From Puenta La Reina to Santo Domingo

Leaving Puenta La Reina in the early morning light, I took advantage of an adjacent bridge to capture a shot of the ancient bridge across the Rio Arga. The name of this little town literally means ‘Bridge of the Queen’.

To Estella

It was a glorious day for hiking and there were plenty of villages to explore along the way. In between? Stunning countryside with wild flowers beginning to bloom profusely.

And finally, feet burning, I arrived at my accommodation in Estella – with the most beautiful albergue right on the river. Such a satisfying day of walking – but oh, how I needed a lie down!

on to Los Arcos

I headed off early the next morning through the empty streets of Estella, stopping at the first village to meet up with my new Camino buddy who would walk with me for the next five days.

After the hugest of hugs and the most excellent breakfast together, we set off on our hike for the day. And what was the first point of interest we encountered?

And yep! My Camino buddy was Jackson, visiting me from Sweden! We went easy on the wine at that time of day as our hike had only just begun and there were many hills to climb!

And after a day of catching up after almost a year apart, we arrived in Los Arcos.

As we headed out to dinner that evening, I saw a familiar figure walking towards us. She was heading to the next village because of miscommunication – she thought she’d booked two nights here, but alas, only one. Yep – it was beautiful Marian. I introduced her to Jackson and afterwards, he described her as ‘endearing’. Perfect. And don’t worry – she messaged me to let me know that she had arrived safely and was booked in for two nights to regroup.

It had been a long, hot hike so after dinner with some of my Camino family, we called it a day.

Logroño bound

We made an early start on our second day of walking together and were rewarded with the most incredible sunrise. Always look behind you as you walk the Camino, they say – and we’re so glad that we did!

We were hot, sunburned, and quite frankly, exhausted – and thinking that this day’s walk would never end…. And then, a familiar accent boomed across the road. And not one, but three Aussie blokes appeared.

Turns out they were Catholic School principals from the Scenic Rim region on a sabbatical for their many years of service. They all either knew, or knew of, my last boss, Matt O’Hanlon. And one of them was from Rocky – Chris Golightly – son of my year 7 teacher. I’d even been back at that same school in Park Avenue and taught with that same teacher in my early twenties.

We had quite the chat, all of us amazed at this serendipitous moment. And it took our minds off our painful feet for the remainder of our walk into Logroño.

On to Navarrete!

After bunking down in a twin room in a crowded albergue, we were off early the next morning – me in search of a ‘café con leche’ to kickstart the day!

And we managed to arrive in Navarrete in time for lunch with my Camino crew!

My Camino crew were a mixed bunch – France, Germany, UK, Canada, USA, the Netherlands and Australia. It made for interesting and sometimes hilarious conversation.

I took 2 buses back to Logroño in search of a day pack as my feet had become so painful by the end of the day, I could barely walk. A different pair of shoes was also needed so until I found the right ones, I’d need to send my backpack on each day.

Daypack organised, we set off to an Italian (yep!) bar for a feast of Pinchos. Jackson was in food heaven! The vino tinto flowed that evening, thanks to the generosity of a couple of English peregrinos who didn’t want the party atmosphere at our table to end!

Luckily, before the evening progressed too far, someone reminded us to check out the cathedral. And I’m so pleased that we did!

Navarrete – Azofra

It was a beautiful morning’s walk. Rose bushes were in abundance by this stage of the walk – both wild and cultivated.

Every small village along the trail is flanked by community gardens and the one pictured below was a real beauty! The secret to success is what is added to the soil. And it quickly became the ‘smell’ (read ‘stink’!) of the Camino.

The threatening clouds soon delivered, but that didn’t deter us from taking a detour through a vineyard’s art trail and Jackson collected video footage for his own little work of art in preparation for a job interview. And it worked. He was the successful applicant!

When you are a child, you think about what you will be when you grow old. You dream of something big. And you don’t realise that your greatest greatness is already in you. In that place. In that moment.

In the afternoons at your grandmother’s house. In your mother’s embrace. In your father’s eyes. It’s there. It was there. In the simple things.

We spend our lives looking for what we already have. It’s just a matter of finding our way back home. Where our memories live. In a suction cup. (🤷🏻‍♀️- vacuum?)

As we passed through the village of Nájera, we couldn’t resist having a little bit of fun playing ‘dress ups’.

It was a very steep climb out of Nájera – one we weren’t expecting! But the skies had cleared and after the initial challenge, it was a gentler, if long and dusty, walk to Azofra where we stopped for a well deserved cervaza before doing the last few kms to our accommodation.

We spent the night in the most incredible pension. The owners had thought of absolutely everything to make it a pleasant and restful stay. There was even yoghurt for breakfast! It’s the little things, right?

Azofra to Santo Domingo del Calzada

We were off to an early start on our final day of walking together – stopping at Santo Domingo for the night so that Jackson could catch his bus back to Pamploma later that afternoon.

We arrived early in Santo Domingo and spent the remainder of the day having a long lunch washed down by a very nice Sangria tinto. And all too soon, it was time for Jackson to be on his way. It was such a beautiful five days. I can’t think of a better way to spend quality time with your child than to take a long walk with them. Thank you, Jackson. We had a blast!

After a much needed rest stop in the nicest old hotel, it was time to prepare for Albergue life again. Next stop – Belorado! Buen Camino!