6. Estella to Los Arcos

Camino Frances - Day 6 - September 1st 2013: Estella to Los Arcos

Contour Map: Copyright John Brierley click here to see notes

Click here for Google Map and my starting point today

Disturbed sleep again last night. I woke at 2:30am to what sounded like a mosquito hovering (if that's what they do) around the room. It kept flying very close to me so I decided I would have to get out of bed, put on the lights and find the little bastard before he devoured me. I react very badly to insect bites, usually swelling up all around the bite. Couldn't find him so I had no choice but to go back to bed and try to ignore him, her, it. I finally got up at 6:30am and to my surprise I felt very refreshed as if I had slept all night, maybe the mosquito was just a bad dream?

I met Anne from Seattle over breakfast, just the two of us in the whole place. She hopes to complete her  journey in 33 days and is on track to do just that.

I'm thinking of an old song
 ' The Pub's got no beer' 

I left at about 8:45am heading out over the hills behind the Albergue to link up with the Camino trail at the top of the town. There I met Alexandro, Stefanie and Daniel. I walked with Alexandro as far as the wine fountain which. unfortunately or maybe fortunately, was turned off. There we met with Stefanie and Daniel again and we all took some photos of the 'dry well'. I walked with Stefanie for a while, she hopes to keep going for another nine days but feeling very tired today. Her bag and Danial's bag are much heavier than my own so I can only imagine how this would be impacting on her well being. They have already left some gear behind to lighten the load but still have too much gear. (See Topic on Equipment) 

I stopped to take some photos of the mountains in the distance, Saoirse and Rachel came by and after I took a photo of them, with their own camera, they moved on. 

Shortly after I started to walk again, on my own now, my mind drifted to distant memories, as was happening with greater frequency over the past couple of days. I have no doubt that I was reaching into my past because I had cleared my mind, found great

Saoirse and Rachel

tranquillity in this beautiful place with no distractions we associate with modern life. Anyway, on this occasion I suddenly had a vivid memory of my wife when we were both just teenagers, not married yet. She slipped me a note with the words 'I Love You' written on it. While I had no doubt we were already madly n love with each other this was the first time it was stated. Even now, walking along a pathway in Northern Spain more than four decades later I had that same all consuming elation I felt way back then. We were so young and yet we knew we would always be together. I cannot imagine life without her. This was one of the occasions when my elation was followed by loneliness because I now missed Brenda very much. I was consoled by the thought that we would be back together on the morning of October 11th. 

My mind then drifted to my dream from last night. I have always had vivid dreams and over the years loved sharing them with Brenda. Today I had nobody to share this with and even if I had I probably would have kept it to myself. I will share a couple of my dreams under one of the Topics entitled Dreams. 

I'm really enjoying today, taking regular breaks, having these brief chats with new friends and all those beautiful memories coming back to me that I had sadly forgotten. 

I came across a lovely shaded area beside a water font. The timing was perfect, I needed to top up my water and take a short break. See photo on the left. A french couple I have come across every day had also stopped at this spot. They were maybe five or six years older than me, he was stretched out, asleep on the grass, she was sitting beside him finishing her lunch. They had no English just as I had no French yet we could communicate as many pilgrims do with greetings, smiles, hand signals and the parting 'Buen Camino'. 

Stefanie and Daniel came by, we finally exchanged contact details and I took this photo of them together. 


As I took t the road again a guy came up behind me at speed, asked if I was heading for Los Arcos and if I would like to keep him company for the rest of the way. I picked up my speed to match his, but I think he also dropped his pace to make allowances for me. We covered so many topics while comparing life in Slovakia with life in Ireland and the parallels were across every aspect of life. Valentino hails from Slovakia and sells heavy duty machinery. He was planning a trip to Ireland for training on machines to crush rocks. They will be used in quarries and to crush old material from buildings for recycling. The equipment is manufactured my McCloskeys in Ireland.  We covered many topics while walking including, population, employment, economy, politics, politicians, ethnic minorities and society. This conversation with Valentino and those I have had with others from across the world reinforce my very poor opinion of politicians. They are a breed apart with self interest above everything else and we all continue to let this form of 'democracy' prevail. Will we ever really have a voice? I digress again, this topic is for another time I think. 

I checked into Albergue la Fuente de Austria, showered, washed some clothes and got ready to go to dinner. Stefanie and Daniel asked me to join their group for dinner. I sat with 8 Germans for dinner in an open area between the restaurants and the church. The group were very considerate speaking mostly in English for my benefit and if Stefanie though I was interested in any of the bits in German she kindly translated for me. I exchanged contact detain with Karin who also likes to take photos. Karin I would meet over and over again during my Camino experience. I had a great evening in their company before parting to take some photos and then head back to the Albergue. I met Anne from Seattle who had a bad day and was hoping things would be better tomorrow. My clothes were not dry so I would have to improvise on the sock front in the morning. 

Apart from a very helpful and attractive receptionist, this Albergue has some way to go to come anyway close to the standards set by the others I have stayed in to date. 
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Other Links, relating to this section of the Camino, you may wish to follow 

Estella:

Images of Estella on the internet

Wikipedia on Estella

Los Arcos:
Images of Los Arcos on the Internet
Wikipedia on Los Arcos - very little info, use external links and 'translate button if necessary.
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Topic: Walking Alone Vs with Others
I've already said that I believe there is no single right way to travel the Camino. In this section I want to look at the advantages and disadvantages of either walking alone or walking with others. 

As you must know by now I chose to walk the 800Kms alone for reasons I will outline below. Of course, from time to time individuals would join me on the walk or while I was taking a break. I always enjoyed the company, it was a great opportunity to get to know a little bit about my fellow pilgrims, share experiences or compare the economic, political and social issues facing our respective countries. 

This is not an exhaustive analysis of the different options, just a few observations from my own experience. Please feel free to comment and let me know about your walking preference and experiences to add other perspectives on the topic as mine is very limited

Walking Alone:

Some Advantages:
I chose to walk alone because I felt it gave me the best opportunity to be completely chilled out. In doing so I though I would be able to strip away all the unnecessary stuff we all carry around in our head. You know, the day to day nonsense that gets in the way of the real issues we need to think about or to attend to. 

Within a few days of walking I found myself thinking about my wife as she was 40 years ago, about my mother, (who died five years ago) and how she looked when I was a young boy. Every day I spent time thinking about my brother. Many other memories came to me and I am convinced that this was only possible because I had so much time on my own to relax in the beautiful countryside. So often I was not even aware of walking I was so relaxed and I can only compare it with a form of meditation. I don't believe I could have achieved this state of relaxation if I were walking in the company of others.

My walking pace varied so much over the entire journey. There were days I was passing everyone out as I pumped my legs and arms, giving my heart and lungs a great workout. There were days I walked like I was about to just fall over for lack of momentum. The great advantage of walking alone is that you can set your own pace to suit you mood or physical capabilities on the day. Injuries, as they occurred, also impacted on my pace but being alone I could work within my own pain threshold. Walking with others you may end up walking quicker or slower, on a given day, than the rate at which you would like to be performing. 

Stopping and starting whenever you feel like it is also something you like to feel you have some control over. I like to take photographs, so stopping often along the way to take a quick snapshot could irritate a companion who may not have the same appreciation for photography. Taking a break for water, food, admiring the scenery or just to give the body a break should be something you feel able to do without impacting or the enjoyment of your companion or companions. 

I think you meet more people when you walk alone. People will join you on the road or at 'pit stops' along the way, sometimes other lone walkers and other time couples or groups. 

Some Disadvantages:
There were times, not often, when I did feel lonely. It usually happened when I saw a couple together and this reminded me of my wife and at that moment I really missed her and would love to have had her beside me. When I saw children playing or out in the evening dining with their parents and grandparents I missed family. These were only fleeting moments of sadness, they would pass quickly as I was distracted by something else.

I got lost up a mountain early one dark misty morning. This is a risk you run when you head out on your own before sunrise with a torch that does not function well due to low battery life and with my mind not on the job of observing the camino markings.  

Being alone could present you with some difficulties if you sustained an injury on a quiet stretch but thankfully it was not an issue for me. 

At no time along the way did I ever feel concerned about personal safety but you cannot rule out the risks when walking alone. 

Walking with Others:
There are many advantages to walking with others whether you set out with a group or joined a group along the way.

Some Advantages:
Safety in numbers is clearly a great advantage. Groups I observed in the early hours on the morning were cross checking all the markings to ensure they chose the correct path, I often took advantage of the group decisions whenever I stumbled upon them and then set off on my own assured there were at least some others on the same path. The group can care for an injured individual and also address any concerns about personal safety.

Groups can have great craic and build bonds that may last for the duration of the walk or indeed for life. They can support and encourage each other a achieve more collectively that an individual who may feel down. I observed group singing as they marched along the road, sharing food and drink and generally having a wonderful, shared experience.

Speaking to many who were part of either couples or groups they said they would, from time to time set themselves apart to have some time with their own thoughts. They felt they were getting the best of both worlds. I did notice couple who walked together occasionally drifting apart only to unite after a short break. 

Disadvantage:
The only disadvantages, from my perspective, to walking with others all the time is the lack of time to be on my own, not being able to set your own pace, stop and start as often as you want and for as long as you want, settling for the collective decision about destination for the end of day. These are not major issues but could, over time become challenging. 

Group dynamics also change over time. Little idiosyncrasies of an individual can appear bigger over time. Personalities may clash, people who normally get on over short periods of time can find  that they don't get on over protracted periods. Groups forms on the Camino begin to find out more about each other, leading to great friendships or dividing the group. These are issues you do not want on the Camino.
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More to follow...........................

7. Los Arcos to Logroño

Camino Frances - Day 7 - September 2nd 2013: Los Arcos to Logroño

Contour Map: Copyright John Brierley click here to see notes

Click here for Google Map and my starting point today

I went to bed early last night to catch up on my notes and look over my photos. The others in this small room retired early also but they were going to sleep so I felt under pressure to put the lights out. It was now that I noticed my bed was sloping to the outside and I was unable to get a comfortable position. I knew this was going to be another bad night with little sleep because the guy in the bed beside me added to my sloping bed problem when he started to snore. This was a unique sounding snore and the only thought that came to mind was that he sounded like a rabid gander, not that I have ever heard of a gander with rabies not to mention overhearing what he might sound like. Anyway, that's what came to my sleep deprived mind. See more on snoring in the topic below.

I got up at 5:30am and while getting ready I sat on my glasses and broke them. Lucky I brought my spares I though as I rummaged in my backpack. I found them and popped them on only to discover they were my old scratch pair and not my new spares. It was either these or contacts so I stuck with the old glasses for now. 

I left at about 7:10am and walked all the way to Viana, nearly 20Kms., before taking a break. While going through Viana I met Ellie and mum Rose. They told me they were giving consideration to staying an extra night in Logroño. This began to sound like a great idea, two nights in a hotel to give this old body time to recover and catch up on sleep.

I was looking for a quiet spot to get something to eat and where I could catch up on my notes for today but I suddenly realised I was exiting the town without having found anywhere. I did not want to go back because I promised myself I would not backtrack at anytime along the way so I went slightly off the signed route to a small cafe. This was a lovely spot with lots of very well dressed thirty something ladies having morning coffee. Not a smelly pilgrim in sight. I ventured in and sat at the counter and attempted to communicate with a very pleasant lady behind the counter. She was determined that I ask for what I wanted using only Spanish. She was very helpful writing down the words I should be using and once I got it right she was delighted to assist. I only ate half my food because I decided I would find a quiet spot once back on the road to update my notes and finish my lunch. 


I was looking for a shady spot but had to settle for a bench in the full mid day sun. I sat back against my backpack , boots off, feet up, eyes closes, absolute bliss. Then I finished my lunch and started to update my notes. 

A young Spanish couple came by, I had been  listening to them singing and laughing while they came down the mountainside earlier. They came over and we had chatted, I complimented him on his singing and the quality of his voice.He told me he sings professionally and writes his own songs. His name is Ricardo and his girlfriend is called Francesca. She is training to teach young children. I asked about the song he was singing, if it was one of his own. He informed me that it was a very popular Spanish song from the 1970's. They went along their way. Four Americans came by and we exchanged greetings. Then a a lady I had seen several times on the route came over to me, her name is Charity from Vancouver. She stayed briefly and then said she was keen to get to While going through Viana I met Ellie and mum Rose. They told me they were giving consideration to staying an extra night in Logroño as soon as possible. 

Sitting here on the bench, greeting everyone, I was so chilled (Mentally) but frying (Physically) in the hot mid day sun. I decided that I would head for Logroño, about another 10Kms. away, and book into a hotel for two days. I had always intended to take breaks along the way but so far did not feel the need, now I though that this would be a good time for a break before my body gets too wrecked. 

Finally I got up and set off again. My body had seized up and my feet were screaming at me in pain. It usually takes about thirty to sixty minutes for my brain to ignore the protests of my aching body and just get on with the walking. Once this occurs the pain goes into the background and I even forget about the weight on my back. Stretching exercises will with the stiffness but can do nothing for the blisters.

I find the last few kilometres, as I approach my final destination for the day, to be the most difficult, they seem to go on and on. Coming down the pathway on the approach to Logroño I stopped at a stall outside a small house. The old lady stamped my credentials and I purchase a shell in return. Not a bad little cottage industry there : )

I decided I would find a hotel at the far end of Logroño, not too far from the centre but on the road out of the city to give me a good start on the morning of my departure. I settled on the Murrieta Hotel and was delighted with their response when I asked for an improved rate if I stayed two nights. There was a time I would not have had the nerve to ask for a reduction but after my US Road Trip last year I have got over that inhibition. (Note: Hotel rates along the Camino are very reasonable and I found the quality very good value for money) It did occur to me that by staying over in Logroño many of the people I had befriended over the last week would now be going ahead of me and I may not see them again. I would even miss those people I had never had a conversation with but always exchanged a salute, a nod or a 'buen camino'. 

I was very pleased with the room and immediately set up home. I rinsed out a lot of my clothes in the hope that they would dry out over the next couple of days. After a quick shower and change of clothes I decided to go find the Cathedral and to take a few photos.

I  found the Cathedral and sat outside 'El Rey de Jamon' bar/restaurant to enjoy a beer. The photo opposite tells it all, relaxing with a beer looking out over the square and the cathedral, note book, guide book and watching the world go by. To top it off no pressure about having to walk tomorrow and time for my blistered feet to heal. 

A lot of my Camino 'friends' were going by and many stopped to talk for a while. To my delight most had decided to stay over so I would not lose contact with them now : ) After a couple of beers I went inside the restaurant and had a great meal  before deciding to head back to my room. Just before leaving I met Ellie and Rose again. 

September 3rd in Logroño, a day of rest?
I got up early and decided to take a good look around this beautiful city. Strange that we choose to spend a day walking around the city on a day we decide to take a break from walking the Camino. Stranger still, I really missed the open road but decided to make the most of this opportunity to chill out.  I saw one of the Northern Ireland guys and went over to join him at a table outside a bar in Plaza Mercado and opposite the Cathedral. His name is Jim and he told me his walking companion is his brother Markey. Jim's feet were bandaged and he had been advised by the doctor to give himself up to a week to recover and before walking on the Camino again. 

Before going on my way we agreed to meet later and visit a few of the local tapas bars. On the way back to my hotel I met Ellie and Rose and or the first time, Ellie's father, Peter. I sat with them for a while, Peter recently retired from the local Police force in his locality in Victoria and is now enjoying hie new found freedom. I then came across Alexandro, he had also been to the doctor's surgery to have his blistered feet attended to. He hopes to be able to get back on the road tomorrow maybe as far Nájera but if no doing well he will stop over in Navarette. 

Peter, Markey and Jim

I finally got back to my room and tried to take a short nap but failed to drift off. I showered and got ready to go out a meet up with Jim and Markey. After a beer in this open area, see photo on the left, we set off to try the tapas. They knew the best places to go after sampling the delights the night before. The idea was we would visit different tapas bars, have a glass of wine and a selection of tapas in each bar. We met Peter and he joined us. I had a great evening in their company, some delicious food and lovely wine. I could have stayed at it all night but I knew the Camino was waiting for me the next morning and could not imagine a hangover on top of everything else.
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Other Links, relating to this section of the Camino, you may wish to follow 

Logroño:

Images of Logroño on the internet

Wikipedia on Logroño_

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Topic: Albergues and Hotels
I don't have too much to say about the Albergues or Hotels and what I do have to impart is mostly positive.

Hotels:
The few hotels I stayed in were very comfortable and certainly good value for money. I also appreciated the fact that they would negotiate downwards when I asked for a better price over two nights. I only ate breakfast in one hotel and it was disappointing, no artery clogging stuff that we Irish like to indulge in when staying in a hotel. Other than that I found them very nice and the staff were always helpful and friendly. The hotel stop was always great for catching up on emails because they had WiFi and I was also able to recharge all my batteries.

Albergues:
Prices:
The price range for a bed in an Albergues ranged from €5 to €18 but most of them were between €5 and €10.  Breakfast was usually extra but only cost a few euro. The evening meal, a pilgrim menu, could cost from €8 to €12. In every case this was good value for money.

Meals:
Breakfast in the Albergue was very basic but many people availed f it to give them a start for the day. I chose to hit the road and get my breakfast after putting some kilometres behind me. Breakfast in the Alberque included Tea or Coffee with Toast, Jam etc. I think it would not take much effort to offer hard boiled eggs or something like that. They could be cooked the night before. I do appreciate that you always had the option to pick up some food the evening before and have that in the Albergue before leaving. 

Dinner, the pilgrim menu, also varied greatly but quality apart there was usually enough food. A starter may include Soup or and Salad, Bread always available, The main could be meat or fish, desert a piece of fruit or yogurt or ice cream and once or twice a flan. Like I said, usually enough food. Generally the quality was good, occasionally it was just OK and filled the gap. A couple of times it was excellent. I may mention the exceptional ones in the blog.

Facilities:
The facilities were usually OK in that they Albergues were always clean. Showers and toilet facilities must have been adequate in that I never found myself unable to gain access to either when needed although some places, often the municipal hostels were exceptional. 

Washing clothes varied a lot. Some places offered washing and drying services and again here the price varied greatly. Some places did the washing and drying for you while others provided the machines with slots for coins. I think I washed my clothes by hand more often that by machine because either I could not get access to a machine or there were none in the Albergue. I think drying facilities is probably the most important and should be available in every Albergue. I was lucky in that most days were sunny so it was possible to get clothes dry but when the rains came it became a bit of a problem. You bring so few changes of clothes, to keep the weight down, it is necessary to wash every couple of days. If you were unfortunate enough to have consecutive days of rain the absence of drying facilities would become problematic.

A few of the Albergues had a swimming pool. a real luxury : )

Sharing the space:
Sharing a bedroom with others can be challenging and occasionally confrontational. The problem usually arose at night. Some people like to have the room cool, with windows open, while others like to warm with all sources of fresh air closed off. If you were unfortunate enough to be close to the window you could find yourself at the centre of this disagreement. I observed a few incidents where people became fairly irate with each other over this one. I think it was the only time I saw any hostility between pilgrims. Oh, there was one other one where one pilgrim, basking in the sun, became irate with another pilgrim who was accused of blocking 'their' sun.

Beds:
The quality of beds varied greatly. The beds that were most uncomfortable were those with plastic or rubber covering beneath the sheets. I always found the beds to be spotlessly clean and I never experienced any of the bed bugs I had read about prior to setting off. I slept in single beds, upper and lower bunk beds. Sometimes the head room for the lower bunk user was very narrow so it was impossible to sit on the side of the bed. I did experience one thing that I cover under another topic, i.e. sloping bed syndrome.  

WiFi:
Most Alberbues advertised the act that they had WiFi but in most cases the signal was so poor that it would frustrate you trying to get at your email or any other service. 

Power Supply:
There was always a scramble to find the available power sockets to recharge your phone or batteries for camera etc. A few Albergues had a power point beside each bed or bunk. Others Albergues had a limited number of power points but it was usually hard to get a turn on them.  Then there were the Albergues where they did not provide anything in the line of power points or WiFi. I think the power supply should always be available because having a fully charged mobile while walking alone is a basic necessity. I know some may not agree with having any technology with you but a phone can be useful should any unforseen event arise.