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THE DAY STARTED with a 14 km downhill coast, following an almost empty road close by a river swollen with snow melt from peaks of the Pyrenees now behind us. The deep river valley scenery was stunningly beautiful, heavily forested with birch trees, lichen and granite rocks, though still bitterly cold and impervious to every layer of our cycling clothes. At each place where the sun could find its way onto the road we would stop to thaw out only to be again shaking with cold within a short time of restarting. Many photo opportunities passed as our freezing hands could not operate our cameras. The valley finally opened out to the sun and fields with the incongruous sight of horses with cow bells clanking around their necks. This was followed by glorious riding on an almost empty new road around a dam project, coasting through mountain tunnels coo-eeing to the echoes. After taking a wrong turning on our bypass of Pamplona (where we had stayed two nights before) we had an extra 20 kilometres to make up mostly on a busy highway full of cars and drivers returning from an Easter break in France. There was better cycling on a B road running beside a massive irrigation canal project overlooked by hillsides covered with windmill power generators. We rejoined the Camino after doing 100 kms and with light rain falling, resolved to stop at the next accommodation. We were the last peregrinos to be accepted into the Eunate Refugio beside the thirteenth century Knight Templar church. We shared a dinner with four other walking pilgrims and two Swiss volunteer hospitaleras. After washing up we adjoined to the small octagonal church for candlelit prayers of thanks for our day, sharing the emotions of 800 years of parishioners in this special place. We embraced our fellow peregrinos and wished each other a buen Camino before making for our shared dormitory and its mattresses. We were learning that ones' Camino should be lived in the moment. |
The Camino, or way to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and the remains of St James the Apostle in North Western Spain, is one of the world’s greatest journeys. A journey pilgrims have made for over a thousand years. To obtain a Compostela on your arrival, one must obtain a Pilgrim passport or credential and have it stamped each day. The credential is also necessary for staying in pilgrim refuges or albergues where the price of a nights basic accommodation is from 3-7 Euros. One can walk, ride a bicycle or a horse carrying all ones clothing and needs. There are recognised paths through villages and towns a days walk apart from all over Europe and at least four in Spain itself. We chose the Camino Frances, one of the oldest and most popular, starting from St Jean Pierre de Pont in the French Pyrenees. This path is about 774 kms and takes 4-6 weeks to walk, as we didn’t have that amount of time and being keen cyclists, we rode our bikes doing 900 kms in 15 days. We flew from Sydney to Madrid with folding Bike Fridays in suitcases. After reassembly, we took a train to Pamplona and on Easter Sunday rode back up the hills to the first Spanish village of Roncesvalles from where we officially started our Camino. We generally used lesser roads which were lightly trafficked, particularly when there was an A road alternative for drivers. We used the Camino path on entering and leaving towns because the arrows and markers were such useful guides and road traffic was generally heavier. In this old part of Spain we travelled through rural landscapes just coming into a spring flush, old stone villages, narrow cobbled stoned lanes and saw many historic churches & monuments. Would we go back? Hopefully yes. The Camino can be addictive. Maybe the Via de la Plata route from Saville in the south or the Camino Portugues. The Camino’s combination of culture, history, spirituality, challenge and reward is unique ... RELATED LINKS More Camino on a Friday |