Category: Pamplona

{camino: day 6} pamplona to muruzábal

wanderessence1025 February 24, 2019

After being awakened by crashing thunder claps and the rush of pouring rain, I left Pamplona in the dark at 7:10 a.m. under drenching skies. Intermingled with a group of 20 Koreans who had stayed at my albergue last night, we trudged through the city in our ponchos, past the citadel park and the university, until we reached the outskirts. I popped into a row of porta-potties for a bit of welcome relief. It was 3.2km to reach the medieval Puente crossing the río Sadar.

On the outskirts, we walked on a bidegorri, or “red path” in Basque, surfaced in red for bicyclists. Just outside of the city, as we approached Cizur Menor, it suddenly stopped raining and the skies turned blue for the rest of the day. This would turn out to be one of my favorite days on the Camino, first, because of the magnificent scenery, and second, because I would meet Darina, who would become one of my closest friends throughout my walk.

We passed through rolling farmland, the path lined with anise, blackberries, thistles and prickly weeds. A small village perched charmingly on a hillock and rectangular hay bales squatted in neat stacks in the fields. One of the pilgrims passing the haystacks said, “Where’s the Irish?” He was referring to the movie, The Way, in which Martin Sheen and his companions met Jack the Irishman at similar hay bales.

After Cizur Menor, I continued another 6.1 km to Zariquiegui where I stopped in at the little Church of St. Andrew, or San Andrés, with its Romanesque doorway. I got a sello for my credenciale and said a prayer for our family and asked for blessings for my pilgrimage. At a little café in town, I met Ingrid and Pat from Seattle. After the town, there was little shade but at least a nice breeze. The path to Alto del Perdon was a constant uphill climb but not overly demanding.

The highlight of the day was reaching Alto del Perdon, where wind turbines twirled on the ridge line and rusted sheet metal pilgrims headed westward in a line. The sculpture has the inscription: “Donde se cruza el camino del viento con el de las estrellas.” In English: “Where the wind path meets the path of the stars.”

The site was windy and crowded with pilgrims resting after the long uphill climb. I rested at the top for a while, chatting with other pilgrims and taking pictures.

The steep descent from the top was rough, over loose round stones in relentless afternoon heat. I made my way down gingerly with newlyweds Claire and Matt, slipping on the rocks now and then. Pat and Ingrid eventually caught up with us as we walked between tall box trees and holm oak wood. We were all getting low on water and Ingrid found it funny when I said I felt like my eyes were shriveling up in my head.

We bypassed Uterga and walked through vineyards and almond trees along a ridge parallel to a quiet country road.

The complete stage was to Puente la Reina (another 2.2 km); Claire, Matt and Pat continued to the end of the stage, but Ingrid and I stopped at the fabulous El Jardin de Muruzábal, run by the welcoming couple, Alicia and Carlos. It was a lovely albergue set on a green lawn dotted with white chairs.

After Darina from Slovakia mentioned she was going to rent a bicycle from Alicia and ride 2.4 km each way to Santa María de Eunate, I followed suit. It was great to have the option to visit this special church by means of transport other than on foot. I sailed downhill through hay and corn fields to the Romanesque church. Darina was already there, reading a brochure and enjoying her contemplative time, so I left her alone and spent some time in the church in prayer, and then walked around the grounds.

Santa María de Eunate is a 12th century Romanesque church linked with the Knights Templar who historically defended pilgrims on the way to Santiago. Its octagonal form is modeled on the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The church has an external cloister with delicate and more substantial pillars around the outside.

Riding back to town, a cool breeze made the corn stalks rustle, whisper and dance, sending messages to open hearts passing by. My hair was whipping about in the wind. When I reached the steep hill back into town, I got off the bike and walked it uphill. I stopped to admire the church in the center of town, San Esteban.

The entire excursion was an amazing experience, and I was grateful to Darina for her infectious energy and enthusiasm; she inspired me to do something I might not have considered doing otherwise.

The pilgrim dinner was served outside on the porch of the albergue; salad with olives and eggs, baked ziti with cheese, pork (which I didn’t eat), potato tortilla, and ice cream sandwiches. A lot of wine flowed, as was always the case at pilgrim dinners. I found out Darina was an English and history teacher of middle-schoolers in Slovakia. She announced to her boss that she was taking a gap year to do the Camino; in the winter, she planned to go to New Zealand and Australia. She said her boss wasn’t happy about it, but she was determined to go.

I met a young man from Budapest who had been working in the fraud department at Ernst and Young and was now taking a gap year. He had no idea what to do with his life but he knew that it wasn’t working an office job. He was fascinated when I told him my oldest son was doing a butchery apprenticeship; he liked the idea of some kind of apprenticeship. Another young man I met at dinner was being ordained as an Episcopal priest.

Thomas from Germany didn’t know any English but he had a great sense of humor and a constant smile on his face. He did a round of greetings in different languages, with dramatic gestures. “Hola, señora!” “Olá!” “Hej!” “Bonjour!” “Hallo!” “Ciao!” He cracked me up!

What a wonderful group of people and a convivial and joyous atmosphere. I was filled with incredible gratitude for the gifts of this day.

******

Leaving Pamplona in the rain

rainy morning on outskirts of Pamplona

bridge leading out of Pamplona

surging creek on outskirts of Pamplona

To Cizur Menor 1.8 km

approaching Cizur Menor

Cizur Menor to Zariquiegui (6.1 km)

path from Cizur Menor to Zariquiegui

prickly weeds on the path from Cizur Menor to Zariquiegui

path from Cizur Menor to Zariquiegui

view of Galara

path from Cizur Menor to Zariquiegui

path from Cizur Menor to Zariquiegui

view of Astrain

sunflowers on the path from Cizur Menor to Zariquiegui

path from Cizur Menor to Zariquiegui

blackberry heaven

path from Cizur Menor to Zariquiegui

Church of San Andrés in Zariquiegui

Zariquiegui to Alto del Perdon (altitude 790 meters) (2.4 km)

Zariquiegui to Alto del Perdon

Zariquiegui to Alto del Perdon

pot of cairns at pilgrim wayside stop

pilgrim roadside stop

pilgrim shell

climbing upward to Alto del Perdon

view from the top

wind turbines at Alto del Perdon

medieval pilgrim sculpture at Alto del Perdon

medieval pilgrim sculpture at Alto del Perdon

medieval pilgrim sculpture at Alto del Perdon

view from Alto del Perdon

directional post at Alto del Perdon

Alto del Perdon to Uterga (3.8 km)

Alto del Perdon to Uterga

Uterga

Uterga to Muruzábal (2.5 km)

Uterga to Muruzábal

Uterga to Muruzábal

Ingrid on the path to Muruzábal

Muruzábal to Santa María de Eunate (2.4 km each way)

Santa María de Eunate

inside Santa María de Eunate

Santa María de Eunate

cobblestones at Santa María de Eunate

Santa María de Eunate

riding my bicycle back to Muruzábal

Bicycle ride back to Muruzábal

bicycling back to Muruzábal

blackberries on the way back

San Esteban in Muruzábal

El Jardín de Muruzábal

*Day 6: Sunday, September 9, 2018*

*34,826 steps, or 14.76 miles: Pamplona to Muruzábal (20.2 km)*

You can find everything I’ve written so far on the Camino de Santiago here:

Camino de Santiago 2018

**************

On Sundays, I post about hikes or walks that I have taken in my travels; I may also post on other unrelated subjects. I will use these posts to participate in Jo’s Monday Walks or any other challenges that catch my fancy.

This post is in response to Jo’s Monday Walk: Chocolate Time in Loulé.

{camino: day 5} a rest day in pamplona

wanderessence1025 February 10, 2019

I slept well despite having a top bunk, and I didn’t get going to explore Pamplona until 10:00. I was thrilled to toss aside my hiking boots for a day and to wear the lightweight sandals I’d worn traipsing all over Japan. I walked up along the city wall and stopped at a shady bench to write in my journal and admire the views. It would turn out I’d spend the entire day alone.

Pamplona is a university city with an expanding population of about 200,000 and long-standing ties to the Camino de Santiago.

view over Pamplona from atop the city walls

I continued my walk along the wall, and then wandered aimlessly through the colorful city streets.

Pamplona’s colorful streets

Church of San Fermín de Aldapa

Street art/graffiti

wrought iron door

streets of Pamplona

I stopped at a small tapas bar called Dom Luis and sat at the bar enjoying tapas – smoked salmon and avocado on toast with a refreshing white wine. It was so delicious, I ordered another: a phyllo bundle filled with potatoes and mushrooms and topped with a runny-yolked egg. Yum! It was quite hot today, about 85°F, so I was happy to sit inside, although the bar was open to the streets.

Immediately after I sat down, a huge parade cavorted past the bar, with oversized medieval characters dancing and turning to rousing band music. It was a wild spectacle, with whole Spanish families flowing happily along, some dressed to the hilt, some in costume, and others in lightweight summer clothes.

Apparently, this festival is the Privilege of the Union, which commemorates the unification of the three parts of the city (La Navarrería, San Cernín and San Nicolás) into one in a treaty signed in 1423 by King Carlos III. Before this unification, Camino pilgrims had been enticed to settle in Pamplona under special status, leading to hostilities between the pilgrim settlers and native inhabitants. With the Privilege of the Union, special status was extended to all parts of the disgruntled factions of the city, beginning an era of cooperation.

Each of the three boroughs at that time lost their individual walls and individual governments and opted to be governed by a single council and enclosed within the same city walls.

Dom Luis

smoked salmon and avocado tapas

characters in the parade

medieval characters

oversized medieval characters

another tapas bar

Feeling quite relaxed after the wine, I continued to wander around the town, around Plaza del Castillo, Pamplona’s main square with covered arcades and shops, and past the 12th century Iglesia de San Nicolas. I ran into several pilgrims, people I’d connected and spent time with since St. Jean, as they were exchanging numbers and making dinner plans. They seemed all caught up with one another, and I felt like an interloper. No invitation to join was forthcoming, so I continued on my way. I have never been one to linger where I don’t feel welcome, and I’ve also never been one to chase after people. I’d always rather bow out gracefully and let people have their space.

Plaza del Castillo

Continuing to wander, I came across legendary streets of cuesta de Santa Domingo and calle Estafeta where they have the running of the bulls during the San Fermín festival annually from July 6-14. This festival was made famous with the 1926 publication of Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises.

I found the Hemingway Paseo, the bull ring, Plaza de Toros, and the famous monument to bull running. Pamplona’s bull ring was rebuilt in 1923. It seats 19,529 and is the third largest in the world, after the bull rings of Mexico and Madrid.

Plaza de Toros

statue of Hemingway on Paseo Ernest Hemingway

statue of the running of the bulls

The monument to bull running is impressively evocative and vivid with its violent and frightening details.

statue of the running of the bulls

statue of the running of the bulls

After leaving the bull running area, I got caught in another parade of huge-headed figures marching and dancing in the streets, men on fake horses flogging people with sponges attached to sticks, whole Spanish families eating tapas and drinking wine and beer, bands playing lively tunes, men in matching uniforms clearing the streets. What a lively place to be, and quite by accident!

characters in the festival parade

The streets reverberated with loud music, to which the characters were dancing. Locals clapped, laughed and took pictures while having the time of their lives.

festival characters

royalty on parade

a mean-looking character

After the crowds passed, I continued wandering around the city.

streets of Pamplona

The Cathedral of Santa María

Pamplona

festive buildings

graffiti

square in Pamplona

I walked past the Iglesia de San Saturnino, named after the patron saint of Pamplona. Saturnin was the first evangelist of the city. Originally Romanesque in style, it is now more Gothic in appearance.

Iglesia de San Saturnino

The Citadel is the walled fortification built between 1571 and 1645 under the orders of King Felipe II of Spain, with a layout designed by an Italian military engineer. A sophisticated defensive system was devised, a rectangular pentagon, or star shape, with five bastions at the corners. The layout was supposed to make it impregnable. It is regarded as the finest example of military architecture from the Spanish Renaissance.

In the 20th century, it was converted to a park and is often used for shows and art displays.

Citadel

It was quite hot walking around in the sun at the Citadel, so I sat for a while on a bench to orient myself. While looking at my guidebook pages, I saw that I would be passing the Citadel tomorrow morning on my way out of Pamplona. I was always happy to figure out my route out of a town the day before I started my walk the next morning.

I continued on through the leafy Parque de la Taconera, with its beautiful flower beds and café and past a statue back toward my albergue. After relaxing a bit, I made my way up to the city walls, where I stopped at a café for a drink and some people-watching.

heading back to the city walls

the city walls

atop the city walls

walking around the perimeter of the city

I stopped into the Church of San Lorenzo, where I sat in silence for a while, offering up prayers of gratitude and supplication, asking for peace, self-fulfillment, and joy for myself and all my family and friends.

Church of San Lorenzo

inside the Church of San Lorenzo

It seemed I was walking around in circles and several times felt totally disoriented. The town was splashed everywhere with graffiti. The town hall, or Casa Consistorial, dominated a small square with its baroque façade.

graffiti

City Hall Pamplona

Since the Gothic 15th century Cathedral of Santa María la Real had been closed when I dropped by earlier, I made my way back to it. It was open, but no one was manning the desk, thus I was unable to get a stamp for my credenciale. I wandered around the Cathedral, stopping to admire the alabaster mausoleum of Carlos III El Noble and his wife Leonor of Navarre, with their idealized expressions, in the main nave. The monarchs of Spain used to be crowned here, and at one time it was the seat of the parliament of Navarre.

Cathedral of Santa María

inside the Cathedral of Santa María

I went in search of a quiet street and dipped into the adorable Café de Pablo, where I enjoyed a tinto verrano (red wine with lemonade) and tapas – goat cheese, caramelized onions and green peppers on toast – and a jambon sandwich.

a quiet side street of colorful buildings

tapas: goat cheese, caramelized onions and green peppers on toast

Pamplona streets

I didn’t really get much “rest” during my first “rest day” on the Camino, as I walked over six miles. Early in the evening, it started raining with a vengeance, and it was predicted to be pouring in the morning, when I would walk to Muruzábal.

*Day 5: Saturday, September 8, 2018*

*14,734 steps, or 6.24 miles: wandering around Pamplona*

You can find everything I’ve written so far on the Camino de Santiago here:

Camino de Santiago 2018

**********************

This post is in response to Jo’s Monday Walk: Remember Culatra?

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: