible and like something out of an adult version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it really is a real feature on the Camino! Several years ago the Bodegas decided to install the fountain, which provides either wine or water to refresh pilgrims. The Bodegas provides 100 litres of wine per day free of charge to pilgrims.

Just as we reached the fountain the heavens opened and an almighty hail shower began and so I quickly fitted my poncho and then filled a small bottle with wine for David and I to have later with our picnic lunch.

Fuente del Vino

Just beyond the Bodegas is the massive Monastery of Santa Maria la Real de Irache. The monastery was receiving pilgrims before Estella even existed and may date back to Visigothic times. What is certain is that records date back to AD 958 and in 1054 a pilgrim hospital was founded here by Don García de Najera forty years before King Sancho founded Estella. It was a Benedictine foundation and linked to Roncesvalles and holds a pivotal place in the history of Navarre. It flourished and increased in wealth in the 11^th century and again in the 17^th, when it became the site of the first university in Navarre. In the 19^th century it was a symbol of the Carlists, who had a stronghold in Estella, in the succession crisis that led to a civil war in Northern Spain when King Fernando VII died without a male heir. After so much history and welcoming pilgrims for over 1,000 years it closed in 1985 due a lack of novitiates and is now a museum

Monastery at Irache

Unfortunately the Monastery did not open until 10.30 and there was no point waiting as it was only 8.15 am when we reached it, but I took the time to examine the beautiful sculptures on the 12^th century Romanesque door of the church and to admire the bell tower of 1609 which was inspired by the one at El Escorial outside Madrid.

Lamb of God on Irache portal

Beyond Irache we now had two options; we could follow the more traditional route through Azqueta and Villamayor de Monjardín or the more scenic route through forestry to Luquín, which although 2km shorter than the other route, climbs higher to 720 M. We decided to take the road less travelled as John Brierley describes it (plagiarising Robert Frost)!

Almond blossom with Montejurra behind

Our choice was soon rewarded as we ascended, (with some exertion on my part as my body still did not feel fully ready for the rigours of early morning Camino walking!) into a beautiful wooded landscape. Initially open pasture land stretched before us, dotted with Almond trees in full blossom. The sides of the path were sprinkled with wild Hellebores, country cousins of the more gaudy ones seen in contemporary gardens; the light green of their foliage accentuating the dark red rim of the flowers as I took time to examine their understated beauty.

Wild Hellebore

Further along the pasture land gave way to mixed woodland of Holm Oak and Arbutus or Strawberry tree and I was reminded of the many strange connections between Northern Spain and Ireland. The Arbutus is also native to Co. Kerry along with several other Spanish species such as the Natterjack Toad. In addition, genetic studies have shown that the Irish are closely related to the Basques and genetic tests on a Bronze Age Bear found in a cave in the Burren in Co. Clare surprised scientists by showing that it’s nearest living modern relatives are in Northern Spain. Indeed Irish legend tells how the first inhabitants of Ireland came from Spain and this was discounted as fiction until the above studies showed otherwise. But how did species like the Arbutus or the bear come to be native in Ireland and not the rest of the British Isles? I mused on these things as I picked up a broken sprig of Arbutus lying on the ground and stuck it in my hat to celebrate the Hispanic-Hibernian connections.

Selfie with Monjardin behind me.

The forest eventually cleared and we stopped for some fruit and a cereal bar and to admire the wonderful view towards Monjardín Hill topped by the fortress of St Stephen which was the main fortress of the kingdom of Deyo-Pamplona after Sancho Garcés captured it from the half Spanish/ half Moorish Banu Qasi family. Later Charlemagne is said to have taken the fortress from a combined Navarrese and Saracen army.

View from summit near Luquin

The weather had improved and dried up so I removed my poncho which was becoming hot and sweaty.


Violets

We continued on as the trees thinned out totally giving generous views of the hilly countryside. Dew speckled violets and cowslips hugged the bases of stone walls and grassy embankments. A scallop shell was lying on a rock nearby and I gave it to David to tie to his rucksack as he hadn’t yet bought one.

Cowslips

Near the summit we encountered a young man wearing a dark blue beany taking a rest to examine his feet. We later found out that he was David – a 22 year old chef in a Michelin Star restaurant in Oxford who was walking the Camino but having considerable trouble with blisters on his feet.

Basilica of San Martin at Luquin

The café at Luquin, which would have been most welcome was closed so we moved on after admiring the finely carved portico of the Basilica of San Martin and the optional route rejoined the main route 1.5 km later, after it had passed under the A12.

Wild species of Brassica

The landscape now was very open and exposed as we gradually descended towards the Rio Caudiel. A stiff cold wind was blowing sideways across our path, so near the ruins of an ancient pilgrim hospital we found a sunken entrance to a field and hunkered down to eat our picnic – bread and Sardines in my case followed by some fruit, hazelnuts and chocolate and of course, some of the wine from Bodegas Irache. After eating we kept some of the bread and wine and took communion together and dedicated our walk to God.

David near the ancient pilgrim hospital

Walking on we bumped into Richard the Anaesthetist who greeted us with “Do I detect Poms? Prisoners of Her Majesty?” We explained that we were in fact Irish - “So you are Micks!” was his rather non- politically correct response, which would not have gone down well back home, but he was a friendly and larger than life character and we couldn’t help but find his loud and garrulous manner engaging and he seemed to attract the younger pilgrims around him by his cheerful personality. Richard explained how he had in fact done his Anaesthetic exams in Dublin in the days when Irish medical exams were accepted in Australia and when he heard that I was from Northern Ireland he retorted “So you are a Pom!” He was a little overweight and struggling with his legs, so after a while he waved us on “You Micks are faster than me!”

Vineyards near Los Arcos

The chilly wind abated and the last section into Los Arcos through vineyards dotted with wildflowers and more almond blossom, was very pleasant. We passed a small hill capped with Scots pines where tiny wild daffodils poked through the grass – I wish I had laid a €2 coin beside them for scale in the photograph to show their diminutive size.


Wild Daffodils

Los Arcos turned out to be a delightful town. With Roman origins and a population of only about 1,300, it developed in Medieval times as a centre of foreign exchange and toll collection because it was near the border between Navarre and Castille. Many of the streets were being repaved and it was quiet and tranquil.

Santa Maria & Portal Del Castilla

We booked into the Albergue de la Abuela (Granny’s albergue) which turned out to be the nicest albergue I had stayed in thus far. It was clean, modern, well organised with small dormitories and excellent bathrooms and a laundry service was offered – where dirty laundry was placed in a net bag, washed, tumble dried and returned for a small price; excellent!

We showered, changed and then walked around the narrow streets examining the town. The main feature of Los Arcos is the magnificent church of Santa Maria. Unfortunately it was closed but even the exterior is magnificent; somehow the different architectural elements, Romanesque, Gothic, Plateresque Renaissance and Baroque, dating from the 12^th – 18^th centuries, seem to harmonise, culminating in the 16^th century bell tower and an elaborate portal with St. James holding the sword of his execution and martyrdom mentioned in Acts 12:2, to the right when facing the door.





We stopped for coffee and pastries in a café opposite the church. It was dead, save for ourselves and the two bar staff. However, hardly had we sat down when a large crowd of locals arrived and filled the bar to capacity, only to then disappear after several minutes. We noticed this feature in nearly every bar or café we visited; David called it rent-a-crowd! It was almost as if each café was waiting for tourists to arrive and then would spring to life, however we realised that the real reason was that unlike Ireland where people go the pub and spend half the night there, the Spaniards have a better idea; they are able to go and have one drink with their friends and then leave again to do something else!


Santa Maria, Los Arcos

We had a rest in the Albergue and decided to find a café for an evening meal. We had commented that it was strange that in such a small town we couldn’t see any of the other pilgrims anywhere. Choosing at random a café opposite the church we were directed downstairs only to find a basement dining room packed with other pilgrims. “Here come the Micks!” shouted Richard and everyone cheered and clapped! We had stumbled upon the birthday party of a German pilgrim called Heinz, who was clearly extremely drunk from a surfeit of vino blanco at €1!

Hobbit-like St James on a Los Arcos door

We joined the party where pans of paella were being served. As well as Richard and Heinz, Vira was there, David the Oxford chef, another German pilgrim, aged 30, called Toby, a very pleasant Brazilian pilgrim called Andre who was walking with Toby and whom I enjoyed talking to, another Brazilian called Ricardo who had walked the Camino eight times, and one of the South Korean girls we had met previously in Estella.


Portal Del Dinero

The craic and paella were mighty and it was amusing watching Heinz who was well gone, but clearly enjoying himself. After paella, Heinz was surprised with a large birthday cake and Ricardo made a speech about Heinz’s good heart and how they had enjoyed travelling with him which was translated by Toby. Heinz dissolved into tears, touched by the love, care and affection shown by people he had only met so recently. It was a wonderfully touching end to the day and summed up the intangible uniqueness of the Camino, where people of so many different nationalities share a common bond and experience and show each other such love and respect – qualities so hard to find in our increasingly impersonal society.

Heinz (in baseball cap) reading his birthday card,
watched by amongst others, Leo from South Korea (orange jacket) and David from Oxford



L-R Andre, Vira (red hat), Toby, Richard (beard) and Korean pilgrim
(unfortunately Heinz can't be seen behind Richard)

Pamplona - Estella (14/03/15)

“What’s the weather like?” David asked as I pulled back the curtains and was shocked to reply “It’s….SNOWING!”. This was not the weather we had been anticipating; during the previous week it had apparently been 23°C on one day, but now it was barely 3 - 4°C! Walking out onto the balcony we observed large snowflakes falling and although they didn’t seem to be lying on the ground we wondered what conditions walking the Camino were going to be like!

We made our way down to a bar at the end of Estefeta Street and had a breakfast of Tortilla Potata, Café con leche (in my case) and Tea (in David’s). The locals were well muffled up against the inclement weather and one elderly gentleman was having an early glass of vino tinto to warm himself up. There was a pleasant early Saturday morning vibe in the bar and we noticed that the traditionally tiled floor was covered in fresh sawdust like Irish pubs in times past.

Plaza del Castillo was very different to the last time I had seen it when I was there in September; a light covering of snow covered the trees and bandstand and the warm evenings full of Matt attempting Basque dancing and Brazilian acrobats seemed only a dream.

Plaza del Castillo

 We checked out and made our way back to Pamplona bus station. The snow had become heavier and the Cuidadela was viewed through blizzard like conditions. We booked tickets and boarded the La Estellesa bus which runs from Pamplona to Logroño and takes approximately 50 minutes to reach Estella.

The Cuidadela viewed through the snow!

As we left the suburbs of Pamplona the snow finally stopped and we had a pleasant journey as we passed the sites of last Autumn’s pilgrimage: Alto del Perdón, Puente La Reina, Mañeru and Cirauqui. All flew past outside the window as I mentally relived the walk and fast forwarded to Estella.

Calle de la Rua

Arriving in Estella we made our way round to the Hospital de Peregrinos Albergue on Calle La Rua, however as it was only 12.00 and the albergue didn’t open until 13.00, I took David to Iglesia San Pedro so that he could receive the first stamp in his credencial here and symbolically begin his pilgrimage. On the way we passed Casa de Cultura Fray Diego and marvelled at the fine Renaissance moulding around the doors and windows featuring vines, fruits classical nudes and mythical beasts.

Casa de Fray Diego

After David had received his first stamp we shed our rucksacks and sat for a while in the peace of San Pedro. It was great to be back in Estella, ready to start the Camino again and I spent some time thanking God for allowing me to come back so soon. The apse and high altar looked beautiful and resplendent, decked out in purple with the symbols of Christ’s passion for Easter. We wandered around the cloister and David, being a Fire Safety Engineer was very impressed with San Pedro’s modern exterior glass lift that enables the disabled to reach the church, perched as it is above the town.


The high altar in San Pedro

San Pedro's impressive exterior lift

We also took time to look inside the Palacio de los Reyes de Navarra. The Palacio is now an art gallery and features the interesting art of Gustavo de Maeztu y Whitney (1887 – 1947). His paintings in deep reds, ochres and oranges were captivating and we were especially taken with the portrait of his sister as a graduate; the slightly melancholy air of her face contrasted markedly with the bright colours of the Summer garden behind her. Also interesting was the way the framework of a modern building had been carefully and sensitively inserted within what had obviously been the ruins of the 12^th Century Palacio.

David's door!

We returned to the Albergue and checked in, where we met an American Buddhist nun called Vira, who was also just arriving. There was also quite a large group of Koreans in the dormitory. After choosing bunks and organising our belongings we decided to take another wander through Estella so that David could see some more of the town’s sights. After looking at the Jaws of Hell on the Tympanum of Santo Sepulchre, David was captivated by a nearby doorway studded with ironwork. During our time together David joked that I spent my time photographing flowers and churches and I reposted that David had an obsession with photographing doors!

Casa Palacio de los Munarriz

Walking into town we admired the Roccoco grandiloquence of Casa Palacio de los Munarriz (c.1750) with it’s oversized cornice and scallop shell balconies. I liked a honeymoon (la luna de miel) advert I spotted in a travel agent’s window and was shocked to see that four nights in Edinburgh cost €850!

La luna de miel advert

I showed David the Romanesque portal of San Miguel Church and we enjoyed examining the nativity scenes on the pillar capitals that I had missed the last time or the sculpture of St Peter being crucified upside down on the arch. After all this culture and high art, David let us down by lowering the tone to tweet a photograph of an extremely large and elaborate Easter Egg in the chocolate shop in Plaza de los Fueros!!

Scenes from the birth of Christ on the pillar capitals of San Miguel

St. Peter being crucified

We had coffee in a bar in the Plaza and a local came in and attempted to communicate with us in “Spanglish”, there seemed to be some possible misunderstanding that we were a gay couple, which was only cleared up when I showed our Spanish friend a photograph of myself and my wife in my wallet, but as David sat there drinking his tea instead of getting his Spanish app out on his phone, this was a mistake which I am sure could easily be made!

David's tweeted Easter egg!

We also took the time to do a bit of shopping in the only Eroski (a Basque chain) supermarket open in the town centre on a Saturday afternoon and stocked up supplies for a picnic the following day as we were aware a lot of shops and cafes are closed on a Sunday in Spain and some of the route we were taking the following day would pass through some relatively remote countryside.

After a rest at the Albergue we made our way back to the American Diner in the Plaza for the pilgrim menu at 8.00. I had alubias blancas – white bean stew as a Primo and Lomo – pork loin steak for Segundo accompanied by vino tinto and of course flan – crème caramel for dessert. Whilst eating we also spoke briefly to some Danish pilgrims.

 After all the sightseeing and eating we felt we were now more than ready to get down to what we had come for – walking the Camino and we looked forward with anticipation to the next day.

The ham selection in the supermarket!

Cork - Pamplona (13/03/15)

At last – it was time for Camino Part II!

Unfortunately, although I would dearly love to walk the entire Camino Francés as one continuous experience and hope to do so one day, due to family and work commitments I cannot take the time needed to do this at this point in my life. Therefore as I explained earlier in this blog, I am walking the Camino in stages, walking a week at a time when possible and then flying back to continue where I finished on a subsequent occasion.

This method of walking the Camino has pro’s and cons; on the negative side, it can be the case that just as you are getting into the rhythm of walking the Camino and gaining the maximum rest from having time to reflect and seek God, it is time to come home. On the positive side it means that I can take the time to really enjoy the Camino in detail and not feel I am rushing to get to Santiago as I find some pilgrims seem to be doing as they rush past interesting places and wildlife, seemingly oblivious. After all, the process of the journey  and what you learn along the way is just as important, if not more so, than arriving. The other benefit of walking the Camino in stages is that it is not as punishing on the body – just as the joints and feet are starting to ache, it is time to go home!

This time I was walking with my friend David King, aged 59, but definitely younger and fitter than his chronological age and definitely thinner than me! Initially I had been thinking about walking the Camino by myself on this occasion but David had never walked the Camino before, and having been considering it for some time, jumped at the chance to accompany me and experience it for himself. I was happy for him to come with me as we have similar reflective personalities.

The plan was to return to Estella where I finished last time and then walk for 6 days to Belorado with a detour off the usual Camino route on Day 4 to visit the Cistercian Abbey at Cañas and the UNESCO World Heritage Monasteries of Suso and Yuso at San Millán de la Cogolla. The total distance covered would be 140 km.

I stayed overnight at a friend’s house in Cork and David ordered a taxi and picked me up on his way to the airport at 5am. The taxi driver reassured us with tales of airport security lock downs he had experienced and how his pregnant wife had apparently been strip searched on returning to Ireland after a foreign holiday!

As there are no direct flights from Ireland to Biarritz in March, we had booked Ryanair flights from Cork – Stansted and then Stansted - Biarritz. This unfortunately meant a slightly tedious 4 hour layover in Stansted.

The flight to Stansted was remarkable chiefly for the fact that one of the passengers; a young man in his twenties was attracting bemused glances and attention because he was wearing a bright red suit dotted with white hearts. I can only presume he was the willing victim of a stag party, as we felt it was unlikely that his sartorial tastes could a serious choice – but who knows? I was personally reminded of a BBC Children’s TV presenter, Mr. Tumble, which my children used to watch as he who wore similar clown – type outfits.

The time was passed at the rather soul-less building that is Stansted (they don’t seem to favour too many seats for passengers to rest on!) with newspapers and some rather nice Asian food and I continued reading the newspaper on the Stansted – Biarritz flight whilst noting that the English lady beside me, who had the same “dragged through a bush” hairstyle as one of my eccentric Aunts and was reading a book about energy force fields on the Camino.

We arrived at Biarritz at 16.50. There were three queues for two passport officials at Biarritz airport which caused problems, but once through, we turned our attention to the buses. We needed to get to Pamplona by bus as I had booked us into a small hotel for the night. I had never used Spanish buses before and was slightly nervous about this leg of the trip. We soon discovered that we needed to get the CONDA bus to San Sebastian and then change for Pamplona. However, when we examined the timetable on the bus stop outside Biarritz airport it seemed to suggest that some of the buses didn’t stop at the airport and that it could be very late before we got to Pamplona.

We panicked! Hiring a taxi for €15 we travelled into Biarritz town centre. This was actually quite interesting as we got to see the large mansions from the early 20^th Century when Biarritz was a favourite resort of the rich and famous, including Edward VII who used to travel there each Summer in a cavalcade of motorcars accompanied by his favourite mistress (but not his wife).

The seafront at Biarritz however was very cold with a tempestuous sea and gusting winds unsuitable for Edwardian bathing, so we quickly retreated to another Asian food house and then boarded the CONDA bus – which took us to San Sebastian, calling en route at….Biarritz Airport!! Oh well, you live and learn!

The Spanish bus driver, although he didn’t speak any English was very helpful and wrote down the times of the buses to Pamplona and directed us with a combination of gestures and our meagre Spanish, to the ALSA ticket office just down Sancho de Sablo boulevard across the road from the bus station, where we were able to buy our bus tickets to Pamplona. Overall on this trip we were very impressed with Spanish bus services; their punctuality and ease of access and the cleanliness and comfort of the very modern bus fleet.

As we had 50 minutes to wait for the Pamplona bus we popped into Café Autobus close to the ALSA ticket office and had a glass of vino tinto. Like myself, David was to become a fan of the odd glass of vino tinto as like me he found that when you walk the Caminon, the odd glass at lunch or at the evening meal, gladdens the heart and revives the spirits when the pilgrim is starting to slump!

David enjoying the vino tinto in Café Autobus

The bus journey to Pamplona passed uneventfully and we were surprised at how the motorway ascended into the mountains before we arrived at the impressive ultra-modern underground bus station in Pamplona which is situated under the park beside the Cuidadela.

The Hostal Navarra nearby on Tudela Boulevard turned out to be small but very clean and comfortable and we fell gratefully into our beds, pleased that so far our journey had largely gone to plan and we had arrived safely where we should be for the night.