August 30, 2023
Midway from Pamplona to Puenta La Reina
I have walked 9.6 miles to Alto de Perdon, which means Mount of Forgiveness. Here are the bronze statues depicting pilgrims under a field of stars. I love that expression “under a field of stars”. For more information click here.
31 august 2023, camino 3, day 1
Pamplona to Puenta la Reina
17.65 miles from rising to bed
Our past caminos started in St. Jean Pied de Port on the French side of the Pyrenees mountains. It’s a traditional start to the Camino Frances and about 400 pilgrims begin their walk each day. We, however are starting in Pamplona so this is about the fourth day for most pilgrims. We started in there because Glen and I have already walked over the Pyrenees and in fact I have walked them a twice (2019 and 2021). I now feel like I have nothing to prove.
So on today’s journey, which is no stroll in the park as you can see in the elevation profile, I met an American man. I asked him where he started from and he said, “Saint Jean Pied de Port. Where did you start from?”. When I told him I started from Pamplona he responded, “Oh”, which spoke volumes to me. What he was really saying is real pilgrims start in SJPdP and brave the mountains. So I looked at him and said, “So Mister I walked the Pyrenees like a real pilgrim, I have walked them twice and I don’t need to prove anything”. He smiled a little sheepishly and said, “yes”.
So if there’s a message for today it’s this…everybody has their own pilgrimage in life and no journey is better or worse than another. Do what’s right for you and do the best you can. And be kind to those you meet on the way. You don’t know what their journey is.
Buen Camino
30 August 2023 Pamplona
SPOILER ALERT: Despite the story you are about to read, I was not really stressed out over the events of today 😎
Paris to Hendaye, France
Hendaye, France to Irun, Spain via metro, 2 stops, 3€ 20 extra for the tickets
Irun to Vitoria, girl at the station told us to get off at the second stop and switch to the train to Pamplona. Our ticket is for Vitoria and then the next ticket is for Pamplona.
The train stops in Brinkola which according to the map on the train is the end of the line. THE END OF THE LINE! As if it’s Gandolf shouting, “You shall not pass!” We are totally at a loss because everyone on the train has dispersed and the train station looks like a bombed out building from WWII when I spot two guys wearing green shirts get out of the last car. I watch them and notice they get into the first car. They must work for the train company. I run into the car and…they’re not there 😮. Luckily they are in the engineers room and they tell me not to worry. We’re going back to Irun but they tell us to get off at Zumarraga where we can get a train to Pamplona. Yes!
The train goes to Zumarraga in the opposite direction of Vitoria. Here we talk to someone at the station who speaks no English and my Spanish barely extends beyond ordering a cafe con leche. He says to get back on the train (still going in the opposite direction, get off at Araia and take the train to Pamplona. Great! Our ticket doesn’t say that but he says not to worry and I trust him.
Zumarraga to Araia, the conductor herds us to the very back of the train because this train is actually going to Madrid and it’s going to separate and we don’t want to be on the wrong end of that. We’ll get the train to pamplona there.
Araia to Pamplona, as we approach Araia the conductor suddenly yells for everyone to stay on the train. There’s no train to Pamplona there so we’re going to Vitoria. Does this seem familiar?
Vitoria to Pamplona, the conductor hustles us off the train and says to go quickly to platform one where we are to run at a brick wall which will magically transport us to platform 9 3/4…no wrong story. I go into the train station to make sure this train will go to Pamplona. I can’t understand the ticket agent so I keep saying Pamplona and he responds DE LIE. It’s like a bad game of Marco Polo. Finally the guy next to him intervenes and says DELAYED! We saunter to the platform and the ticket agent comes running out to tell us the train is not delayed it’s about to leave! We manage to board and before the door closes I yell to another agent, “Pamplona?” and he responds “si”. This train is headed to Barcelona. I hope it stops in Pamplona 😬.
Arrival at the train station in Pamplona at 6:00 pm. We are 30 minutes late but amazingly we have made it to Pamplona in what must be the most convoluted route. What an adventure! 😁😁😁
Buen Camino
Monday, August 28, 2023
We arrived in Paris on Saturday, August 26 for three nights. We’re visiting with my cousin; she is quite elderly. Whenever I’m in Europe I make a point to go and visit her. When we’re on the same side of the Atlantic it’s practically like being in the same neighborhood. Tomorrow we take a train to Pamplona for two nights and will begin our walk on Thursday morning.
I don’t know if this is some kind of a sign but last night as we were walking to my cousin’s apartment we passed two women carrying backpacks with the shell of Saint James. Ah Pilgrims! It turns out that last year they walked the way of Vezelay in France to Pamplona (over 900 km I think). They were on their way to take the train to Pamplona to finish their walk. Perhaps we’ll meet them some time on the Way.
I have mixed feelings. I’m still concerned about the walk and at the same time I am so looking forward to it. I will keep you all posted about adventures on the camino.
Buen Camino
Only two more days until we leave to walk the Camino Frances a third time. I notice that I’m highly aware of every ache, pain, and twinge that my body is feeling. And I get concerned. I’ve seen my share of injured pilgrims along the Camino, many of them younger and in better shape than me. I awaken in the night and often think, “Can I really do this again?” Then I remember the story of The Little Engine That Could.
A few weeks ago I was at one of my daughter’s home and I got to put her two year old to bed. I love the cuddle and story at the end of the day. As I put him in the bed he reached for a book for me to read, The Little Engine That Could. Great! A story I need to read for myself and he loves this story. However a few pages in I realized that this was not the story I remember as a child.
This Little Engine breaks down at the base of a large hill. The train is loaded with toys to be delivered to children on the other side of the hill. So the toys go out looking for another train to pull them up and over the hill. The first train is a passenger train and cannot stoop to pulling a cargo train up a hill. The second train is carrying cargo more necessary than toys and therefore is too important for such a task. The third train is too old and weak to help. Finally another little train comes along and agrees to try and pull the broken train up and over the hill.
All the way up this train keeps saying, “I think I can. I think I can.” When she reaches the top and goes over she happily sings, “I knew I could! I knew I could!” The End
The story I knew as a child was all about the original Little Engine. She chugs up the hill saying, “I think I can. I think I can.” Three times she just can’t quite reach the top. But then a change of attitude comes about. The Little Engine adopts the attitude of “I know I can. I know I can.” And while the trek up the hill is difficult, she makes it.
Now there is something to be said about asking for help when you need it. But if that help doesn’t come you might have to rely on your own strength and cleverness.
Yes those little aches and pains are scary. And yes I’ve met many pilgrims who’ve been injured and unable to complete the Camino. And…I’ve done this twice before. I’ve put in the training and praying and now it’s time to say, “I know I can! I know I can!”
Buen Camino
There’s an old saying, “The best laid plans often go awry”. Or for the more religious minded, “If you want to make God laugh, make plans”.
I had planned to re-post all the posts from my first Camino in 2019. I’m about to embark on my third Camino and I wanted to reflect on the wonder and amazement I encountered that first time. Then life intervened.
My daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer and two of my oldest friends passed away. Thankfully my daughter is now in remission. However I haven’t coped with these tragedies very well. As a result my plans for this blog did not come to pass. Now I’m leaving in 3 days.
With this walk imminent I have been spending as much time as possible training, packing and re-packing, and preparing emotionally and spiritually. I will share my thoughts and experiences with all of you and perhaps some other time I will return to examining my past Caminos but for now I will turn my face toward my upcoming journey and when I begin I will turn my face to Santiago de Compostela – Saint James under a field of stars.
Buen Camino
June 14, 2023
Dear Fellow Pilgrims,
I have been writing this blog since early 2019 before I walked my first camino in September/October 2019. Along the way I made a lot of “digital” mistakes, but I have discovered better ways of designing my site, learned how to add pictures, link to other pages, and more.
As I am preparing to walk the Camino Frances for the third time I have decided to revisit the posts from my first camino and republish them. I hope you will enjoy re-reading these posts or in some cases reading them for the first time.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. You are truly part of my pilgrim family.
Buen Camino
June 6, 2023
Every day I feel as though I am on Camino. I look at the challenges and blessings that come into my life as events that shape who I am. I am grateful for the knowledge that I am still becoming. I have potential and these caminos guide me along a growth path. And yet…
And yet…sometimes I feel like there is no camino quite like the one I walked in 2019. A camino was a blank slate to me. I had no idea what to expect. I tried to open my heart to whatever this Camino had in store for me and I was changed. And so…
And so…I walked the camino Frances again I’m 2021. It was different but still had a profound impact on my life. In 2021 I walked alone and I learned more about who I am and what I can do. And still…
And still…I yearn to return to that Camino rhythm of walk, wash, eat, sleep. We had settled on walking The Way of St. Francis from Florence to the Vatican City this year. It’s a 340 mile pilgrimage. However on closer inspection we realized that the elevation climbs are more difficult over all than the Frances. Training will need to be more rigorous than we have been doing. And so…
And so…we have decided to walk the Frances again in September. We are training…walking, cardio classes at the Y, bicycling, and whatever else we can manage. We also made the decision to skip the Pyrenees portion of the Frances and start in Pamplona. Frankly it’s hard to climb the Pyrenees and there are two difficult rocky descents and I have no need to prove myself by doing that portion a third time. There are plenty more climbs and descents along the rest of the road to Santiago. And so…
And so…I am back in training. It feels good and I am excited to return to this very simple rhythm of life. I will continue to share this journey with you. Til next time…
Buen Camino!
May 14, 2023
I know it’s been a very long time since I’ve written. Since fracturing my knee and wrist the camino I’ve experienced has been the worst and my knee and wrist were the least of it. Perhaps one day I’ll write about the rest but for today a sweet moment has been niggling at me to share.
Yesterday we power washed the deck. I came out to help and while the work was hard I found a certain pleasure in the simplicity of guiding the washer back and forth and seeing the slime and dirt come off. My husband said he didn’t like doing it because it was tedious work.
I began to think about the simplicity of walking the Camino: walk, wash, eat, sleep. Some might call that monotonous, even tedious. But for me there was pleasure in doing a simple task. And, like the camino, it’s important to stop occasionally and look back to see from where and how far one has come.
Today I have the simple task of washing and hanging a load of laundry outside (on my clean deck) in the sun. Bliss 😊
Buen Camino!
