Walking the Camino de Santiago
What is it with Basque towns starting with the letter Z? First Zubiri, then Zurián, now Zabaldika. Francine was in no mood to climb the hilly detour, so I climbed up by myself to the 12th century church of San Esteban in Zabaldika to pray a while. The church was built like a fortress, to keep out the local bandits […]
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We had a very late second breakfast in Zurián – elevenses, really. Billy, Becky, and Penny briefly caught up with us there – we hadn’t really seen them since breakfast in Zubiri, where they were coming into the bar as we were leaving. So it was also in Zurián. The rain, on and off throughout the morning, had pretty well […]
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We saw a lot of farm animals in Navarra: sheep, cows, and horses. It is, after all, an agricultural country. This particular photo of a pony breakfast buffet is one my favourites. I had to climb a bit of a bank to get the shot. The ponies seemed quite used to it, and they didn’t mind me at all. Date: […]
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After leaving Mordor, the Camino climbs back into the hillside and through a small series of Basque villages. The first of these is Ilarratz. Here we found a fountain to help wash the taste of MAGNA from our mouths. Four times today we were passed by Lauren and Francesca, the sisters from Colorado. They walk much faster than we do, […]
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As you walk past the MAGNA site near Zubiri, the Camino drops into the valley. In other places, there would be a winding trail (or sometimes a steep goat-climb) to get you down. The thoughtful folks at MAGNA put in a series of flights of steps. With the rains, the channels at the sides of some of them were full […]
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The Camino is not all bucolic farmland, charming villages, and beautiful churches. This is the site of Magnesitas Navarras S A, or MAGNA. It’s a magnesite mine and smelter, producing magnesium oxide for the steel industry. The Camino wends its way alongside this scar on the land for a long while after Zubiri. Signs warn you not to leave the […]
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We left Zubiri a little after dawn. Although it wasn’t raining yet, it would soon. This is Francine just after we crossed back over the Puenta de la Rabia. The sign, like most signs in Navarra, is in both Spanish and Basque. I love the look and sound of the Basque language, possibly through a sense of whimsy. Note that […]
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Our doughty pilgrims arrive in the town of Zubiri! The last part of the road to Zubiri was one of the more difficult parts of our Camino. Three years ago, it was exhausting. This year, with the rain and the delays caused by the rain, it was downright dangerous. The descent is long and steep and strewn with rocks and […]
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This is the statue of Saint James the Apostle (Santiago) at a side altar in the Collegiate Church in Roncesvalles. I’m showing this photo slightly out of order because today is the Feast of Saint James. Happy feast day! Here, Santiago is in his guise as a pilgrim, walking with us every step of the way to his tomb in […]
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One of the things that I love about the Camino is the sheer amount of random medieval stuff. Some of it is obviously copied rather than genuine – like this planter box, I suspect – but this is a society keenly aware of its history and culture. I spotted this as we walked through the village of Espinal looking for […]
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