For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
In a month I'm heading for a 2 1/2 month "best of the Podienisis GR 65" and Camino "whatever tickles my fancy". One of the challenges on previous walks has been the ability to converse on the phone in either french or spanish. Since this year is an outlier and requires booking accomodation in...
Thirteen days in from an April 1st start and onward to the Meseta. When planning my camino I screwed up my dates and realized in horror that my arrival in Burgos was Saturday and the start of Easter week holidays. So staying in Burgos is not an option (hotels 3x the price if you can find one)...
It is after 7pm in Logrono and was preparing to head out to my favourite tapas and wine in Spain, but big claps of thunder kept me in to blog for a few minutes. Staying at the Winederful Hostel in Logrono which I wrote about on the CF forum last year. Without a doubt the best hostel on the...
A wonky knee had me stopping in Uterga following the climb and descent from Mt Perdon (I would normally stop in Puente de la Reina). The albergue was almost full. I had forgotten that the bar/albergue is the center of attention for the locals Friday evening and the noise from downstairs almost...
Quick live update today as I procrastinate at the foot of Mt Perdon at the brilliant"our little secret" coffee shop and bakery just past Cezar Menur.
Stayed at the Plaza Cathedral albergue in Pamplona, beside the cathedral last night. Very nice host and unlike the Jesus y Maria albergue has...
Subjective title here, but I normally do April Caminos and this one is a busy one. Arrived on the noon train on April 1st and after checking into the pilgrim office headed up to Orisson. Orisson has a renovation underway with an additional 16 beds (underneath the outdoor patio... quite the...
Pamplona to Burgos. I should be two stages back, but my much loved boots turned my right back heel to pulp, so had to bus forward from Belorado to Burgos. Bummer since the Belorado to San Juan de Ortega stage is one favs although the walk into Burgos next day, not so much.
First thing after...
Day 5 into the Camino from Pamplona. I arrived March 1st with a slight drizzle but since then all weather reports of rainy Armageddon on the Camino Frances (rain predicted every day) have been grossly exaggerated. I have not had to put on my poncho yet and most days either clear or broken...
Arrived at London Heathrow from Canada this morning to snow and minus 4. I had a delayed flight onward to Bilbao where it was 17 and sunny at noon... Go figure that the Norte is notorious for cold wet spring and it probably has the best weather in Europe right now.
Arrived to Pamplona at 6pm...
A number of years ago I met a couple on the Camino Frances in Roncesvalles who owned a small vinyard and boutique wine label in Rioja country near Logrono. Not only did they introduce me to the world's best tapas/pinchos and wine crawl on the calle del laurel in Logrono (which unfortunately...
On this the 10 year anniversary of my first Camino and also to mark in March my 10th Camino of various sorts, I'd thought I would retell of my first Camino embarrassment/adventure. My story may amuse some veterans or rekindle some memories of their first times... in which case, more...
This site is run by Ivar at in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon