Walking the Camino de Santiago
We were not prepared for the plethora of shops in the old town that catered to pilgrims. This shop was directly across from the entrance to our albergue, but it was not the only one we saw. One questions whether these shops are actually catering to pilgrims, or to tourists who wish to have a touch of the pilgrim experience. […]
» Read more
After wandering around Pamplona a bit (and taking many inadequate cityscape photos), we finally found the albergue that Carlos recommended. We had actually walked past it at one point, wandered around the block, and came back here. You would think that with the big pilgrim’s shell hanging by the door, we wouldn’t have been able to miss it, but we […]
» Read more
Pamplona was the first Spanish city I’d been able to explore. It’s an explosion of colour and movement, with quirky corners and crooked streets. It’s still one of my favourite cities. Here we find our intrepid pilgrims completely lost as we try to find our albergue. Nobody’s complaining – we are lost in wonderment as much as physically. It would […]
» Read more
After the drawbridge gate, we come to the second gate. And like a magical door into another world, from the parklike area outside the walls we are suddenly within the old city of Pamplona. A moment of wonder! This was one of the first big “aha!” moments of the Camino, and I treasure it. Date: 03 April 2013Place: Pamplona (Navarra, […]
» Read more
This is a view backwards through the first of the gates into the city of Pamplona. I was fascinated by the mechanism of the sixteenth century drawbridge, and also somewhat unnerved by cars driving through the gate and over the bridge. I mean, I’m sure they’ve done the appropriate maintenance on it. Surely. Date: 03 April 2013Place: Pamplona (Navarra, Spain)
» Read more
It’s difficult to get a sense of the scale of Pamplona’s walls from a photograph. So here’s another photograph, taken of the same place as yesterday’s photo, but this time from the top of the hill looking down on our former position. Ali is encouraging other folks from our Camino family to catch up to us. Date: 03 April 2013Place: […]
» Read more
After crossing the Puente de la Magdelena, we come at last to the city walls of Pamplona. They are just massive. Although these particular walls were built in 1515 as a defense against France, Pamplona had city walls for more than 1500 years before then. From the time the city was founded by Pompey the Great in 74 BC, it was […]
» Read more
Just before we approach the walls of the old city, the Camino comes to this beautiful riverside park. Then we pass over over the Río Arga on the Puente de la Magdelena (Magdelene Bridge). The bridge was built in the twelfth century, modified with Gothic elements in the fifteenth century, and extensively remodeled in the twentieth century. This bridge has […]
» Read more
I just love places like this, where modern construction has been used to repair traditional stonework. For many buildings, especially churches and grand houses, this is of course a terrible idea. But for something like a barn or a stable or, as here, a wall, I think it’s a wonderful way to make modern use of older things while reminding […]
» Read more
We saw these houses down a side street in the Pamplonan suburb of Burlada. Decorated with shells and stones, they display coats of arms and other decorative elements. Despite the attempt at representation here, due to the size of the stones used in the construction I found it impossible to tell if the arms depicted were meant to be the […]
» Read more