walking to Navarette

At last we are able to write another post ...have had connection and language problems. Blogger decided we should write in Arabic at one point!

0ur time in Logrono was short,  but we managed to enjoy our first pilgrim meal of the trip. ..3 courses+ bread + wine/water for €12 ..a bargain!. Our choice of venue was popular with locals, especially those hoping to earn a few euros at the tables.

intermittently, other  slightly younger customers kept disappearing through a side door, each carrying their glass of wine with them. Isabel decided to investigate and, discovering a more serious and intense card school in action, quickly returned pretending she was only looking for the Ladies! It was an entertaining evening.

On Monday morning we set out to walk to Naverette in lovely sunshine, full of the joys of being back on the Camino. Very soon we were enjoying the Riojan countryside. ..walking alongside fields of vine and olive trees, taking pictures of flowers, greeting fellow pilgrims with "Buen Camino!", passing the ruins of St Juan de Acre pilgrims' hospital - a reminder of those who have passed this way before us for centuries!

After about seven miles, Navarette came into view, a quiet, sleepy little town, where we had our first tapas lunch, visited the local church and booked into Hotel Rey Sancho. A short walk for our first day!

The town is famous for its Rioja wine, and there are many bodegas in the area. Sue had hoped to do some wine tasting on our trip, but the opportunty never arose. This was the nearest she got to it.

We are having lots of fun!

On the road....

We left Manchester on a sunny Sunday morning, and arrived in an even hotter Bilbao, all set for our second walk on the Camino. With three hours to wait before a bus journey to Logrongo, we deposited our cases in the  left luggage office at the bus station, and enjoyed exploring the city, including a walk along the river to see the Guggenheim museum,  and through a lovely park. It was not easy to find a cafe for tea and cake, as they obviously take very seriously Sunday being a day of rest! ALL our walks normally include a stop at a cafe/ pub, and we did find a small cafe in the end, but no cake! We maintained our code of practice! !

We are spending a day in Bilbao at the end of our trip, so we'll have more to share then.

The journey to Logrono took us through beautiful countryside, snow topped mountains and green valleys, travelling towards  the Rioja region ..and.fields full of grape vines!

Logrono's old quarter was where we stayed, in Hotel Condes Haro  - very comfortable and very near the church of Santiago el Real. Nearby we found another church like building which was in its time a church, a warehouse, a tobacco factory, church again and is now municpal offices. We would have liked to explore further this interesting town, but tomorrow we are on the Camino. ...very excited, and full of anticipation of the journey ahead.

When we were about to leave Santiago last October, we recalled the words of St Augustine:

" Sing Alleluia, and keep on walking."

We hope this second Camino walk will be as happy and as inspiring as the first.

             Here we go again.....

 

On Sunday, May 18th, we shall return to the Camino

to walk from Logrono to Burgos   ...   a return to

"Buen Camino" and to blogging!

 

 

Watch this space!

 



We've only just begun...

 

It was dark when we took our first steps on the last stretch of our pilgrimage along the Way of St James. In some ways this seemed appropriate ..the morning mist on the valleys as the sun rose, the stillness broken only by the sound of our feet and the birds singing. 

We were both deep in thought as we began the climb out of Lavocolla, one of the last stops along the camino. It is thought that pilgrims in the Middle Ages used to wash in the stream here to arrive clean at the shrine of St James.

Sue took this story seriously and decided to wash ( just her hands ) in a fairly fast flowing stream. Suffice to say she lost her footing, but thankfully was wearing her Gor Tex boots and waterproof trousers!

For the rest of our walk we were excited, but a little sad that our pilgrimage was nearing an end. We were blessed by a beautiful rainbow which lifted our spirits. As we. Drew nearer to Santiago the road became much busier. Although from Mount  Gozo it is no longer possible to see the cathedral spires, we could still see the city, and from there it was downhill until the final ascent to the cathedral steps.

 We arrived in time for the Pilgrims Mass - words fail to describe the experience. We met lots of friends with whom we had shared the journey, and we were all united in prayer and worship in the cathedral - our final destination 

...or is it?

St Augustine said:

"Behold our end which has no end."

 

He also said:  

"Sing Alleluia,

and keep on walking!"

Day after day...

We have described our journey so far in terms of places we have visited, the beauty of our surroundings and times of laughter and fun. Never a dull moment! More difficult to express are our thoughts and feelings. As we travelled the miles we have encountered God with new eyes and in new ways in the people we have met, the places we have stopped and in the 

natural beauty of the world around us.

Each day it's as if a new journey begins... A journey into the unknown ... exciting, full of anticipation but also full of hope that we have the strength to reach our destination with blister free feet!

On Thursday 10th we had a particular experience in mind as we walked to Melide, a little town deeply linked with the pilgrimage to Santiago.  One of the best known dishes served in Melide is the octopus!

 As recorded previously we did have an unexpected taster in Sarria of the gastronomic delights in Melide. Bryan,our vicar, wanted evidence that we would not return without sampling the pulpo ... an experience we did not relish. Every picture tells a story.

When we return,we look forward to telling you about the many colourful characters we have met on the way. There are too many  to write about here - fellow pilgrims who have helped to make every day special, including a lovely couple who live along the road from Ian and Joan!!
Theads and links of those we meet never cease to amaze us!

On the road to Aruza on Friday we were happy to find two village churches open. In one of them a Spanish man enthusiastically described his little church to us. We did not understand each other but there was no mistaking his pleasure when we gave him a postcard of St John's before we left.

Each day we have shared the path with cyclists from around the world also on route to Santiago we spent time chatting to a Romanian paralympic champion who took part in the London Olympics and is now preparing for Rio. On this afternoon there was also a group of people on horseback. 

We spent Friday night in a hostel but not in bunks thankfully!

We have met so many inspiring people, but on Saturday, as we walked to Rua, we were  privileged to share the excitement of around 20 disabled people, each on their own adapted  cycles, accompanied by carers and volunteers - young and old. They had travelled from Madrid to journey to Santiago. 

Spontaneous cheers and applause welcomed them to our Casa.

Between us we have taken hundreds of photos. This little robin and many more like him provided pleasure and birdsong wherever we walked  ...and this larger bird made us smile. HAS HE A COUSIN NEAR THE GARDEN CENTRE IN TIMPERLEY fee?

Resting Places...

Since leaving Ferreiros on Monday morning, every day has brought  new experiences. Misty mornings have cleared to bring warm sunny afternoons. 

How lucky we are!

 We continue to enjoy beautiful countryside - very green with hints of Autumn on the hedgerows and trees, fallen apples and paths strewn with chestnuts. The camino is now more gentle compared with our first few days, but we still have had some steep and rough ground to cover.

On Tuesday we stayed at the town of Portomarin, which has an interesting history. In the 1960's the river Mino was dammed to create the Belesar reservoir. The old village is now under water. The most important historical monuments were moved brick by brick up to the new town. 

The following day we continued to walk through more stone villages - their grain stores on stilts, the farmers working their land. On this stretch of the trail we reached our half way mark!

 On Wednesday we had another opportunity to leave the camino to spend a night in the countryside near Ventas ...a quiet little farmers hamlet.  Unlike our last trip off the trail, we had a very pleasant drive to our destination

 - Pazo de Ludeiro..

Every night night so far we have enjoyed comfortable accommodation and good food. Compleja La Cabana - set right on the Camino path, just before the descent into Palais de Rei, surrounded by pine and chestnut trees, was our next stop. This time we were in a log cabin! 
(with a window that just fell out ... more about that another day.)

Off The Beaten Track...

Ferreiros, an extremely remote hamlet on the Camino, paper in hand, phone number to contact, but no reply, again and again and again!
Less than helpful bar staff in the Casa, one of only two inhabited places the other at the bottom of a long, steep hill!

 We tried to phone a taxi company, but abandoned our efforts 'non comprendi'.
A young Italian, a fellow pilgrim, tried to interpret for us. Eventually a young Spanish girl took pity and phoned a taxi for us. Two hours later a taxi arrived!

  There after it felt like we were on the film set of a James Bond car chase.  An expected 3km ride extended to a half hour roller coaster ride. Very scary! The mad Spanish chauffeur eventually stopped the car in Portomarin, 

our next days destination! 

 He laughed at our efforts to tell him there must be a mistake, that we were going the wrong way.  However, our panic subsided when a young Romania pilgrim joined us at this point. This was no ordinary taxi driver but the owner of Foilebar, our overnight accommodation.  When we arrived at his beautiful home, high up in the hills, he explained that his property name meant

 'House of the Wolf!'

We needed time to recover from the panic and travel sickness before enjoying a wonderful meal in the company of new  companions.  We prayed for forgiveness for lack of faith and in thanksgiving for our safe arrival.

But in the middle of the night when there was a loud banging  on the door we wondered if we were on the set of an Agatha Christie murder mystery or maybe too much wine!

All jokng apart it was a privilege to enjoy spending time in this beautiful home with such friendly, hospitable people.

The next morning we were taken back to where we had been picked up to continue our Camino.