Los Arcos

When you choose to collect experiences rather than things, you will never run out of storage space. – Unknown

Thank you for reading along with us. We appreciate and enjoy reading your comments. A special thanks to our friend Mark who watched Rangeley for this past week. Rangeley is now with our son Cooper till we return home in July. Thank you Cooper and Chelsea!

Day 5 – Pamplona to Puenta la Riena – 13.4 miles

May 22

Gary here, Elizabeth is having a well deserved massage, so it is up to me to write a bit about our day. We stayed on the outskirts of Pamplona last night, so lights on all night outside the room, lights on all night in the hallway and an emergency night light in the room. Felt like we were staying in a US city hotel. The small places we normally stay are very dark. We sleep with our headlamps next to us in case we need to get up in the night.

The walk today was a long gradual up to Alto del Perdon, then a short steep down, followed by a gradual down to Puenta la Riena. The weather was spectacular once again. Cloudy morning (mid 50s) followed by a sunny afternoon with a high temp of 66. On the way up we stopped for our first Spanish eggs and bacon breakfast this trip. There were no tables so we sat on the side of the road and ate our breakfast. Many pilgrims lined up sitting against the wall across from us. Fun crowd. Not sure that would work well in the US. The food tasted great.

Now we had to finish the climb, a total of 1,500’ vertical. I loved it and took off. It was the first time I just went my pace climbing a hill since my shoulder surgery in early February. The shoulder is doing great. I continue to do my physical therapy every day. One couple asked Elizabeth what I was doing as I was doing the range of motion exercises as I was walking. It certainly is paying off, as I feel great for only 3 ½ months post surgery. Oops, now back to our regularly scheduled Camino discussion.

We saw our friend from Montreal we have been seeing regularly the past few days. He started over 40 days ago from Paris. I have an Appalachian Trail patch on my backpack that he commented on several days ago. Elizabeth continues to enjoy “talking” with everyone. Sometimes it is more hand gestures than words, but there is always a laugh involved and that is a universal language.

Tonight we had a really good dinner with a couple from Ireland and another from Wales. No language issues there. We certainly enjoy the Irish. They all seem to have a wonderful personality. They have been skiing in Vermont twice. Elizabeth and I both grew up there so that was fun.

As the saying goes – April showers bring May Flowers. (English poet in the 1500’s!)

Enjoy the slide show of flowers we saw today, below!

Day 6 – Puenta la Riena to Estella – 13.4 miles

May 23

Elizabeth:

Our lodging last night was really good. We would definitely stay here again. Common kitchen on floor 1 (one floor up, 2nd floor in US). They had hot choc powder, coffee vending machine, hot water pot, microwave, fridge, sink. Lots of community tables. Floor 2 had a common lounge and large outdoor deck. Our room was 3rd floor walk up. We had a balcony in our room which we ate breakfast on. Only challenge was a bunk room (12ppl) was on the same floor and shared our bathroom across the hall. 

After my massage last night and only 5 days walking under my belt, my legs felt quite heavy and today’s walk was one that I am glad is behind me! Tomorrow will be better…right??? We have completed a bit over 70 miles to date. 

We arrived in Estella and found our hotel. Again, really nice, better than last nights… since it’s newer and has a private bath…also more expensive, roughly $76. A steal in US though. Small balcony, large modern room on 3rd floor (4th in US) and…wait for it…an elevator!!!! Yup, I took it!

After a rest (ok a literal nap for me!), Gary’s trip to the grocery store and showers, we walked the equivalent of a city block to get to the Plaza Mayor (main plaza) for food. We saw many “old” friends. Leslie an anesthesiologist from New Orleans who we met in Madrid airport, two German women who we met our 1st night in Auberge Borda and keep seeing, a young man Bobbie from NYC, another gentleman from our Borda night and more. It was sunny, breezy and enjoyable eating outside in the plaza while stray soccer balls made their way to our feet from children playing in front of the church beside us. Another successful day on the Camino.

Interesting thought. According to the statistics posted online from Pilgrims signing in where they start, only 17% start in SJPdP (500 miles to Santiago, like us). 51% start in Sarria, walking the minimum 100km to get a Compostela (certificate of completion). 32% start somewhere in between. 

Buen Camino!!

E: Today began with a stop at the wine fountain at a local bodega. A Camino tradition. Gary and I just filled our waters. Gary doesn’t drink wine and it was too early for me. I did get wine there in 2015. The winery offers the red wine for free, each day, to walkers….until it is gone.

We took the alternate route up the hill and through the woods which is the way we have taken the last two times we’ve been through this stretch of trail. It was well marked this time and did not disappoint! Views, forested paths and gravel roads to a small town called Luquin. The alternative “green route”  is just a bit shorter than staying more level,  going along the busy road and through towns on concrete, marble and blacktop. We would choose the green route again.

Unfortunately,  we came across an older woman (late 70’s, early 80’s?) that we had seen a few minutes earlier, a pilgrim carrying a pack,  that we heard fall. Thank goodness she was not seriously hurt, very shaken up, but no long term injury. She was on the side of the trail, not moving. Gary can not use his post surgery shoulder yet so I took my pack off, knelt by her and asked her to stay still. Luckily she spoke English. We later learned she is from Holland. She said she thought she was fine but I carefully touched her ankles, knees and hips asking if anything felt painful. So far so good. I had her sit up and wait again to see how she felt. Gave her some water, then assisted her to her feet. Scary what could have been, but after a cleaning of her cut on her arm, a Band-Aid I had placed over it and more breathes, water and assurance she was OK, we walked together for a couple mikes to Luquin. She insisted on buying me a coffee and after a hug, we parted ways. An interesting backstory to the Band-Aid I gave her, was they had fallen out of my pack some miles before and another pilgrim came up and was waving the bag asking everyone who they belong to. I thanked the woman who picked them up on the ground and put them back in the zipper side pocket of my backpack. Had the previous pilgrim not provided me with my lost first aid bag. I would not have been able to thoroughly assist the woman who fell! It is stated regularly on this trail: The Camino Provides.

Last night we met a woman that lived in Luquin. She said that each morning at 10:30 she and some friends do a Christian singing group at her house and let us know where her home was located. We entered the town of Luquin, population 130, just in time to stand below the open windows of her house and listen to the songs for a few moments before stopping at the tiny town’s cafe. A sweet way to continue our day.

At Luquin’s cafe, we saw Bobbie from NYC, our two German women we have been connecting with and a group of 6 guys all from the same village from north eastern, Catalan area of Spain who have been leapfrogging with us for a couple of days. They pass us, they stop and rest, we pass them, we stop, they pass us…

We have yet to get a photo of the Cuckoo birds we are hearing but I will try. Since their song is literally ” koo, koo…koo, koo” Gary looked it up and that is the name sake to the Cuckoo clock! If it says it online, it must be true, right?! 🤪

I walked with four young people from Soul South Korea and a song came to one of the young man’s mind, El Condor Pasa. I did not recognize the name so, he found it on his phone and we walked together singing along with Simon and Garfunkel, “…I’d rather be a sparrow than a snail, yes I would….” . How random, fun and freeing.

We entered Los Arcos, our destination for the day. We returned to Hotel Monaco from 2015 and 2019. Both times have distinctive events we remembered. 2015 we witnessed a running of the bulls festival the night we arrived. You can read about this great live toros festival experience on August 19, 2015 entry on this blog. Then, in 2019, after taking a taxi to Puenta la Reina due to a knee injury, I realized I forgot to get my credit card back from the cab driver! That story is on June 2, 2019, also on our blog. But that story has a fun continuation this trip! The guy that checked us into Hotel Monaco is named Jamie. He remembered us because he was the one to find me in the plaza, in 2019 with the credit card our cab driver brought to the hotel for me. Jamie knew we were having dinner in the plaza and hand delivered my CC to me!

I love these small world stories!! A guy remembers us, from 4 years ago, in a town of 1,117 people, when, in high season, that same number of pilgrims walk through this town every 3-4 days!!

We have a washing machine in  the apartment (first time we have EVER had one in our room, all four trips!) and hung the clothes to dry on our wrap-around porch. I used hangers and clothes pins knowing the wind would whip the items around. Almost got away with it…one of Gary’s shirts went missing at some point, leaving a broken clothes pin in it’s wake. Where did it go??? Gary looked down on the ground, 4 floors below…nothing. An hour later, conceding to the fact we will buy another camisa (shirt) at the next larger town, I decided to ask the bartender on floor “0” , about the missing shirt, as we were heading to dinner. All I got out was ” Comisa…” and he motioned to stop and walked away, coming back with Gary’s shirt, hanger and all! A passer-by brought it in to him. The Camino Provides!

We walked to the Plaza Mayor (where the bulls were passing by us in pics from 2015 in this town) and had dinner. Gary enjoyed a couple of San Miguel cervesas and me, a sangria. There was a B Day party going on for about 15, 6 to 8 year olds. The loud laughter, running around and what I would describe as a ground launched piñata was fun for all! A parent would step on a canister and toys and candy would shoot into the air! Screams and rapid gathering ensued!

I would have shared a pic with you all but felt it was intrusive and not advisable for a stranger to snap pictures of children in the plaza 🤷🏼‍♀️

Another fabulous day on The Way.