The walking conditions were perfect and perhaps we pushed it – 18.7 miles. Not kilometres, you're reading that correctly. We went beyond our comfort zone and completed 30.1k in about eight hours, not counting two breaks. This is big for us, but many people following the Brierley guide complete similar stages daily.  We started from…

Leaving Viana, we found a greeting from a local graffiti artist. It was a very hot but short 2.5 hour walk through more vinyards into the lively city of Logrono. Today it's about the food. Most restaurants offer a menu del dia, three courses with wine, ranging from 8-13e. The quality is definitely better toward…

Being retired, this Camino is our new work of sorts for awhile. It hit me though, that we have had no days off. In that regard we've made a compromise: two short days = one day off. And that's our plan for today (3.5 hours) and tomorrow (2.5 hours). Last night's accommodation was excellent, a…

Ah, the Camino has many parallels to life, today's being plans are made for changing. What was to be a half rest day turned into 19 kms in the scorching sun. We left Villamayor de Monjardin at the leisurely hour of 9:30, an hour later than usual, anticipating an easy day. For some reason this…

Excuse the absence, wifi and even cell reception is sporadic. It was a 6.5 hour day, pretty reasonable until the end, but all in all a good day on the Camino. Our weather has been exceptional, quite warm balanced with a cool breeze. We're usually on the path at 8:30a.m. While the shadows are still…

I think the Camino honeymoon feeling is close to over. Today's walk was a brutal seven hours. I had to remind myself of yesterday's "I can do this" feeling. Over and over again. Many ups and downs, maybe not the total gain of yesterday, but far more steep. It started out OK. You might describe…

I can do this! That's how I felt at the end of today. I was so worried about today's stretch. Our five hour trek wasn't going to cover a lot of ground, but the ascent was 350 meters (almost 1200 ft) over a short distance. The way up was tough but I took it slow…

We said goodbye to the peaceful Pyrenees, with it's chalet style architecture and cowbells, and walked right into the urban bustle of a colourful city. Many people take a rest day to explore Pamplona, famous for its bull run during the July festival of San Fermin. We decided to combine Camino walking (the trail goes…

Despite a bad night, where the town's teenage girls sat in circles on the sidewalk squealing and shouting until after 11:00 pm, we got in a good day of hiking. I figure they were trying to attract the attention of the young men staying at the alburgue across the street. It was a day of…

Another short day to get our feet used to the drill, before we start our first full length day tomorrow. Lots of uphills and corresponding downs, except for the last one that was a longer down into town. It was the kind if descent on loose rock and shale that encourages the loss of hiker's…