Camino Frances – Part 1 “Body Week” St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France to Burgos, Spain.
This blog has taken me a long time to write haha. I planned on writing this blog as soon as I finished the Camino back in July 2022, but moving to a new country proved to be a bit more overwhelming than I expected and pushed my timeline back by about…. 8 months! But please enjoy just a tad late…
As I write this blog, I realize that it is more than just sharing my experience but a way for me to reflect on all the beautiful memories the Camino brought to me. A way for me to solidify this incredible experience and file it away in a precious place in my brain. A place for me to hold dear and be grateful. It’s been surreal organizing all the photos, to see myself living an experience I dreamed of doing nine years ago. So I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoyed writing it.
The Beginning
Ewan and I started our Camino Frances trip in a bit of a whirlwind – classic us. We had a three day break in England to repack our bags from Nicaragua, and set off for France to start the Camino. We originally planned for more downtime, but we had some trouble flying from Nicaragua to England so we only had a 3 day break in the end. Our flights through the US were a nightmare, flying through Miami could be its own blog. It was hands down the craziest flight experience I’ve ever had. Just thinking about it makes me laugh and want to cry. If you want to know more send me a message, I am happy to share.
Once we made it to the UK, we were lucky to be able to stay with Ewan’s family. All of our belongings were shipped from Canada and had arrived at the house already, so it made repacking much easier. If this is your first time to the blog, Ewan and I now live in Bristol, that’s why all of our extra items where shipped over. If you want to know more about our move from Vancouver to England you can read my first blog here for more info. I’ll be the first to admit, our repack for the Camino was chaotic. We literally had one day on jet-lagged brains to figure out what we wanted to take, which proved to be full of mistakes. For the record, this is not my style. I like to put more effort into planning and packing, but we just weren’t in the right headspace or had enough time. If you are planning a Camino learn from our mistakes. I’ve put a full Useful Camino Packing List at the bottom of this blog.
Ewan and I started the Camino Frances in St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France which is the common starting place for this route. To get there, we flew with our giant bags from England to Barritz, and then took a train and a bus from Barritz to St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I cannot speak more highly of Barritz. I fell in love with this city and would go back in a heartbeat. It was like a French Tofino, just with better coffee, cheaper wine, and plates of cheese. Need I say more.
St.Jean-Pied-de-Port, was also beautiful with it’s calm flowing rivers, classic French homes, cafe lined streets, cute boutique shops, quaint bakeries, and hiking stores that catered to pilgrims. Here is where we went to the Pilgrim Office and got our Camino Passport to mark the start of our journey. The lovely lady at the Pilgrim Office kindly outlined the first day of hiking. She prepared us for the uphill slog over the Pyrenees Mountain Range, got us set up with our backpack seashells, gave us a booklet of designated albergues, and a paper with all the distances between the most common stopping points. I was really blown away at how well the pilgrims are supported throughout this journey. Everything you need is either given to you or can be easily accessed. At no point did we feel unsupported or confused about what to do.
An interesting fact about the seashell; For the original pilgrims, the seashell was a way of proving they made it to the coast from wherever they started. Now, the modern day pilgrims attach a shell to their backpack to symbolize the journey.
The lady at the Pilgrim Office jokingly told us a story about an American woman who packed way too much stuff, saying how ridiculous she was for bringing a hairdryer. I embarrassingly moved by bag under the counter so it was out sight thinking “well I’m not much better”. For the record I didn’t bring a hairdryer, but for some reason I thought two giant sweaters were necessary. She suggested we weigh our bags to see how much we were carrying at the start of our trip. Apparently, you are only supposed to carry 10% of your body weight. Since our packing was so chaotic, this was the first time I heard that, and by all accounts it was too late to change anything. As I thrusted my bag onto the scale, I looked around to make sure no one was watching. Based on the 10% rule, I should have been a 250lb man. The lady at the office caught a glimpse of the scale and gasped. Out of embarrassment, I quickly said “oh my boots are in here” and scuttled away, thinking the boots would explain the extra ten pounds. Instantly, I knew we were in trouble. Ewan, being the optimistic fun loving guy that he is, wasn’t bothered and reassured me we would be okay. We both have had much heavier multi-day packs before, but for some reason the lady’s gasp told me we were fools, but we got on with it and prepared for our journey up the Pyrenees.
Day 1: St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles
We were told that Day 1 was going to be the hardest day of the entire 30+ day journey. As we made your way through France and into Spain, we crossed over a section of the Pyrenees Mountains, which are spectacular but a quick slap to the ego. Over 24.2km, we gained around 1500m of elevation. The entire day was spent walking through the French and Spanish countryside. Other than fellow pilgrims, we saw the odd local, but it was pretty quiet for the majority of the trek. The views definitely stand out in my mind, but my favourite part were the soft sounds of cow and sheep bells in the distance all day. It was so peaceful and something I will remember forever. The beautiful cows were a gift compared to the never ending uphill battle, and the sight of people with miniature packs. As the day went on my pack felt like I was carrying a school bus. A woman driving past took one look at me and placed her hand over her mouth in utter shock. After that, I realized walking in France is clearly not the same as hiking in Canada. You might as well have tattooed “Rookie” on my forehead.
One of the nice things about this section is that you and all the other pilgrims are enduring the same struggle. We met some pretty great people as we bonded over the fatigue, grey skies, poor packing, and a sleet storm near the end of the day. Mark from Australia shared his chocolate bar with us, and we met a wonderful American family of 5 attempting the whole 779km together, they were brave souls. After the 24.2km, we couldn’t be more thankful to be in Roncesvalles, our feet hurt, we realized very quickly our packs were waaaay too heavy and all we wanted to do was shower. As we got settled in our first albergue, all I could think of was what I could ditch in my pack.
Day 2: Roncesvalles to Zubiri
The second day of walking had one theme… “sore and tired”. It was tough to get out of bed on Day 2, our bodies weren’t quite in the walking with lack of sleep rhythm yet. Everything started to hurt. It was also our first night sleeping in a room with 213 other people. We soon found out that a lot of people snore and pack their bags at 4am. This is why earplugs and a sleeping mask made the Useful Camino Packing list down below.
Even-though we were tired, Day 2 was easier terrain than the first day. There was a decent descent that lead into Zubiri, which in hindsight was probably the culprit of our tendonitis that was to come. My feet were aching so badly by the end of the day though. I vividly remember the pain, because I haven’t experienced that hiking before. Thank goodness after the descent there was a creek we could soak our feet in. Even-though it was painful, it was easier than Day 1 and I was happy about it.
Zubiri was were we had the best dinner of the entire trip. We stayed at Albergue El Palo de Avellano, which hands down had the best Pilgrim Menu. They served us fresh salad, nicely cooked cod, tiramisu, and bottomless wine and bread. We remembered this place all the way to the end and I highly recommend staying here.
Once I started writing this, I realized I didn’t take many photos of us in the albergues. Mainly due to utter fatigue and just wanting a bed, shower, and siesta. But I’ll try and link as many as I can for people that are interested.
Day 3: Zubiri to Pamplona
This is the day things got a little interesting. Tendon pain started to creep in on Day 3. Both of Ewan’s achilles tendons started to ache, as well as my left patellar tendon. This slowed us down even more. What was supposed to be a 6 hour walking day turned into 8 or 9 hours because we had to stop for rest breaks. I looked up what to do about our packs the night before, because something needed to change. It just wasn’t healthy to be carrying extra weight for 30 more days. We discovered that you can ship almost anything from your pack to Santiago with the Spanish Post Office or Cerros for a reasonable price. They hold if for 45 days in Santiago for you to pick up once you finish your Camino. It’s such a great option, and the first city with a post office was Pamplona, so luckily for us that was our next stop.
There was a second option to send our extra baggage to a place named Casa Ivar. Basically, a man lives in Santiago and apparently just loves the camino. He has a room in his house where he stores pilgrim’s packages until you come pick it up at the end. I think his hold time is around 30 days. But another great option and is less expensive than storing your items at the Cerros. We didn’t find out about Casa Ivar until after we shipped our stuff with the Post Office, but probably would have used it if we knew.
Despite the pain, our walk to Pamplona was really cool. We stopped for coffee at a beautiful cafe along the river, had a staring contest with a horse, met some hungry ducks, and walked through some spectacular landscapes. This was all before Ewan became “Mr. Clickety Clack”, which is a loving reference to his walking poles hitting the ground so hard because of his tendon pain. Mr. Clickety Clack came on scene about the last 5km into Pamplona, and if you’ve ever had tendon pain before, it’s the shits. It was a rough end to the day and we had to figure out a plan to get our bodies to adapt quickly. My knee was starting to get worse as well. I was having to walk backwards down some of the hills to ease the pain. But we made it to Pamplona, still together, just not happy haha.
Once we got to Pamplona, we gathered ourselves enough to ship almost 15lbs of stuff to Santiago. That’s right, 15lbs of useless stuff! We felt like we were flying after this. Our first three walking days were just training really. We tried to make the most of Pamplona by strolling around the city and taking in the sights. We were able to sneak into the Cathedral during a High-school Graduation. Technically we weren’t supposed to be there, but I am so happy we made it in. This is where Ewan and I met Abby from North Carolina. Abby was one of the gals I finished the Camino with. She is an amazing young woman and am so happy we met. One of the biggest gifts from the Camino.
Day 4 – 8: Pamplona to Logorono
The next five walking days were a rollercoaster. Ewan woke up on day four with major achilles tendon pain which made him a bit deranged (see pictures below). My knee became really irritated after the descent down into Puente la Reina as well. This was definitely the most painful stint on the trail, but also where my physio brain came in handy. I started to think of all the adaptations and treatments we could try to get our inflammation down and promote healing. I started make shifting a patellar tendon brace and put heel lifts made up of rolled up napkins in Ewan’s hiking boots. On day four we ended in Puente la Riena, we went out for dinner and ran into Abby and a few other pilgrims. Abby introduced Ewan and I to Sarah from Copenhagen. Sarah became my other closest friend on the trail. She was and still is another beautiful gift from the Camino.
Day 5 got off to an angry start, this is where Mr. Clickety Clack was not having anymore of it. Ewan’s achilles weren’t getting better, and my knee was sore but I was managing with a make shift brace and anti-inflammatories. We started discussing when to take a rest day because team moral was low. Logrono was two days away, and was the next largest city where we would have access to a pharmacy and maybe some air conditioning since a heat wave was on the horizon. After some convincing we decided to press on for those next two days, all be it in a testy mood. What is love if not tolerance of one another, him of me and me of him.
Despite our physical and maybe emotional discomfort, or walk into Estella was gorgeous. We started to see more rolling hills and vineyards as we walked into Basque Country. I really loved this section of our journey because of the change in landscape, and of course the wine! Estella had a lovely feel to it as well, everything looked medieval. It sticks out as one of the most beautiful towns.
Day 6 was a roller coaster of a day. It started off so good with a stop at a free wine fountain! It was so magical, we turned a tap and wine was just flowing out. One of my favourite memories from the Camino and a future kitchen instillation.
Things changed at little bit near the end of the day. The heat started to really pick up and we decided to press on an extra 8km to Torres del Rio because we heard the albergue had a swimming pool. This seemed like a good idea at the time but Ewan was just dying in the heat. The heat plus the sore tendons was just not working anymore. We had a good chat and this was the day Ewan decided that come Thursday, June 17th he was going to head back to the UK. He’s tendons were not healing, a heat wave was on the horizon which is not great for him, and starting on June 20th he planned on working after walking, which would have made his experience so stressful. The universe was giving us a sign and we needed to pivot. Ewan realized how much this experience meant to me and gracefully bowed out and supported me to push on, which I know was so hard from him to do. This was a great learning lesson for us both, we realized that great partnerships are not always equal but balanced. Each partner needs their moment in the sun. This concept is difficult when two people are driven, adventurous, and want to be a part of everything, but as our relationship grows stronger we have learned that it’s okay for each of us to have our time to shine.
Torres del Rio is also where we met Cole, a fellow Canadian. Cole went one to be such a light of our trip and everyone I spoke to on the Camino just loved meeting Cole (“Buen Camino”). Another great Camino gift.
Spirits were high again on Day 7, once the decision was made for Ewan to head home it was like we both could release all this stress we were carrying. Emotional baggage is a real thing and can change your entire perspective.
We had such a great day together on our walk to Logrono. Our tendon pain was less, our attitudes were better, our love for one another was stronger, and the journey just seemed easier and more enjoyable.
Looking at the pictures, it wasn’t the most beautiful day, but was a happy day!
Once we made it to Logrono we decided to have a rest day. Abby and Sarah decided to stay with us. Most people continued on walking the next day with plans to rest in Burgos. To say goodbye, we all went out for drinks and tapas the evening before. It’s a weird feeling meeting fantastic people from around the world, knowing that you may never see them again. Some people come into your life for a season and then are gone.
In hindsight, this simple decision that Abby and Sarah made to stay behind solidified out friendship. We became inseparable walking buddies after this. Weird how simple choices can shape your experience.
Hot Tip: For anyone doing the Camino, the municipal albergue in Logrono has air conditioning! We found this out after booking a hotel room. Don’t waste your money, just stay in the albergue. It’s clean, has a place to dip your feet, well divided rooms, and a fully stocked kitchen.
Day 9 & 10 : Logrono to Santo Domingo
The next two days were the start of the Spanish heatwave, every time we saw a news report all that was talked about was heat, heat, heat. This meant early starts. On day nine we decided to get up early and stop for breakfast. This is where Ewan had a massive nose bleed from the heat. I found him in a bathroom just gushing blood from his nose. We couldn’t get the blood to stop for over 15 minutes, so I resorted to shoving a tampon up his nose, which eventually did work. But I felt for him, the guy was such a trooper, just taking hits day after day. The universe was basically screaming “you go on home son”.
When we caught up to Abby and Sarah, Ewan was about 10 pounds lighter from the blood loss, but wanted to press on and finish the full 30km day. The rest of the day ended up being pretty lovely actually. The views were beautiful, more stunning rolling hills through the vineyards. The river in Najera was also stunning and stands out in my mind.
Day 10 was our last day walking with Ewan. It was Mr. Clickety Clacks finale day so we wanted to make the most of it. By this time we were in the midst of the heatwave so we decided to get an early start. We set off at 5:30am and caught a gorgeous sunrise. We all had a beautiful walk into Santo Domingo as the vineyards faded out and the farmers fields took over. I have fallen in love with a wheat field.
Once in Santo Domingo we had a few celebratory beers beside our albergue. Sarah and Ewan taught Abby how to throw back a few beers. Our sweet Abby was 21 years old at the time, so who better to learn from than an Englishman and a Dane. We had some amazing laughs and shared a few stories before heading out for a town tour. Abby was also our little tour guide, reading up on all the places to see. She would drag us from the museums, to the churches, and the monasteries. I lover her for this. She did all the background work to make sure we all got the full Camino experience.
We also learned that Santo Domingo has interesting history that involves chickens. I don’t remember it fully, but it has something to do with a religious miracle and a chicken, and apparently the church in Santo Domingo protects them now. Please don’t quote me on this, I really have no idea what I am talking about, but we all got excited to see these chickens. If you want to learn, I’ve linked an article about the history here.
Day 11 – 13: Santo Domingo – Burgos
Day 11 is where Ewan and I said goodbye, we woke up at 4 am to beat the heat and to give each other a hug and kiss before we parted ways for a few weeks. Ewan is such a gem, he walked all three of us girls outside, got us all on our way with a big supportive smile. I will be forever grateful for him not making me feel bad or guilty in that moment. We did have conversations during and afterwards to get to a comfortable place with the decision. I feel like it’s important to note because relationships aren’t always easy and don’t want to pretend that we are perfect. We had to work through mixed emotions together on both sides and it took time. I feel like it’s common for women to “become their relationship” and not explore their own personal goals out of fear and judgement. It’s hard being a gal sometimes, we get so much judgement no matter what we do. I am here to say it is important to have your own goals and accomplishments, it makes you a better partner, sister, mother, daughter, friend, and individual person and want my partner to do the same. Hell, as I am writing this Ewan is on a 10 day ski trip from Chamonix to Zermatt – go Ewan!
As we left Santo Domingo we knew the day was going to be super hot, temperatures were meant to reach 39-40 degrees Celsius by mid day. We planned on walking to Belorado but ended up getting there earlier than expected. We ended up making a silly decision to press on another 5km to a small town called Tosantos. We thought we could make it before mid day and beat the heat, but boy we were wrong. As we were walking it just got hotter and hotter with absolutely no shade, which makes you slower and slower. I started getting dizzy and my thoughts started getting foggy, just as things got scary we saw the town and took shelter in one of the only two albergues available. The man answered the door with complete shock on his face, he couldn’t believe people were still walking at that time of day. He rushed to grab us iced tea, I’m sure we all looked just awful. Once we gathered ourselves and showered, we agreed to a prayer service after dinner. Now I am not a religious person, but this was one of my favourite memories from the entire journey. All seven of us staying at the albergue walked up these 200 year old stairs into an attic. We were given letters from previous pilgrims written in our native language; English for me and Abby, Danish of Sarah, Polish for the father and daughter next to us, and Spanish for another pair. We read these letters aloud which were written 2-weeks prior, meaning these pilgrims would just be finishing their journey. The letters went on to explain why they were walking, what they were searching for, and what they hoped to gain from the experience. It was amazing. Since all of us didn’t speak the same language it was like sharing a secret with a person you’d never meet, wishing them well and hoping they found what they were looking for. It was beautiful. After the service we all went on to write our own letters, for them to be read aloud and prayed upon as we finished. Still gives me chills and all the feels today.
As we embarked on Day 12, we were in our groove and just motoring along. The highlight of each day was a good chat, beer, dinner, and a shower. We made it to Atapuerca after 25km and a lot of laughs. Our albergue was fantastic which offset how terrible our dinner was, we learned the importance of never getting the olive mayo salad (don’t ask me how that happened, I’m not even quite sure).
We weren’t able to get into our albergue for a few hours so we had time to inspect our feet. Blisters are a major problem while walking these distances. Abby’s feet had seen much better days, and much to my and Sarah’s amusement she resorted to walking in socks and sandals to give her feet a break. The girl was such a trooper, her feet were a constant concern and topic of the trip.
Day 13 … Our walk into Burgos! This was a huge moment because it marked the end of “Body Week” and was the next big city for a recharge and good food. The distance between St. Jean to Burgos is said to be the hardest physically and where you adapt to the distance, lack of sleep, change in food, and embrace the rhythm of the Camino, hence the name “Body Week”. After this section we were all told it would get easier, and looking back, it is very true. It’s almost like you body syncs up with walk, eat, shower, sleep, and it becomes comfortable and joyful.
As we walked, we saw Burgos off in the distance and all got very excited. We knew we were close, but once we reached the city, we were still 10km outside of the centre. It was a real mind f’er, the walk just went on and on and on. It felt like it was never ending. I am pretty sure this is where Sarah decided to teach us Danish to pass the time. Abby came up with the saying “Tre Piger Vandrer” which in Danish means Three Girls Walking… and it stuck for the rest of the trip. Anytime there was something to celebrate, Tre Piger Vandrer was at the ready. I another funny memory to keep hold of.
Once we reached Burgos, the city did not disappoint. The Cathedral was beautiful, we ate our weight in pastries, and caught up will all of our walking buddies that didn’t rest in Logrono. It was a great place to reunite 🙂
Burgos marks the end of Part 1 – “Body Week” of my three part Camino series. I know it’s a bit long, but there were so many great memories, photos, and stories that I wanted to share. This whole experience was one of the best trips I’ve done so far. I really hope you enjoyed reading it.
I am going to try and get Part 2 – “Mind Week” Burgos to Leon finished soon, hopefully it doesn’t take me another 8 months (fingers crossed haha).
