Post Camino Wanderings: Porto, Portugal.

The Riverfront in Porto.

Well, we have completed the Camino. Having lanced a painful, infected blister, my foot pain level was returning to tolerable. Shelly and I now prepared to leave Santiago and tour through Portugal and Southern Spain. First stop: Porto, Portugal.

We left Santiago via bus and headed south, traveling through fine looking, wooded countryside. Eventually, we came to the outskirts of Porto, which turned out to be very vast, indeed. Our bus stopped at the airport, then it was another rather unremarkable 45 minutes to an hour to get to the center of town!

The square just outside our hotel.

Thanks to Booking.com, we had a decent room in the center of old Porto. Believe me, that's where you want to be. The newer parts of town aren't all that fascinating. The old town has lots of interesting old architecture and sights to see.

A parade of students!

One afternoon, when we were getting something to eat at an outdoor cafe in the square pictured above, we witnessed a giant gathering of college kids taking part in some sort of public ceremony. As I understand it, these were underclassmen who now attained the right to become upperclassmen, signified by the donning of  a robe. So all these kids were marching through the square along a sort of parade route, whooping it up. I think there might have been some drinking occurring, too! Anyway, that provided us with some entertainment while we enjoyed our dinner.

Blue painted tile is a traditional decoration in Porto.

Old Porto.

Porto is set on the Douro River, and the Douro wine region is to the east. This is a very old wine-making region and has led to the creation of a unique product, Port Wine.

It so happens that Porto is where Port wine was developed. The English, way back in the late 1600's, needed to insure a steady supply of good wine, due to sketchy relations with the French. They came to their ally, Portugal and developed the fortified wine we now call Port. I never cared much for Port before I became educated about it here! We visited a few Port "Lodges" and toured one, Taylor's. and enjoyed some samples. I found my favorite was Taylor's "Late Bottled Vintage", (LBV).

At the tour of Taylor's Port Lodge.

We spent a lot of time strolling through town and enjoying the sites. Old Porto is a nice place and definitely worth a visit if you're in the area!

Near the river.

Douro River, in the center is a replica rabelo boat.

Exploring old Porto.

Sé do Porto

Photos here:

Camino de Santiago, Part 6. From Ponferrada to Santiago and the end of our Camino.

In the Galician hills.

We now left Ponferrada, moving through the undulating terrain of the Western Spanish Province of Castilla y Leon and rapidly approaching Galicia, the last province we would enter. Forecast heavy rain did not materialize in the morning and we made good progress to Villafranca del Bierzo, a 24 kilometer day. It finally began to rain pretty hard at the end of our walk. We trusted in our guide book and took a dirt road into the town which proved to be good advice, and got beds in a nice municipal albergue which was on the outskirts of town. It was still a pretty good walk into the Plaza Mayor for a meal, but we managed.

Photos of this stage.

The next day started out in a steady but thankfully light rain. We followed a trail which largely followed the highway which ran through a river valley. Along a part of this way we couldn't see any waymarks, and the only other peregrino we met, (another American), was a little unsure too, but there really didn't seem to be any other way to go so we continued. In the end, we were, in fact, on the Camino, it was just not well marked: there really wasn't anywhere else to go along this long river valley. By (late) lunch time, we entered Vega de Valcarce. Here, I wanted to call it a day, although Shelly wanted to go a little further. It didn't really look like there was anything nearby so we stopped for the night. The albergue here was a large one, (72 beds),  there were almost no English-speaking pilgrims. An Italian family were in or dorm, we had met them before. When we were going to do our laundry, the matriarch of this group insisted we use her detergent instead of the baby shampoo we had been using! We didn't refuse!  We did run into Thomas in town, otherwise not too many familiar faces here.

The previous day's rain was all gone the next morning and we began our day's walk under clearing skies. As we climbed to O'Cebreiro, the wind began to pick up, and by the time we reached this beautiful mountain village, it was roaring! Here we saw some lovely architecture in the form of the Galician palloza, small cottages with conical straw roofs.

Palloza

O'Cebreiro is on a mountain top so now we get to enjoy going downhill for a while. Well, for a short while as we are now in Galicia, the mountainous region of northwest Spain. Galicia can be compared to our own Pacific Northwest, with ample rainfall and rugged terrain. After dropping downhill we were again climbing, pushing up a series of climbs, finally reaching a summit at Alto do Polo. We stopped for a break at the nice cafe here and decided to call it a day, getting a bed at the small private albergue that was attached to the bar, which turned out to be a very nice place indeed. Our young Korean friends were once again sharing our albergue. This group of young people were fast walkers, but they seemed to often end up in the same town we did at the end of each day! We got to recognize several of the kids and it was always fun to run into them.

Selfie at the Galician border.

The next morning rain was falling! We had a long muddy slog to Triacastela where we lunched. After lunch it was another climb up to the Alto do Riocabo then back downhill heading for Calvor, which would put us only about 4 kilometers from Sarria. Along the way we met up with old Thomas, napping on the side of the trail. Interestingly, he said he had been walking with David and Debbie earlier that day! We thought that they were way ahead of us by now. We eventually stopped at an nice looking albergue at Calvor. Strangely, nobody was around but the doors were open. We, and a couple of other pilgrims looked around, used the facilities and waited. Finally, a lady showed up and checked us in but was anything but hospitable! Still, it was a pretty nice albergue inside with good facilities. We had to walk a little ways to get dinner, but it turned out to be a very good place to eat. It was here that we met a nice young couple from a Dutch protectorate in the Caribbean, (The ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao). We had expected to see old Thomas check in here too but never did.

We also never saw the lady proprietor of the albergue again, so we took advantage of that and slept in, not departing until 8:45, probably the latest start we'd had yet! Ahead was Sarria, a big city which as far as the Camino is concerned, is best known for its ancient steps, Escalinata Maior. for me the most memorable thing about these steps was the cafe at the top where Shelly and I enjoyed a hearty breakfast of ham and eggs!

Entering Sarria

As we walked through town, we witnessed the start of the Camino for many tourists. Literally busloads of hikers began their walks here. One of the rules of the Camino is that you must walk at least the last 100 kilometers. Sarria is the closest large town to that distance, so thus, you begin to see an increase in peregrinos for sure! Many fresh walkers with very small packs begin here. We were a little concerned that the increased numbers would reduce the number of beds available, but there also seems to be an increased number of albergues on this last stretch.

Leaving Sarria.

We continued past Sarria, passing the 100 kilometer post. This is one of many distance posts erected across Galicia, starting at around 150 km's. Actually, because of changes in the routes over the years, the distances on these posts aren't exactly accurate. But they remain sentimental favorites and the 100 km one is about the most favorite of all!

100 kilometers to go!

We stopped at the small village of Mercadoiro for the night, about 5 km's short of the large town of Portomarin. We now try to stay in the smaller towns because of the increased number of peregrinos on the trail.

Next morning found us walking through Portomarin in a thick fog. After finding an ATM and picking up groceries, we started a long steady climb finally breaking into the sunlight late in the morning. We had a very tasty bacon and cheese sandwich at a tiny cafe in Castromaior. A peregrino there suggested the homemade yogurt there, and it was indeed very good, (and was made by the owner's mother!).

We made it to Palas de Rei at day's end and checked into a large albergue. It was located next to a resort-like place with a very nice bar/restaurant where we dined that night. This day was the longest of our Camino, walking 29.4 kilometers in a little over 8 hours.

We started relatively late again the next morning and still went 27 km's to Ribadiso, where we had dinner with several folks we had met along the way; a couple of ladies from North Carolina, two other American couples and Dave from Australia.

We then walked  about 23 km's to O Pedrouzo, our last stop before Santiago! Searching for an albergue, we ran into Jim from Ireland who was relaxing at a cafe; he recommended the Porta de Santiago, and it turned out to be very nice, it even had an atrium!

Albergue's atrium in O Pedrouzo

Now began our last day's walk from O Pedrouzo. 23 km's to Santiago!  We walked through the countryside

Approaching Santiago.

We came to a large Peregrino complex, which contained some places to eat and a large albergue and a large sculpture monument.

A monument at the large complex for Peregrinos.

We had planned to stay at this albergue, but it seemed like a really long way off the main road. It also seemed to be a little far out of town, so we decided to plod on, eventually making our way into Santiago proper!

Welcome to Santiago!

I wanted to stop immediately, there were a few albergues in the area, but Shelly wanted to go further, Eventually, after a bit of searching we did find an albergue closer to the cathedral. Not a bad one either, the Albergue Acuario had a new-age vibe to it. We had a small 4 bed cubicle. Eventually we were joined by an older gentleman. This guy had walked a much longer Camino, beginning in Italy and camping along much of the way! He probably did twice the distance we did if not more. He was 81 years old! I made a mental note to myself not to complain about my feet at all around him!

In the last albergue!

After checking in, we walked to the Cathedral, still a few kilometers away! We found the crowded Peregrino Office and got our compostela's, we were done!

Over the next couple days we wandered through town, staying in a hotel not too far from the Cathedral. We would run into several friends we had made over the past five weeks. We had been having trouble with our feet and it seemed like many other walkers had encountered some sort of physical problem towards the end of the walk. In the end, most of us made it, but were a little humbled by the physical challenge it turned out to be!

It was sort of bitter-sweet to realize we were finished, we had been in the Camino mode for such a long time now that it was normal and comfortable for us. Actually being in Santiago was kind of a let down! I missed the easy daily routine of getting up, getting ready, eating, walking, checking into the next albergue, eating and going to bed! A simple life! My favorite memories are of just walking through these regions of rural Spain without knowing where I was going to rest that night! May you experience that joy someday! Buen Camino!

Another day on the Camino.

Camino de Santiago, Part 5. Leon to Ponferrada

The Cathedral at Leon illuminated.

Departing Bercianos we were now beyond the halfway mark of our Camino! It was said that if you made it to Leon that you would most certainly make it all the way to Santiago! Well, we had a little way to go to Leon. The weather was threatening all day but we made it to Reliegos without getting drenched. We stopped at a new albergue, the first one we encountered; it was a nice place. Shortly after we came, our friend Deb showed up! David was somewhere ahead, they were going to meet up in Leon. That evening we had dinner and an interesting conversation with an American who was travelling with an older Italian fellow. Overnight there was a terrific storm with an intense rainfall, fortunately we were safe and sound inside!

Photos here:

At this point our guidebook recommends taking a bus from the next town, (Mansilla de las Mulas) into Leon. We decided that was a good idea. Also, I used my phone to book a room at a nice hotel in Leon.

Next morning we walked the 6 kilometers into Mansilla and after a little searching found the bus station. It was a nice change to sit in a bus and let the kilometers go by! We arrived in Leon in the late morning and checked into the Hotel Paris, right in the heart of old Leon.

We enjoyed our stay in Leon, staying there two nights, getting laundry done, shopping a little and eating. We made a point of visiting the Cathedral, since we regretted not visiting the one in Burgos. It was fun to run into many of the folks we had been walking with along the Camino, it seems like you always seem to catch up with the fast ones, and the slow ones catch up with you!

Finally, we had to move on. We met Jim from Ireland again, and we shared a taxi to La Virgen del Camino, a little outside of Leon proper. We now regretted the days off, because we experience a lot of pain in our feet this day! Not sure why it hurt so much but we were glad to get off our feet. We stopped at an especially grim little place called San Martin. On top of everything else, it started to rain!  I'd say our spirits were at their lowest at this point!

Storks' nests in San Miguel.

On the next day's walk, we walked through occasional showers. Stopping for coffee and a respite from the rain, we met Thomas, an older American we had been running into since Granon. We also met a girl from Brooklyn who was dealing with plantar fasciitis, just like me! She described a taping technique some nurses had recommended, she also had given up the idea of walking the Camino and would take taxis over large stretches of it! Well, at least I would try the taping.

We managed to make it to Astorga despite our aching feet. There we met Dave and Deb again, and had dinner with them and Noah, an American doing a fundraiser, and Hans from the Netherlands, who was cycling the Camino. We enjoyed the old town and indulged in Astorga chocolate.

The lonely outpost of Foncebadon.

The next day we climbed into the hill country despite threatening weather. We walked through some pretty lonely looking country and ended up in Foncebadon, a rather forlorn mountain village. There were at least three albergues here. We passed by the first one, it looked a little too commercial, and went to check the second. We met Jim as we were approaching it and he recommended the place so we checked in there. The albergue also offered a dinner and breakfast for a few more euros, so we were set for the night!

Welcoming at the albergue!

Wandering around the village we found a third albergue which also had a small shop. I saw a black stocking cap in the window which I really needed in the cool air, so we went past the pair of goats guarding the door  and inside saw Deb and David! They had reserved beds in this albergue in advance, it doesn't have a lot of beds and does seem very nice. We bought some beer and sat around and played cards for a spell, then went back to our albergue for dinner.

Shelly, on the left, approaching la Cruz de Ferro.

Next morning we climbed to the highest point on the Camino Frances at 1505 meters; marked by the Cruz de Ferro, an iron cross set atop a wooden pole. This was of course, a place were the peregrinos would stop and reflect a little. It was a little misty as we made our way to the cross. Now it was all downhill right? Wrong, we encountered difficult, rocky trails leading towards our ultimate destination of Ponferrada!

We checked into the Albergue San Nicolas de Flue, a nice place near the old City, and enjoyed a good dinner. Early the next morning we passed the magnificent Castillo de los Templarios as we left this nice city.

Castillo de los Templarios, Ponferrada.

Camino de Santiago, Part 4. Burgos to Sahagun and the half-way point.

The Meseta

Leaving Burgos behind us, we now entered one of the more remote stretches of the Camino, through the Meseta, a broad open expanse, almost like badlands, with less extravagant agriculture and few large cities.

Shortly after passing the Burgos city limits, we met a "trail angel", Maria who kindly directed us through an approaching stretch which had been altered due to road construction. She also gave us a useful hint in navigating on the Camino; "when entering a town, should you lose your way, alway head for the church". This turned out to be a pretty useful rule of thumb! Maria was not taking donations, she was just out on the Camino helping the pilgrims.

Maria's advice proved correct and we saved ourselves at least a couple of kilometers. We made our way to Hornillos, calling it a day there after only 18 kilometers, our feet were sore and we needed a short day. We saw Shelia and Jim and played cards and had a few beers with them. Shelia was a crackup, always complaining but at the end of the day, she always seemed to make it through!

The next stage was another relatively easy one, just 18 kilometers to Castrojeriz. Uneventful but for the lovely ruins of San Anton where we stopped for lunch.

The ruins of San Anton

Photos of this stage.

Castrojeriz is an impressive looking place with an old castle, (dating from the 9th century), looming on a hilltop overlooking the town.

Castrojeriz and its hilltop castillo.

The next stage was a tougher one, 25 kilometers, with a sharp climb at the start leaving Castrojeriz. We were treated to a beautiful sunrise as we reached the summit which sort of made up for the long walk we had to do to get to breakfast at Itero de Vega (11 kilo's!).

Sunrise: looking back at Castrojeriz

The trail was good and easy to walk after the initial climb and we made pretty good time. The last 5 kilometers or so were along an old canal system and were perfectly flat, leading ultimately to the canal locks in Fromista, where we called it a day.

The canal locks at Fromista.

The next day was a flat and uneventful walk to Carrion de los Condes, where we stayed at a very nice albergue in a convent which featured a "couples" room! Due to a misunderstanding, a group of English speaking pilgrims who were not "couples" were also assigned to this room. They turned out to be a nice group of Americans, an Australian and an Irishman we have met before so it was good to meet them again. Actually, as it turned out, we would continue to cross paths with these guys for the rest of the Camino!

Next day was a long straight walk, starting on another old Roman road, Via Aquitana. We treated ourselves to a nice breakfast of ham and eggs in Carrion. Good thing too because we found no services for the next 17 kilometers! Lunched in Caldadilla de la Cueza, then on to the albergue in Ledigos. Here we played cards and drank some nice wine with Debbie and with Linda and Ed, a couple from New Mexico who frequently visit Spain. Debbie and David had split up for the stages before Leon, where they planned to meet up and spend a few days.

On the Via Aquitana.

Next day we headed for Sahagun, planning to spend the night there. But we arrived there before noon, so after having lunch in town, decided to push on to Bercianos. After Sahagun, we departed from our (English)guidebook's "recommended route in favor of a more level route on the "senda", a modern surface trail. Interestingly, other countries' guides do recommend this route, so we were with French, German and Korean pilgrims on this stretch. Somewhere past Sahagun we actually crossed the halfway mark!

The old city gate, Sahagun.

We stopped at a private albergue in Bercianos and opted for a private room instead of the regular dorm. It was a very nice room with very nice proprietors. We didn't encounter any other English-speaking people in this town. It wasn't a problem though, we found a place for dinner then retired to our cozy room. A good breakfast was included the next morning.

The room at Bercianos.

Camino de Santiago, Part 3. Naverrette to Burgos

The Cathedral at Burgos.

Our departure from Naverrette was delayed because Shelly's boots were missing! After a few frantic minutes of searching, a very sheepish looking Irishman came down the stairs and placed the shoes in the rack, he had picked them up by mistake. We were relieved to have Shelly's shoes back! We had to walk six kilometers to get breakfast at Ventosa, then continued on to Najera, a nice little town set against some cliffs. We lunched there then walked into the "Zona Natural" on the west side of town.

Leaving Najera via the Zona Natural.

Photos here:

We continued to Azofra, a small "Camino town", whose main reason for existence is to support the pilgrims. A very nice albergue there, with 2-bed cubicles. Here, I went to the Saturday evening Mass at the local church. In a beautiful old chapel, the sparsely attended service was in Spanish of course, but easy to follow, it's format almost the same as our masses at home.

The next stage to Granon was a rather dreary one, cloudy and threatening rain but no real downpours. Lunched in the nice little city of Santo Domingo de la Calzada then up to Granon.

The albergue in Granon was a memorable one. It is a parish albergue, located in the upper floors of the annex to the local church, St. John the Baptist. We were led to a large room and told to find a spot on the floor! We were provided mats to sleep on. We were then invited to come to the communal dining room at a certain time to help prepare dinner.

The sleeping room at Granon.

So we all helped prepare the salad and spaghetti dinner and cleaned up afterwards, under the supervision of our energetic hosts. Later that evening, we were brought to a balcony in the church and had a sort of prayer/meditation meeting. It was a fun experience, and I really recommend staying at this albergue to anyone doing the Camino. 

Next day we were off in the dark, stopping for coffee and crescents at Redecilla, where we ran into David and Debbie from Maryland. We walked to Belorado then on to our planned destination at Tosantos. Although the albergue was open, the local cafe was closed for the week so we decided to push on the Villambistia.  Here we were able to get laundry done, have a few drinks and watch other pilgrims pass by. Saw David and Debbie pass by. Saw Shelia and Jim (from England), who we had met earlier and had taught a couple of card games to, so we played cards with them after dinner.

The next stage led us to the hill country past Villafranca, ascending into the clouds. The dirt path eventually became quite broad, really wide. We decided that it must be a logging road, although the trees in the region look a little scrawny to me. We eventually began to descend again, entering more open country which featured some lovely oak trees, not unlike the foothills of the Sierras back home.

On the way to San Juan de Ortega

San Juan had a really large albergue with a restaurant, but no beer! By this point, beer had become something of a necessity to ease the discomfort of our feet! It was still early so we continued through Ages to Atapuerca. This town is a UNESCO World Heritage site because the earliest human remains ever discovered in Europe were found here. We met up again with David and Debbie, Shelia and Jim, and we all had a nice dinner at a local bar. The proprietor was a bit of a character who has a collection of post cards from pilgrims from around the world. I'll be sending him one, too!

The next day it was on to Burgos! We followed a route that eventually took us to a riverside parkway that led into the heart of town. After stumbling around downtown for a while we came to the massive cathedral. Then we pushed on through to the far side of town and found a very nice little hotel near the university where we called it a day.

Yeah, we felt that way at the end of the day, too.

We had planned to go back into town and explore, but we were just too tired! We found a place that advertised hamburgers and that sounded good right then. Alas, what they served was not at all like the pictures on their menus! American hamburgers were difficult for the Spanish to replicate for some reason!

I should take a moment to describe our daily routine: We usually walked to about 2 or 2:30, then looked an albergue. After checking in, there was wash to do if you wanted a steady supply of clothes, often this was done in a sink and the clothes hung out. Then we would take our showers. That done, we would usually go and look for a cafe for a quick drink, maybe we would see some other pilgrims we knew and would chat or even play cards with them. We never cooked dinner, we would go find a "Pilgrim's Menu" or "Menu del Dia", which were usually quite reasonable. Back to the albergue to rest and write in our journals. Lights out was usually around 10 PM. Lights came on by 7:00 AM, sometimes the albergue had a light breakfast of coffee and toast, often we would get a breakfast at a cafe along our way. And so the routine started all over again.

Camino de Santiago, Part 2. Pamplona to Naverette.

Windmills in the mist.

We continued through Pamplona (from our albergue in Villava) and pushed on through the southwestern suburbs and into the countryside. As we ascended some hills, the cloudy skies finally decided to start raining on us. Not a heavy downpour, but a steady rain which started to make the paths a little mucky. Some low-lying spots became quite muddy, and we tried to move around the worst of them. Eventually we came to a cloud-shrouded summit; we could just see the wind-power generators, we could actually hear them before we saw them, they're really pretty noisy! I've never been that close to one before.

Heading down the other side of the summit we hit some really muddy trails, our feet probably picked up pounds of mud as we plodded on! The rain finally quit and we reached Obanos where we stopped for the night. It was another long day, 8 hours, 24 kilometers. My left foot, which had been giving me problems even before the trip, was bothering me. Plantar Fasciitis, look it up, it's not pleasant, but it wan't bad enough to make me want to stop, either. Shelly was having issues too. There was only one place open for the Pilgrims' dinner so all the peregrinos came there. We shared the table with three Germans and four American girls. It was a nice time.

Puente la Reina

Left Obanos the next morning after the innkeeper ran our clothes through the drier, (for 2.00 Euros). Had breakfast at a hotel's cafe in Puente la Reina. Nice old bridge, (puente) here.We had planned to do a short day, but stretched it to another 24+ K day and made it to Estella. We were sore, but as always, glad to make it to where we did. Shelly was starting to get a shin splint, so we found a pharmacy and bought some tape. The next day was relatively short, 21 K. to Los Arcos. An interesting stop along the way was the Fuente de Vino, which dispenses free wine to the peregrinos passing by. It's a limited amount, by the way. I was able to get only a taste as it was almost empty, but it wasn't bad!

The first albergue we checked out in Los Arcos was full, so we panicked and took a pension for the night. It was nice having a room, but kind of pricy. The next morning we noticed a couple of other albergues further into town that were not full, so we could have gotten a bed after all. A lesson learned.

Along the was to Estella, notice the ruined castle on the upper right.

After Los Arcos, the next stop should have been Logrono, but we found a nice place called Viana a little before Logrono and decided to stop there. Here we enjoyed the first Sangrias of the trip!

Departing Vianna, we had to then push through Logrono, a large city. Indeed, by the time we were finally out of the city it was time for lunch!

Entering Logrono

We ended the day in Naverette, finding a nice albergue which was next to a cafe which had really excellent food. We had tapas (appetizers) with some local wine and we could tell this place had good quality food so we planned dinner there too and weren't disappointed! I has peppers stuffed with cheese and cooked in squid ink that was delicious!

We met several fellow pilgrims we had met before and it was always nice to chat with them. One American couple was quitting and another lady was having such trouble with her feet that she bought new boots on Logrono! The four American girls we had met in Obanos were also ending their Camino, they didn't have the time and only planned to do part of it anyway. One of them was having serious foot problems anyway. Several people had complained of loosing toenails! The difficulty of extended walking was taking its toll. We too had our problems. Mine was mainly that sore left foot and Shelly was having lots of blisters. It seemed that 20 K a day was our comfort limit, but we routinely pushed beyond that distance.

Our friend, Santiago.

Photos here:

Camino de Santiago; Part 1, St. Jean to Pamplona

The foothills of the Pyrenees.

The flight to Madrid was uneventful, but just long. American Airlines was alright, we got dinner and breakfast on the trans-Atlantic leg.

We arrived in Madrid at 10 a.m. It is a large airport with many facilities, including a Metro link and a railroad line. Since our hotel was close to the RR, the information lady suggested we take the more direct RR ride, and it was a winner at only 5 €.

Our hotel was an AC Carlton, and was very nice. Indeed, we decided to book our last 2 night in Spain there so we could see more of that city. Next day we hopped on the train to Pamplona. We got to view a lot of central Spain which looks a lot like central California, but with older buildings!

From Pamplona, we caught a bus to France and to St. Jean Pied de Port. This is a pretty town in southwestern France whose main claim to fame is being a principal jumping off point for the Camino. Lots of pilgrims, (peregrinos) in the place, and lots of facilities for them. The Pilgrim's Office was crowded with folks picking up their Pilgrim's passport and the people working there also helped us find a place to stay for the night.

In order to qualify for the inexpensive hostels, (albergues) along the way, you need a Pilgrim's Passport (credencial), which is stamped at each place you stay. This becomes a ritual; you stagger into an albergue and produce your national passport and your credencial, and then you're given a bed and your credencial is stamped.

We stayed at Refuge Le chemin vers l"Etoile, an old albergue in the heart of the old town, It's owner was a nice guy who gave us a lot of advice about walking the Camino, some of it made sense, some, not so much, but he was good-natured. He also prepared a nice communal supper for us which we shared with several other peregrinos, most of whom were not english speaking, but we still had a pretty good time.

We started out the next morning before sunrise. We were a little apprehensive about starting in the dark, but we eventually saw a lot of other walkers so we just followed behind and had no problems finding the way. It was one of the toughest stages we were to encounter on the Camino, due to the climbing and wind! By the end of the day we had covered almost 24 kilometers after 8 1/2  hours, a long day indeed!

Arriving in Roncesvalles, we came to the main albergue. It was a big one, and one of the best organized we were to encounter. Also on of the nicest, it was fairly new and provided us with 2-bed cubicles which were nice and we had a nice meal at the restaurant. 

Photos here:

The Albergue at Orrison, between St. Jean and Roncesvalles.

The locals

Roncesvalles, our destination, is there in the center.

After Roncesvalles, we walked for two days to return to Pamplona! The first night we stayed at a municipal albergue which was really different from the Roncesvalles. Definitely a step down! The next day we made our way to Pamplona, actually stopping just outside of the city in Villava.  On the way, we stopped for a second breakfast at a really neat trekking cafe set along the trail on the side of a river. 

Our albergue in Villava was a private one, we got a semi-private, four bed room which was a tad more expensive than our last, but which turned out to be a good deal since no one else ended up in the room, so we got a private room!