Pilgrims on the Way

Santa María la Real is a fortified monastery in the town of Nájera, founded by King García Sánchez III of Navarre in 1052. It is here that many of the early kings and queens of Navarra are entombed in a royal crypt that feels like it might be in Middle Earth or Narnia. It was one of my favourite sites […]

This is, I think, the closest we venture to the cliffs in Nájera. As you can see, not all of the Camino is picturesque and medieval. Or even baroque. Spain is, after all, a modern country with modern issues – which include graffiti, crumbling walls, and trash and recycling pickup. Date: 08 April 2016 Place: Nájera (La Rioja, Spain) Here’s […]

Sometimes when the Camino winds through a town, it really winds through a town. It wanders down narrow alleys, through arches and doorways, under buildings, and through hidden parks and courtyards surrounded by homes. Here, we are somewhere in Nájera. Somewhere off to our left, cliffs loom. Date: 08 April 2016 Place: Nájera (La Rioja, Spain) Here’s a pair of […]

The town of Nájera is located in the valley of the Rio Najerilla, which the bridge right in front of us here crosses. Just beyond, the Camino takes a sharp left turn at the foot of the cliffs that loom over this part of town. They are remarkably vertical, and the buildings are built right up to their edge. Date: […]

If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you know I’m fascinated by the various ways that communities mark their little slice of the Camino. This marker is set into the sidewalk somewhere in Nájera. It’s elegant, and I think it makes a quiet statement about the steady light of pilgrimage in the darkness and confusion of the […]

Having already filled you in, dear reader, on the wonder that is the hambugesa, it won’t surprise you to learn that here, in the heart of the La Rioja wine country, I had beer with lunch. Nevertheless, the wines of La Rioja (and Navarra, too!) are among my favourites. This evocative poster hangs in the bar/café where we had our […]

This is a portion of the colourful, if cartoonish, mural on the side of the bar/café where we had our late lunch in Nájera. We were so exhausted when we arrived that we weren’t thinking particularly straight, and we couldn’t come to any sort of rational decision about what to have for lunch. So we ordered something called “hamburgesas”. These […]

Welcome to Nájera! Centuries ago, this bustling town was the royal capital of the Kingdom of Navarra. Indeed, many of Navarra’s kings and queens are buried here. Nowadays, thanks to twentieth-century politics and war, it’s not even in Navarra. When we arrived in Nájera, it had been cold and rainy, we were tired, we hadn’t had lunch yet, and it […]

No map, no guidebook, and no sign on the Camino give the same distance between points. I remember comparing the distance between two towns in three different sources – two books and a map – and getting three different numbers. And the signs on the Camino are different again. Apparently, I’m not the only person who has noticed this. At […]