Tag Archives: Camino de Santiago

Camino del Norte – Asturië

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“if we were meant to stay in one place, we ‘d have roots instead of feet”

Walking the Camino del Norte is walking along the ocean, along the Bay of Biscay, or in Spanish the Golfo de Vizcaya. The vastness, the infinity of the ocean, and the light attract us. The coast on the north side of Spain is rugged with cliffs and coves. The influence of the water on the stone of the rocks, over the centuries, is visible everywhere. The ocean is deep (4 km) and is the habitat of dolphins, sharks and whales.

Asturia and Galicia are green and that is because of the north-westerly wind that brings rain from across the ocean. A raincoat or poncho are therefore no luxury.

The coast is so different from the dune coast of the Netherlands. It’s not like you walk in straight lines. There are rifts and deep coves that you have to go around or sometimes have to cross with a small ferry. Sometimes you walk on the beach, then higher over a cliff. The fishing villages, with their ports, are located around bays.

The Camino del Norte starts in Irun. We started in Bilbao. And walked to:
Castro-Urdiales, Laredo, Güemes, Santander, Santilliana del Mar, Comillas, San Vincente de la Barquera, Colombres, Llanes, Nueva, Ribadesella, Colunga, Villaviciosa, Gijon, Aviles, Muros de Nalon, Cadavedo, Luarca, Vilapedre, la Caridad, Ribadeo.
From Ribadeo we walked south-west to Santiago de Compostella.

Camino del Norte – Galicia

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In Ribadeo we said goodbye to the ocean. From there we walked south-west into Galicia. We past Lourenza, Gontan-Abadin, Vilalba, Baarmonde, Parga, Sabrado dos Monxes, Arzua and
O Pedroso to Santiago de Compostella.

In Galicia you see the horreos everywhere, the storage sheds on stilts. They are used for storing corn, among other things. The flat stones are protecting the crop against vermin.

The lichens on the many stones along the path are beautiful.

Camino del Norte – to Santiago de Compostella

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The Camino del Norte is also a pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella. This route is different from the popular camino Francès; there are fewer churches or chapels. And those that are there are usually closed. I have not discovered the pilgrim stories from the Middle Ages here. It’s much quieter. But even if you walk alone for hours, you will see the signs of other walkers along the way.

It was quiet, but we were certainly not the only hikers. The route has sections and so we meet other hikers in the towns at the end of a distance. Sometimes we didn’t see them for a few days, and then unexpectedly we run into each other again. Other pilgrims are very easy to approach, because everybody is doing the same thing. There is a sense of kinship or togetherness. You drink a glass of wine together, or sit at the same table for the Menu del Dia. But you also let go and say goodby.

This is a double crucifix, somewhere near a chapel in the middle of the forest. It is a typical Galician image. It shows the crucified Jesus, but the other side has room for Mary.

The architect who built Santiago Cathedral also built this one in Lorenzo.

The sun did not always shine in Galicia either. 

The last two stretches to Santiago, the route runs together with the Camino Francès. It is therefore noticeably busier.

And then there was Santiago!

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(1) Camino Frances

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We walked part of the most walked, busiest camino; the Camino Fancès. And we loved it!


We drove by train from Gare de Montparnasse to Orthez near the Pyrenees. A quick comfortable journey. In a few hours we were in the town on the Camino. In the Tourist Office we got the first stamp in our credencial, and then we were ready for a beer. On the terrace we immediately became acquainted with Paulien and Jos. They had been walking for weeks, starting their journey in the Netherlands. The German Hans had joined them somewhere in France. They spent the night in the Auberge Municipal. We had reserved a room at a table d’hôte just outside Orthez.
The next day, after breakfast, we really started and walked for 26 km, through hilly landscape. The light was beautiful. After about 17 km. there was a resting place. And there we saw Paulien, Jos and Hans again.

That’s how it would go throughout our journey. We walked for long stretches together, but then at breaks, or at the destination after a day trip, we ran into people we saw before.

The nice thing is that everyone is walking in the same direction, all on the camino. This makes contact very easy. You regularly walk with someone for a while to let go of each other and sometimes run into each other again later. We often sat on the terrace with other hikers or ate together. “Menu Peregrino”. Many Americans and Canadians went out for the first time since the corona. There were also people from England, Ireland, Germany, Norway…
Now we are back in the Netherlands, they are still walking. With all those nice people in mind, we’re not quite home yet.


(2) Ongi Etorri

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Bienvenue. We walked through the Basque area and we noticed that from the inscriptions on houses and on the double street signs. A beautiful language that could have served as an example for ‘The game of Thrones’. Route de Labastide / Bastidaxarreko errepidea.

After a spicy warm walk we arrived at Gite Etchetoa, with room for twelve pèlerins. A sober, but beautifully restored old house. Marie, who herself was fond of caminos, welcomed us with a glass of cold lemon water. “Throw your clothes from today in the laundry basket. I’ll run the washing machine during dinner later and everything will be clean and dry tomorrow.”
We ate at the big table and Marie shared dinner with us. To toast each other’s happiness, she poured each a glass of cider. Together we set the table, cut the bread and put the dishes from the kitchen on the table. Bottled water and wine. The meal was rich and delicious. Cold cucumber soup. Rice and ragout with a Basque sausage. Banana cake with ice cream for dessert. What a great experience. Pleasant buzz in which the Belgian Martine occasionally translated some of the rap told French stories for us.
The next morning after breakfast we set out early to Saint Jean Pied de Port, the place at the beginning of the Pyrenees, which is the starting point of the Camino for most hikers.
We were glad that we had already walked three days before the ascent over the mountains.

(3) Saint Jean Pied de Port and the Pyrenees

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Saint Jean Pied de Port is an old walled town at the foot of the Pyrenees. For most Camino hikers, this town is the starting point, which is noticeable by the crowds. Many people were still looking for a place to sleep. Fortunately we had reserved a room in advance. We went to sleep early, because the next day promised to be spicy; across the Pyrenees to Roncevalles in Spain.

We set off at half past eight. The weather was crystal clear, but the wind was blowing hard. After a few hours there was a cafe with terrace where we drank coffee and ate a sandwich. There was a real mountain atmosphere. The view is magnificent. Vultures flying high above us.
A bit after the border we are at the highest point and through a forest with mossy oaks the path goes down quite steeply. Roncevalle is the end point of the route. And almost everyone sleeps in the large Albergue in the monastery.

Now we are walking in Spain. The villages we pass through are old and beautifully situated in the landscape. Usually there is an opportunity to drink or eat something.

(4) Alto del Perdón

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About 12 km after Pamplona, the camino crosses the Alto del Perdón, the highest point in the area. It is one of those places on the route that stays with you because of the beautiful view and because of the “Monumento del Peregrinos” from 1996 by sculptor Martinicorena, which depicts pilgrims through the ages.

There is a second monument, slightly below the highest point, with a circle of stones and signs with place names on it. In the middle a high stone in which a screaming person is carved, reminiscent of Picasso’s Guernica. The name ‘mountain of forgiveness’ is appropriate here.

After the top there is a steep descent over a stony path to Puenta la Reina.
Along the trail, hikers have made their memorial signs.

Donde se cruza el camino del viento con el de las estrella

Puente la Reina in the early morning

(6) Logroño and fiesta de San Mateo

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There is the festival of San Mateo, the patron saint of Logroño, in the third week of September. But at the same time it is the harvest festival, or the wine festival of the Rioja. Children from all over Rioja bring baskets of grapes to the cathedral which are then carried in procession to a wine barrel elsewhere in the city. Children stamp the wine grapes barefoot. The result is sacrificed for happiness in the next year.

An important tradition at this festival are the chamizo’s; places where the city’s clubs offer snacks and drinks for a small fee.
There is much more this festival week; fireworks, parades and more. But we haven’t seen it all.

A few days before we arrived in Logroño we walked along the Fuente de Vino, of the Rioja Bodega, where you can drink wine. We were already there at nine o’clock in the morning, not really the time to drink wine yet. David and Lisel drank from their Jacobus-shell. We had our coffee-mug. A ritual sip.

(7) The Chicken in the kathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada

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We walk through places with beautiful names; Puenta la Reina, San Juan de Ortega and Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
Santo Domingo has been important for pilgrims in the Middle Ages. He is the founder of the town. He built a road in the rugged forest and built a bridge over the Oja River to make it easier for pilgrims on their way to Santiago. He also built a hospital for pilgrims; now converted into a luxury parador. Most striking is the large, beautifully restored cathedral with the bell tower next to it. Special for a town with about 7000 inhabitants. But the cathedral is most famous for the chicken and rooster that are kept there.

the chicken and rooster are not visible in this photo, but they are behind the fence
in the crypt

Legend
In the fourteenth century, a German couple with their 18-year-old son went on a pilgrimage to Santiago. During the night in Santo Domingo, a girl tried to seduce the son, but the boy refused. The girl then accused the boy of theft. He was convicted and hanged. The grieving parents continued on their way. On the return journey they found that their son was hanging alive on the gallows. They went to the judge, who was just sitting at the table at the time. “That boy is as alive as this fried chicken!” said the judge. The sequel can be guessed: the chicken came to life and the judge returned the boy to his parents.

Santo Domingo also played a role in the tiny ‘pueblo’ of San Juan de Ortega, about fifty kilometers away. San Juan built around 1150, with the help of San Domingo, a monastery with a hospice as an aid post for pilgrims. Originally, the monastery was inhabited by Augustinian monks. Over time the monastery fell into disrepair, but with the revival of the camino it has been restored piecemeal and now houses an albergue.

(8) Burgos, our end point

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Burgos, our end point, is about half way up the camino. Most of the people we spoke to walk as far as Santiago de Compostela. To our great surprise, we found people in Burgos that we had lost for a while. We had split a route into two short distances, they took a rest day. Our last night on the camino we ate a pizza with six of them.

We are back in the Netherlands, they are still walking. With all those nice people in mind, we’re not quite home yet.

We hope to continue our camino next spring.


more photos about our caminos can be found on Instagram: ‘remembering_my_camino’

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25 July – Santiago de Compostela – the last morning

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We are still in Santiago for a few hours before we take the bus back to Porto. The weather is nice and we walk again to the main square. I always thought that July 24th is the big holiday, but Sunday the 25th is the official party. It is visible. Part of the large square is closed to the public, with armed police guarding it. The great portal of the church will open for official visits today: once a year. And last night when a lady was vacuuming we got a glimpse of the illuminated interior. The restoration is complete. When we were here two years ago, there was still a lot of building activity in the church. High scaffolding stood around the altar, Now everything looks gleaming.

the doors of the main portal are open a crack

We walk to the entrance of the church on the side. You might be able to get in. We soon see that this is not the case. The queue is endlessly long and there is not much movement. We find a place on the stone bench near the entrance and watch the people who are there.

We walk further and then see a line that enters the church at a brisk pace. Then right? We join. We walk in line past the relics of St. Jacob, in a corridor under the large altar. Standing still is not allowed, but this gives us a fleeting picture of the interior of the church. On the other side of the altar we walk outside again.
We go for coffee in a nice cafe nearby. Last night we had a beer there and despite the crowds we are immediately recognized. We are happily wished a good journey as we leave.
We walk past the pilgrim’s office where the last stamp for the  ‘Credencial de Peregrino’  can be obtained. We had no intention of doing that and we already have a Compostela.

queuing for the pilgrim’s office

We walk back to our hotel; ask for a stamp there, so that we still have one from Santiago, and then walk to the bus that takes us back to Porto.