Mio el Camino de Santiago de Compostela - 8

Day 8 Pamplona --> Los Arcos


Left over snow.


Going out of Pamplona was a great view. The bleakness of a cloudy morning turned into a sunny noon. Just as I remembered that I had to stop by the Ermita de Santa Maria de Eunate, there it was. On my left side. It's like it appeared so sudden while I was pedaling that I almost missed it. I spent a few minutes in the church before continuing on.


I also passed by the beautiful town of Puente la Reina but had no time to fully stop and appreciate. I took a snap shot of the bridge though. Two other cyclists passed me by and I noticed that although they were obviously cycling pilgrims, they only carried a small bag, not bigger than a folded sleeping bag, on their bicycles with them. We greeted each other. They were much faster and trained, so by the time I took a curve, they were already little tiny figures in the horizon.


I also stopped by the Bodegas Irache. The only water fountain along the camino that also served wine for free. I thought I would be able to fill my 500ml empty bottle with red wine. Of course that's wishful thinking. I only got about a glass serving. I took a sip and saved it for the night.


I only took a sip of wine and I inadvertently got on a freeway with big trucks passing endlessly. To make it worse, it also started to rain. So there I was, like a bum on a bicycle, covered with a raincoat that looks like Superman's flowing cape when trucks pass me by. A couple of hours later, just as I was about to take the nearest exit I found, the cops pulled me over. They were kind, and they led me to the right direction. They followed me to make sure that I get off the freeway, or maybe to make sure that I don't get back on the freeway.


In the afternoon, the sky cleared but the wind started to blow hard. Most of the road was uphill so I walked a lot. I decided that to prevent further injury, I should just walk if I come across an uphill road. But with strong winds, I couldn't ride down that fast either. Then the same cyclists I met this morning overtook me again, 5 hours later. They were probably wondering how I managed to get ahead of them. Well, so was I. Maybe, it's the freeway.


I thought this morning that I'd reach Logroño with much more time to spare to wander around. But with the strong winds, I decided to give it a break at 4pm. The sun was still high but the strong winds wouldn't stop. I checked in at a hostel restaurant in Los Arcos, as scheduled anyway.


I took a walk in this old town looking for a place to get a stamp. The information center was closed. I got the stamp at an albergue, another cheap accommodation for the pilgrims. I thought that I could have checked this out before deciding on that hostel restaurant. Anyway, while I was leaving the albergue and crossing a small bridge, I heard a loud bang beside me. Then, appearing in front of me suddenly like magic, was a disoriented duck walking like drunk in the middle of the bridge. I looked down at the river and saw that there were many ducks playing around. Probably this duck attempted to fly away but the strong wind slammed it to the bridge. Poor duck. Well, it only reminded me how strong the wind was that day.


I tried to look for an Internet café albeit unsuccessfully. It's a very small town and the buildings were old. The church was big but it was closed so I didn't get a look inside. I thought of eating a proper dinner. But I know, the local time for supper was too late. I bought some bread and sausages instead.


I washed my muddy stuff before I slept. I rearranged the position of the bed because I didn't want my head to be directly under the blowing heater. I enjoyed the wine I got from Irache.
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Mio el Camino de Santiago de Compostela - 7

Day 7 Saint Jean Pied de Port -> Pamplona


Happy Easter!


Cloudy day with showers. Showers with snow.


So, as I have decided yesterday, rain or shine I've got to go. I passed by the church before leaving the town. I reached the mountains in a couple of hours. A cycling pilgrim passed me by. I actually this same guy yesterday when he arrived in Saint Jean Pied de Port. But then a second glance confirmed that he was clinging to a slow running car so he wasn't pedaling at all. I was jealous. I had to remind myself that I was on my own pilgrimage.


With snow droplets, the sight around as I went up was beautiful. But after a while I realized it's the Pyrenees mountains as it was now really snowing. To actually cross the snowy mountain was no joke. The road kept going up and the snow kept piling up. I had to walk my bicycle with its icy tires. Sometimes the snowfall was so hard that I could not see the road. I was afraid that I might head to a ravine. I tried to stick in the middle of the road. I switched on my bicycle's LED headlight on a blinking mode so I would be noticed by drivers of oncoming vehicles. Or so I hoped.


I could not walk up at a normal pace because I kept slipping down. My hands were beginning to ache from too much cold. I was wearing cycling gloves but these were not enough to keep my hands from frostbites. All of a sudden I encountered a barking dog. I thought it was the aggressive type so I immediately took out my camera tripod, extended one of the legs, held it like a sword and I posed like a knight ready to fight. But then I noticed that the dog stopped barking and was looking at me like with a big question mark on its face. The dog then continued and kept barking while moving away. I noticed though that it was not going back towards its owner's house, but was pointing me to the snow covered road markings. The dog was trying to show me the way! Not completely convinced, I tried to shoo it away. Instead, the dog kept going farther, showing me the rest of the way. It was as if the dog knows that I could not find the road buried in deep snow. A big help.


After hours and hours of walking alone up the snowy mountains, I finally reached the highest point to my relief. The snow on the road down was cleared off. I rode my bicycle with extra care because I know I could simply slip off course on this icy road. I stopped by at Roncesvalles to get a stamp and rest in a heated room. I even tried to put my frozen gloves on the heater. I spent some time in the church hoping for the snowfall to subside. The snow outside was knee-deep.


When I left the small town, the sky began to clear and the sun to shine but it was still so cold. My now wet gloves started to freeze again from the cold wind and I couldn't feel my hands. I could only hope that I don't use the bicycle breaks to stop because I couldn't move my fingers.


Hours of chilling snow and wind passed by before I finally found a fair weather. I arrived at Pamplona on a sunny afternoon as if the thick snow was only a dream. However, I arrived late in the city that I got no time to stroll around and take some pictures. It was getting dark outside.


I slept in a Refugio. It looked like a hospital but was, way, way well-equipped. Refugios provide the bed but not the beddings. I used my sleeping bag for the first time. Next to my bed is this German guy who wanted to have a conversation with me but he didn't speak English, only German and Russian. I, on the other hand, could only understand English, Filipino, Japanese and maybe some Spanish. He was a cyclist too. But with our limited hand gestures and mutually understood words, the conversation didn't last long. Well, I didn't mind. We don't have the same pace so I was pretty sure we won't meet again.
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