At 8:25 we walked from our hostal with our day packs and backpacks to the nearby Correos post office to initiate the transport service we’ll use for the entire Camino. It took over an hour to overcome a technical problem we’ve had making the payment to Correos for the service via our iphones.
At 9:45 we left the post office, and found a nearby merchant to call a taxi to get us moving along the Camino ASAP.
Finally, at 10:05, we began today’s walk at the village of Zariquiegui.
Leaving from Zariquiegui
The following is an attempt to capture what we saw and felt today as we climbed to the pinnacle of the Alto del Perdón, Pamplona and the Pyrenees shrinking into the background, and then bravely took-on the challenge of the rocky descent with the hope that the coming days would offer frequent glimpses of nature’s beauty and majesty garnished with the ever-present remnants of mankind’s struggles and accomplishments… all coming together to further enrich the pilgrim experience.
Most of the 1.5 mile climb was quite steepNot only was the path steep, but frequent rain storms of recent days created puddles and small streams flowing across and sometimes with the path resulting in not only caked and splashed mud on footwear and pants but provided insidious slippery spots, which threatened a muddy fall and/or a Camino ending injury.The imposing size and the droning sound of wind turbines along the Alto del Perdón ridge added additional intimidation at times as we struggled against the incline, occasional wind gusts and unsure footing.Arriving at Alto del PerdonPosing in front of the energy company artwork.Heading west and downward
The following are examples of the terrain experienced as we walked down from Alto del Perdon.
The end of the difficult, rocky downhill trek and the emerging green fields of spring.At the bottom , finally, after a mile downhill.Seeing Green fields of grain. on the Camino for the first time.walking for a while with Kirsten from Holland.
We stopped in the village Uterga at a favorite spot, usually perfect for breakfast and a rest, after tackling Alto del Perdon. Today, though, we arrived at 12:45, long past breakfast and tostadas were not available. So, we shook things up a bit by ordering colacao (Spanish hot chocolate), and shared a slice of chocolate pie and a roasted vegetable tortilla. (Never a dull moment on the Camino Frances!)
…walking among the green fields between Uterga and Murazabal.Here we were just leaving Murazabal with Obanos in the background and showers threatening. We ultimately put on our rain ponchos as we approached the foot of the hill, which thwarted all but an occasional drizzle.
We arrived at Casa Raichu, our 4th stay and were greeted cheerfully by Elena, the owner with smiles and hugs.
Elena, a pastry chef and for some 5 years, a casa rural owner, prepared a tasty dinner for us and 5 other guests representing, USA ( California), Germany and Spain (Barcelona).
We retired after a satisfying day of meeting new friends, enjoying new scenery and successful completing a challenging walk … a good beginning for Camino 2025.
By 10 p.m. Friday night, we had sufficiently wound down from our travels and decided to give sleep a chance.
Surprisingly, we both slept well, Linda making it to 8:30 a.m Saturday morning and Jim to 10:00! For us, it was very unusual, being able to adjust to jet lag and the 6 hr time difference so quickly.
We walked to a favorite restaurant, Café Iruña, also a favorite of Ernest Hemingway, and had our Camino breakfast of café con leche & tostados around noon. Afterward, we did some minor shopping, then returned to our room to organize/repack our backpacks for transport and our day packs for walking.
Jim spread our all his “stuff” for the two months on the Camino and began deciding what to put in his backpack for transport on Monday and the following few days and what to carry with him as we walked, based on the weather forecast and what he couldn’t live without if the transported backpack was delayed or lost getting to our next destination. Linda did a similar exercise for her stuff.
Around 3 o’clock, we were ready for lunch/dinner, but none of the restaurant cocinas (kitchens) were still open. So, we found a small market nearby and gathered some fixins to bring back to the Hostal Arriazu break area to allow chefs Linda and Jim to work their culinary magic.
Fresh baguette, sliced ham, gouda cheese and sliced avocado laughing cow condiment made delicious mini-sandwiches. Complimented by leftover Navarre wine from last nights dinner and banana for dessert.
After lunch/dinner we played a game of hand-and-foot with dark chocolate dessert number #2, then retired to our room to rest and finalize preparations for a test walk on Sunday morning. The walk will be from old city Pamplona for a few miles west and return to validate our organization decisions before leaving Pamplona behind for Camino 2025 on Monday morning.
Packs are ready for our test walk on Sunday as we rested, read and blogged before bedtime. Our room is simple, plenty of space for organizing our stuff, an ensuite bathroom and a small balcony overlooking an ancient street in the center of old Pamplona/Iruna.
The Sunday morning sun greeted us as we stepped outside of our Hostal, around 10 o’clock, for a test walk. It was wonderful, walking in the dry, 50 degree weather, a welcome break from the intermittent showers of the past two days with more rain in the forecast for today.
Our walk took us out of the old city, along several parks, through high rise residential areas, skirting the University of Navarre campus to the environs of the village of Cizur Menor.
The entrance into Parque de La TaconeraCamino markers on the sidewalk to keep us on tract,Trekking along the edge of Parque de La Vuelta del CastilloPicturesque, wide sidewalks through high rise residential areas.Crossing an old bridge as we passed the University of Navarre campusReversing course just before reaching Cizur Menor .Passing the edge of Navarre University as we headed back toward Pamplona.
After 2 miles, we reversed course, stopped for breakfast and then continued back to our Hostal.
The walk took just over 90 minutes, covering 4.3 miles.
Stopping for breakfast on our return to the old city.Entering the old city and passing by the St F. Assisi library in St Frances de Assisi plaza and school.Arriving at Arriazu Hostal to finish out test walk. Map of our “test trek”.
The test revealed that our bodies and equipment were up to the task ahead. We were a bit tired after the walk, but we are probably still affected by the time difference and jet lag. Also, because of travel and travel prep, we have gone 5 days without any distance training. We should get stronger with each passing day on the Camino.
Since it didn’t rain, checking out our rain gear will need to occur in real time on the Camino.
We rested for a short while after our walk, then found a place for lunch/dinner near our hostal among the. countless eating options for meals and/or pintxos just a few steps in any direction.
We each enjoyed a glass of red Navarre wine and shared an ensalada mixta.… and shared pork cheeks (Carrilleras de Cerdo), fries and roasted peppersThe exterior of our lunch/dinner restaurant, Pacomé Gastrob, Calle Comedias 12… just a few steps from our hostal and just off of Plaza del Castillo.
The remainder of the afternoon and evening was spent finalizing packs and getting a good night’s rest for the beginning of Camino 2025 tomorrow morning.
We began with our Uber ride to GSP at 10:00 a.m. on May 8 and arrived at our hotel in Pamplona at 2:00 p.m. on May 9. Total time intransit was 22 hours. Here’s a photo account of our journey:
Chick-Fil-a brunch at GSP … waiting for our 12:59 flight.Waiting to board and happy after confirming our backpacks were loaded via the AA app.Also waiting to board our flight were two pilgrims (we spotted shells on their backpacks) from Chapel Hill, NC. This will be the first Camino for Jake and second for Ciara. They were going to start their Camino in St Jean Pied de Port (SJPDP).Waiting for takeoff in CLT. The eight hour flight began on schedule but was full and cramped. Sleep was at best, limited and fretful. The flight was otherwise smooth and uneventful.Arriving at MAD at 5:30 a.m., then taking in the incredible architecture and decor of our favorite airport as we walked to customs.After clearing customs, which was very efficient… taking only 15 minutes to handle a long queue… we took multiple escalators down to the airport subway level.The wait for the subway was only 4 minutes. And the ride to the main terminal was only 5 minutes.… we took more escalators from the subway level to the massive baggage recovery area…… where our backpacks were waiting for us. It’s always a relief to retrieve our backpacks!
From the baggage recovery area we took a mobile walkway back up to the Iberia departures area, where we received our boarding passes and rechecked our backpacks for the flight to Pamplona. All the Iberia staff we encountered were welcoming, professional and efficient.
Next, we cleared through security without incident and got directions to an eatery near the gate for boarding the noon flight to Pamplona.
Beginning our wait for the fight to Pamplona and enjoying a breakfast of cafe con leche and an almond croissant.Our flight departed from MAD on time and touched down in Pamplona at 1:30 p.m. Part of Pamplona seen on our approach to the airport.The Pamplona airport is pretty small and basic from the outside…… and pretty basic inside, as well. Our checked backpacks were already waiting for us on the turnstile by the time we deplaned and walked about a 100 yards on the tarmac to inside.
Taxis arrived shortly after we landed and by 2:00 p.m, we were checking-in to our Pamplona hotel, located in the old section of the city.
Our host recommended a restaurant a few steps from our hotel. We dropped our belongings into our room and had a nice meal before crashing in our room after a tiring, 4000 mile trip.
A tasty, homestyle meal to end our trip to the Camino.
Building on our previous six Camino Frances walks: (2012-15), 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024, we are ready to embark on Camino 2025.
Reservations to get to the Camino Frances of Northern Spain and places to stay are complete. Camino 2025 will take 56 days. We’ll take 4 days traveling to our starting point, including two days to adjust to the timezone change and jet lag.
Unlike all previous Caminos, we will fly on Iberia Airlines from Madrid to Pamplona. This was our best alternative since the train, which was our previous method to get from Madrid to Pamplona, was sold out for our American Airlines arrival date.
45 days will be devoted to walking with 4 additional rest days in Burgos(2) and Leon(2). We’ve allocated an extra day in Santiago after receiving our Compostela, a travel day via train to Madrid and a final day to fly back home.
Unlike previous Caminos, we plan to start in Pamplona. This means skipping the walk from SJPdP, over the Pyrenees, through Roncesvalles, Zubiri and the remaining trek into Pamplona, a distance of roughly 45 miles.
We will skip the walk from Cruz de Ferrio to Ponferrada, similar to recent Caminos, avoiding this challenging and potentially dangerous section, and eliminating another 16 miles of walking.
Even though our plan is based on previous Caminos, we will be overnighting at 15 properties for the first time. We will also be staying at 3 properties for the 7th time.
Another Camino 2025 difference will be the time of the year. All our previous Caminos have been walked in the July-October time period. We are looking forward to experiencing spring weather conditions, the colors of the fields and flowers and other variants that should add to the uniqueness of our Camino 2025 experience.
So, it’s time to begin Camino 2025. Our. Uber driver will pick us up at home and take us to the airport at 10:00 a.m. in the morning to board our flight to Charlotte.
Looking up Calle de Atocha a half-block from our apartment.Looking down Calle de Atocha toward the Atocha train station.Heading down Paseo de Prado with our faithful Uber driver
As we rode east on Paseo de Prado, we passed a number of monuments that we didn’t get to on our promenade the previous day.
Praza de Colón – To honor Cristóbal Colón, aka. Christopher Columbus.Monument to Castelar – Emilio Castelar (1832–1899), Spanish politician, historian, journalist and writer. President of the First Spanish RepublicMonumento al Marquéss del Duero on the Plaza de Doctor Marañón – Duero was a military leader and considered the top Spanish strategist of the 19th century.
We turned right into a tunnel leading to A-2, a main expressway leaving the city in the direction of the huge airport (MAD) in the Madrid district of Barajas.
tunnel to A2A2Typical graffiti along the expressway.an example of the variety of architecture of modern Spanish buildings throughout Madrid.The Madrid Airport Hilton straight ahead.
The Uber driver dropped us off at the hotel entrance, we walked a few steps with our backpacks to the registration desk at 11:25 and were offered a room upgrade and a room key and went immediately to our best accommodation for Camino2024. It was a great way to begin the transition from the Camino to our life at home.
in a lobby elevator on the way to our roomthe view from just jnside our room doorLinda checking out the view from the 5 floor.The ensuite bathroomKing bed, desk, dressing table, lounge chair and wood floors.“a corner room with a view”
We had access to an executive lounge which was open all day and offered food and snacks and drinks which we turned into dinner around 6:00.
Jim testing out the room furniture.
We thoroughly enjoyed our accommodations from our 11:30 checkin to check-out at 8:30 the next morning, with a great night’s sleep in the comfortable king bed in between.
The Hotel Shuttle delivered us to the T-4 terminal at 8:45 where we checked our packs at the American Airlines reception area (no waiting in line), cleared security without incident and walked to our flight’s boarding area and waited until boarding at 11:40 a.m.
A view of the ultra-modern MAD T-4 terminal.the view from our seats in the boarding areaAll aboard and on our way to Charlotte, NC on a very full plane.
The trip across the Atlantic seemed excessively longer than usual. As it turned out, it was, taking 8:45 minutes in the air with a 120 mph headwind. This made the return trip almost 2hr longer than the trip on the same route with the wind behind us two months earlier going in the opposite direction.
By the time we landed, deplaned, cleared customs, collected and rechecked our packs, cleared TSA and made our way to our connecting flight to Greenville, we were the last to board our flight and as soon as we were buckled in, the plane pulled away from the gate.
on board our commuter plane in Charlotte
The trip to Greenville was too long also. It took 25 minutes to taxi from the gate to the queue line for takeoff, Another 20 minutes for the 7 planes in front of us in the queue to lift off.
Jim waiting while we wait in the take-off cue.
The actual flight only took 20 minutes from lift off to touch down in Greenville. Add another 10 minutes for a short taxi and letting us off the plane. Then another 25 minutes to wait in the GSP baggage claim area for our packs to be unloaded from the plane and make their way to Jim’s waiting hands at the turnstile.
Our friend and neighbor, Caren, picked us up at the GSP airport, drove us home and welcomed us home after 60 days of Camino2024.
A quick walk-through our home revealed it was just about the same way we left it. We luckily escaped the damage suffered by so many Hurricane Helene victims in the Carolinas and Virginia.
For our family and friends that shared Camino2024 with us via the blog, we hope you were able to enjoy our account of the experience and understand why we have continued to revisit the Camino de Santiago de Compostela now for the 6th time.
