Picos De Europa Arenas de Cabrales

Back in Spain! The drive from Bordeaux to the first pit stop before we got to Porto was pretty uneventful. The views were nice and it was a fun change in the scenery going from France to Spain. The towns on the border are kind of funny because they all look very Spanish from the architecture to the people but everything is ...

... although too much for the trip. The camera was not there, and my extra kilometers of running tired me out, but not mentally or spirtually. The camino seems best at doing this: traumatizing your body while easing your mind.

I eventually walked on faster, without George, over a high mountain. Along the crest were a multitude of wind generators,.. very eery to look at for some reason, but beautiful. It was a very steep descent, and with every step ...

... easy but we spent lot of time walking on a road! we prefer the pilgrimage by walking on footpaths... since that day we hate walking on roads!

Navarrete is a small village with a charming refuge and all the services u may need (supermarkets, ATM...)

... cities in the Camino, we visited the whole city in a few hours cuz is a little bit small. We finished our first walking week in this city so we made a farewell party in c/Laurel, the most famous street in Logroņo, many people get drunk that day... i don't know how they felt for walking the day after that party...
We will come back in my next free week to continue the camino from Logroņo to Burgos...

This stage has no difficulties, the landscapes begin to change, we left the woods behind us and we begin to see beatiful fields til we reach our destination.

In Los Arcos I don't recommend the main refuge... when we were there we saw lots of bugs, an unpleasant smell, a small kitchen... the village is not very impressive but the main church (worth to see)

... gone by and I am happy to have stayed here. Dinner however is a feast. A buffet pilgrimīs dinner for 10 euro includes all you can eat pasta, salad, soup, ice cream, fruit, cakes, a serving of rabbit and chips, plus a bottle of wine. Marc and I both being hungry individuals manage to lose the hotel money thrice over and I am thrilled to return to my room with comfortable bed, and watch some bullfighting followed by the Barcelona game on tv.

... ed e' una sensazione meravigliosa. Al primo paese (quello dove non ero arrivata la sera prima) mi fermo per una rinfrancante brioche, e riparto per Pamplona, vicinissima. L'entrata in Pamplona e' a dir poco trionfale, attraverso la porta francese e con l'ipod che si esprime al massimo facendomi varcare la porta sulle note del fado. Credo di aver provato piu' o meno la stessa sensazione dei pellegrini di centinaia di anni fa... Pamplona e ...

I love the way they wake you up in Roncesvalles. First there's the flashlight flashes and rustling as sneaky pilgrims try to get going before the dawn. Then just on six some helpful soul presses play on the stereo so that we hear the faint sounds of monastic chanting before all the lights go up at ten past six!! From Roncesvalles it's a deceptively flat stroll....to begin with. I had a standard spanish brekky; cafe con leche and a croissant (but only ...

... a bit crowded. The Germans, generally, are nice pilgrims; but you can tell that the optimism and friendliness that they have at the start of the trip starts to wear out by the fourth or fifth day (which, for a cyclist, would be the same distance that you reach somewhere around the time of afternoon ice cream.) ******************** Hint for pilgrims reaching Estella: Forget about the municipal refuge - head for the youth hostel. It's on ...

... in Basque, an hour or two before lunch. The great thing about a lot of Spanish cities (that I've visited) is that someone had the foresight to install major parking facilities underground. In addition to preserving important historical landmarks, this also helps keep the feeling of a town very authentic and it's a great way to maximize functional real estate. Having parked in one of these subterranean decks, we were surprised when made our way to the surface, arriving exactly where we ...