This past weekend was our last full weekend here in Spain. I decided to plan a trip (for those interested) to travel up north and hike the Camino de Santiago. The Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James in English) is a historical pilgrimage of over 750 kilometers that starts in St. Jean Pied de Port, France. It goes all the way across northern Spain, ending at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in the northwestern corner of Spain, where St. James is buried. The entire hike takes over 30 days.
We ended up hiking 70 kilometers (about 45 miles) in three days. We started in Pamplona, which is in the País Vasco province of Spain, close to the French border. We took a train Friday after classes and got into Pamplona about 8 pm. We found the albergue (pilgrim hostel) and got our credenciales (pilgrim passports). With these credenciales, pilgrims can stay in albergues, which are special hostels just for pilgrims. They range from giant hostels with over 100 beds, to small private hostels with 10 beds. Each city is different.
When we checked into the albergue in Pamplona, luck was on our side. They had 112 beds in the albergue, and we took the last 6 beds!! Once we got settled in, we went to grab dinner and explore Pamplona. We all got bocadillos with fresh jamon serrano for dinner and then sat on a bench in the Plaza Mayor, eating our bocadillos, chatting, and people-watching. After that, we of course needed dessert, so all went and got ice cream. There is something about ice cream in Spain, but you crave it EVERY night! We were able to enjoy it guilt-free, because we knew we’d be burning it all off the next day!
Saturday morning we got up at 6 am and were on the road by 6:30. In Spain, the sun is extremely intense, so all of the hikers head out very early and try to get as much hiking in as possible before it gets too hot.
We walked through the city of Pamplona and into the first town of Cizur Menor. From there we started a steady incline, and into Zariquiegui. We were a few hours into our day, so we took out packs off and rested, enjoying some fruit from a local store.
From there, we finished our ascent to the top of a mountain. The views were incredible. We were so high that we were on the same level as the windmills, so we took a picture with them. The best part of the view was that the only way to get there was to hike it, so the only people on top were pilgrims.
After all that work going up, we then had to go down! Believe it or not, but this is actually even harder to do, especially with a pack on. However, the views around us made it all worth it! On the other side of the mountain, we passed through two more cities, Uterga and Obanos. Stopping in each for snacks and a break.
The last few hours of our day were pretty rough, since the Spanish sun was in full-force. We finally made it to our destination, Puente la Reina, around 3.
The albergue that we stayed in was another large one with about 100 beds. We had a room to ourselves with 4 bunk beds. The hostel also had a pool, which was a perfect way to end the day. After this we all relaxed in our beds and rested, chatting and enjoying one another's company. The hostel was up on a hill, and after the day that we had, none of us had any desire to go back down the hill to the city for dinner, so we just ate dinner in our hostel. Many places have a “pilgrim menu” for dinner, which is what our hostel had. You get a first place, second plate, bread, dessert, and then water, pop or wine to drink.
We were all pretty exhausted and ended up falling asleep as soon as we finished dinner. After getting a great night’s sleep, we woke up Sunday again at 6am and got started. As we left the hostel, the sun was rising over the city and we admired the great view.
From there, the day got started with a bang and after about 1 kilometer of walking, we started to ascend our first mountain of the day.
We passed through Mañeru, Cirauqui, Lorca, and Villatuerta, up and down a few more mountains, and then ended in the town of Estella. We finished walking the planned 22 kilometers by around 1:00.
We checked into our albergue, showered, washed our clothes, and set out to explore the town. That weekend, they were having some sort of medieval festival. Everyone was dressed up in medieval clothing, and they had stands set up selling food, drinks and artisanal gifts.
We were all pretty exhausted, so after a little walking, we found a bench in the Plaza Mayor and sat for a few hours, relaxing, talking, and people-watching. Later that night, we went to a bar serving the pilgrim’s menu and had dinner.
Monday, our 3rd and final day, we woke up at 6am and got started. The scenery was again beautiful, with mountains that looked like they could be backdrops on a movie set. As northern Spain is known for their wine production, we also passed through many vineyards.
After this we climbed a few more mountains, and passed through the towns of Azqueta and Villamayor de Monjardín. We made great time again. We walked 22 km and arrived in our destination city of Los Arcos by around 12:30.
We had some time to kill before catching out bus to the train station, so we sat at a café, enjoyed a cool drink and some snacks. We made a toast to what we had accomplished over the past 3 days.
Overall, all of the girls really enjoyed themselves on this trip. They all told me that they want to come back some day and do the entire hike (and nothing makes me happier!) I am beyond impressed with what everyone accomplished. In three days, they hiked 70 kilometers, up and down mountains, in the hot Spanish sun, carrying their backpacks the entire time. And I never heard one single complaint. I am extremely proud!
As the pilgrims say ...... ¡Buen camino!