On the 29 of Mars I flew to Biarritz via London Stansted. The destination was Saint Jean Pied de Port which is the start of the camino Frances. I reached SJPdP by bus from Biarritz.
Saint Jean Pied de Port is a very charming and picturesque french village which is worth a visit. I stayed at an albergue called Beilari that I highly recommend. It is next to the pilgrimcentre and Joseph, the host, made us all feel very welcome. The pilgrims shared dinner together with many laughs and in a lovely atmosphere.
Day 2, Roncesvalles - Zubiri (21,9 km)
After a night in a big dormitory at the monastery in Roncesvalles with a lot of snoring people and crying children I woke up to a lovely day´s walk together with my new friends.
My peregrino friends Pete, Mike and Uli
My pilgrim friends. Uli from Germany, Mike from Australia and Pete from England. We found a very nice albergue in Zubiri called Suseia with a friendly owner, Alex. Alex cooked a fantastic meal to us, and a lot aswell! We got completely full...and drunk! A place I highly recommend!
Looser, screamer and trolley boy
Day 1, Saint Jean Pied de Port - Roncesvalles (24,4 km)
"The napoleon way" was unfortunately closed when I began my walk. There was a snowstorm over the Pyrenées. I had to be satisfied walking the alternative way but it turned out to be spectacular. Beautiful scenery and a wonderful countryside. The last part before reaching Rochesvalles was pretty tough with paths going steep uphill. I felt pleased when I finally reached the albergue at the monastery in Roncesvalles.
Day 3, Zubiri - Pamplona (22 km)
A rainy day but wonderful landscape!
Someone forgot his shoes
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The brothers
Trolley boy, screamer and looser listening to an english woman telling them about a flasher she met during her walk. Interesting!
Day 4, Pamplona - Puente la Reina (23,9 km)
After saying goodbye to my dear friends Pete and Mike, Uli and I continued to Puente la Reina.
One of very few rainy days during my camino was this day when I reached Alto del Perdon with it's famous pilgrim monument in wrought iron. Up until the 1800s there was a pilgrim shelter at the actual spot. There is a lovely view over Pamplona from this hill.
This day I ended up at an albergue called Santiago Apostolo a bit outside Puente la Reina. 10 euro for a bed and 10 euro for a peregrino-dinner. This is the road going out of Puente la Reina.
Day 5 Puente la Reina - Estella - Azqueta (28 km)
A lovely walk! Wonderful countryside and great weather!
About 2 km outside Estella you find an outdoor bodega, a Fuente del Vino. It was installed in 1991 to all the pilgrims passing. You can actually bring an empty bottle and fill it with wine from Navarra, which I did! :)
This day I ended up in a small village called Azqueta. The albergue was called La Perla Negra. I really enjoyed my stay there. The hostess, a lovely spanish woman with her 11 year old daughter, served us a wonderful vegetarian meal which we all shared together with good conversations and laughs.
Day 6 (4/4) Azqueta - Villamayor de Monjardin - Los Sansol - Torres del Rio - Arcos Viana - Logroño (40 km)
Soar legs in the evening and sunburned! After this stupid mistake I went straight into the first shop in Logrono and bought a hat and suncream!
Bar and bus! What else would you ever need?
Day 14 (12/4) Calzadilla de la Cueza - Sahagun - Bercianos - El Burgo Ranero (40 km)
The mezeta has begun. The mezeta, or the large table as a spanish woman translated it to, is the part of the camino with very flat landscape. Some people like it and others find it unbearably boring. Unfortunately there are motorways along this part, next to the camino.
I started my walk at 07.00 in the morning together with Nicolas from France. We decided where to meet up and stay over night. A good way to feel free to walk in one´s own pace but still have friends to share the evening meal with. Nicolas became the person I spent most time with during my camino. I will aways be thankful for our time together.
Day 15 (13/4) El Burgo Ranero - Mansilla de las Mulas - Leon (39 km)
The moon on one side of the road...
...and the sunrise on the other...
06.45 Nicolas and I started to walk. At half past 3 I had reached the cathedral in Leon. A tough day on the Mezeta! In the evening Nicolas and I met up and had a walk around the city and watched Easter-celebrations. Completely different from our Swedish traditions. Interesting!
We stayed at an albergue driven by a monastery. 6 euro for a bed.
