Pictures from today. Walking through wine country and the girls hanging up laundry while Bill and I have a beer. Finally a crusher produing no 2 stone. Enjoy

So with this web site I never sure where the pictures and the paragraphs will show up. So bear with us. We got an early start this morning 0645 we were out the door. We got 9k in before we stopped had breakfast in Logorno. We hang out for about 45 min. And then headed out to Navarrete another 13k doem the road. We followed a trail through the city which passed through a number of Parks. Many people were out, running, walking and biking. We finally arrived on Navarrete to the bells of the church at 1230p. We will rest awhile and then head out to explore the city.We all took a quick shower, did laundry and planned our next few days. We went out to check out the community and found the locals were celebrating The patrone Saint Miguel, which is also one of the favorite beers in Spain. Kathy and Shelly ran down the dancers after they were done and decided to join them. We have not seen them since😁 Finally we visited The parish church of Iglesia Parroquial de la Asunción de María (which is near the Friends of the Camino hostel, and is usually open) has one of the most bling-bling Baroque alters on the whole Camino. Massive, imposing and breath-taking, it dates from the 17th century and features imagery from the bible with the Assumption of the Virgin at the top.

So the pictures below show you our living conditions. Bunk beds and laundry. Pretty much the same each night. We ate a pilgram meal with others who are also doing the Camino. And of course we headed down to the town square to enjoy a bottle of red wine.

We left Los Arcos around 0700. It was a short walk today and we made good time before the heat of the day hit. High today was 80. The walk was a bit hilly. We gained about 100 meterd (320f) in elevation before heading down hill to where we ended our seventh day of walking. Tomorrow we will hit the 100 mile marker,1/5 of The Way completed.

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The Iglesia de Santa María / Church of the Virgin Mary was built in various stages between the 12th and the 18th centuries. Its exterior features a plethora of different architectural styles, from late Romanesque to Gothic, to Renaissance to Baroque, with a bit of Plateresque and Rococo thrown in for good measure. The interior is also a mix of styles, with Rococo and Baroque alters and a Gothic statue of the virgin. At the peak of the Plateresque entrance there is a statue of the Virgin Mary which is in shadow all year except the late evenings of 23 April and 16 August, when its face is illuminated by the sun. The church has an adjoining late-Gothic cloister. Bodegas Irache and their famous magical tap is on your right as you walk up the hill past the bodega. The magical tap has been know to run dry, especially at busy times, so the earlier you make it there the better chance you have of being able to quench that raging thirst. As an additional treat the whole scene is broadcast live on the internet http://www.irache.com As you can see we made it up there quotq early

 Drinking wine before 816am!

The vineyard at Irache has existed at least since the 12th century and its history has always been closely linked to the nearby Monastery. It has existed in its modern form as Bodegas Irache since 1891.

The inscription on the wine fountain reads:

Peregrino si quieres llegar a Santiago con fuerza y vitalidad de este gran vino echa un trago y brinda por la felicidad!

Pilgrim, if you want to arrive in Santiago with strength and vitality drink a mouthful of this great wine and overflow with happiness!

You can see we left before the sun came up but we’re guided through Estalla by the city lights and the shells that are implement on the side walks. We stopped o a small village named Luqin and had an early lunch and latr breakfast. They wrew roasting ref peppets on the grill. We had a few of those with bread and olive oil. It was a long hot wslw I’m the sun around 82deg. We certainly across a tented area and a roach coach. Cold drinks here hit the spot. And finally we came across this lady playing the accordiane. Kathy wanted to hang out and do karoke, but I was able to drag her away.  Buien Camino

Shortly before you reach the peak of the Alto del Perdón, with the windmills towering above you like something from a modern-day Don Quijote, you’ll pass a drinking fountain. This is where, according to legend, the devil appeared to a parched pilgrim and offered to buy his soul for a drink of water. The pilgrim, no doubt having weighed up his options decided, in view of the unspeakable (and eternal) horrors that awaited him in hell, that he could probably manage another while without a drink and politely declined. Whereupon, in a blinding flash of light, St James himself appeared and striking the ground with his staff, brought forth a raging torrent of fresh water. Thus saving the pilgrim from a thirsty walk to the next village.

Today, unfortunately, of that raging torrent, only a trickle remains.

The peak of Alto del Perdón has fantastic views of the route already travelled and the adventures yet to come. At the top is a flat, cut-out sculpture of medieval pilgrims on their way to Santiago. The inscription reads:

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

Where the way of the wind meets the way of the stars

good good walk today. Just me and bill. Shellie has a bum knee and is taking a day off. Kathy will hang with her .Made some good  time up the hill to the windmills, but first had breakfast at Kaioba Restaurante.  The owners Dad was a bull fighter. He had a room in his restaurant dedicated to him. See some of the pictures below. Oh yeah this is also a bar. .

The 13th century Romanesque church of San Esteban / St Stephanin Zabaldika lies on the Camino at the top of a steep hill. The main altar is 17th century, with polychrome painting, typical of the region around Pamplona. It features the Virgin Mary and St Stephan in its centre, flanked by other saints. A spiral staircase leads to the tower where the smaller of the two bells, which was cast in 1377, is believed to be the oldest in use in Navarra. The nuns don’t mind if you ring them!

The imposing 16th century city walls, which you pass through at the Portal de Francia / Gate of France, are a fitting reminder of Pamplona’s historic importance. The site of Pamplona Cathedral was originally occupied by a temple to the Roman gods, which, after the arrival of Christianity, was replaced by a series of churches, which in turn was replaced by the present cathedral in 1501. Originally entirely Gothic in style, both inside and out, an unadorned neo-Classical western façade, completed in the 18th century, now conceals the original Gothic façade. Inside, at its centre, is the mausoleum of King Carlos III(the Noble) and his wife Leonora de Trastámara.

I will try to follow this format day to day as you can follow our progress on Google maps of you use walking mode. WiFi is somewhat slow in some of the places we stay so it is best to try and update before all rise. We are starting to hit our stride and have a daily routine worked out. Walk, clean clothes , eat supper, sleep,eat breakfast and repeat. Tonight we hope to stay in Albergue Jesus y Maria  in Pamplona.

Day one. This is where we started. A tough uphill walk to our first day stop. We arrived at SJPDP about 0900 by train. We headed to the Post office to ship a few things ahead to Our finishing point, Santiago. We walked about 5 miles our first day to help us adjust to jet/travel lag. We stayed in Orrison our fist night. Great place to stay . Good meals. Five minute showers. You must make a reservation.

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While waiting for our Train at the train station at Charles de gaulle Airport, a black backpack was left sitting on the floor. When no one claimed it the train station was cleared. Still waiting on updated info. After about 45 min the all clear was sent out. Back to waiting for our train.

Sleeping aids for our long flight to Paris!

Here we are at the Albany NY Greyhound bus terminal waiting to begin our first leg. All are a bit nervous as we keep running back and forth to the bathroom!