The word if the day was MUD. In fact that was the word of the previous two days also. Here were my boots before we left.

We got off around 0800 and went through town on Calle Mayor (PRS-22-3) to the Queen’s bridge (Puente la Reina) (PRS22-6) a Romanesque bridge built in the 12th century. Here is a picture from Calle Mayor.

Here is the entry to the bridge from Calle Mayor

And here is the bridge.

We had a road detour at this point which was caused by a landslide. Remarkably non muddy.

Entering Maneru (PRS-24) we relaxed in a nice square and the proceeded out into the mud on our way to the next town. There were lots of vineyards and olive orchards since we had just entered the Navarran wine region.

Entering Cirauqui ( PRS-24) we came to a late 16th century cross and bought our lunch (another great ham and cheese)

>

On the way out of Ciraucagi we saw a map of the world in a field made by school kids.

The remainder of our walk to Lorca involved grueling up and down hills though much mud and rocks. Took quite a while. However we did see an old Roman bridge and some ruins

a modern aqueduct

And a Gothic bridge

We arrived in Lorca after only 9 miles completely exhausted from all of the muddy ups and downs. We are in Bodega del Camino and have a private room with its own bath. We will be off again in the morning to Estrella and beyond.

Posted from here.

We slept until 0930 and got packed and off. Not unlike Maine lately, there was snow falling and more on the ground.

In Muruzabel we turned off the Camino Frances to make a nifty detour. First we had breakfast at a bar and the walked to Eunate (with help from friendly Spaniard). Eunate has a 12th century Templar chapel (PRS-15). It is octagonal and quite fascinating.

The capitals on some of the columns have faces with turbans and Negroid features indicating Moors.

We proceeded on the Camino Aragones, which we had joined at Eunate and proceeded to Obanos where we rejoined the Camino Francés and on to Puente la Reina and our room at the Albergue Jakue. (Jakue is James in Basque in case you didn’t know it) Seven miles today due to late start and tired bones.

After getting settled in and doing laundry we tried to go into Puente la Reina to find a farmacia or super mercado by they had closed since it was Saturday after 1400. I did manage to photograph the Iglesia del Crucifijo, another 12th century Templar church (PRS-22).

Posted from here.

We left the hotel before 8, stopped for a croissant before walking out of Pamplona. Our first stop was up a hill to Cizur Menor – PRS 22 and the 12th century Church of San Miguel, founded by the Hospitallers in 1135. The Romanesque-Gothic door has a tympanum with a crismón, a motif invented to distinguish Catholic monuments from Aryan. It contains a cross, the chi-rho that begins Christ in Greek and then alpha and omega as the beginning and end of all things.

Here is the Church of San Miguel.

After this, we had some yogurt at a bar and started up towards Zariquiegui arriving around 2 PM. Were told that the Albergue was closed and that we had to continue another 6 km to Uteri.

Here is the 13th century church in Zariquiegui.

We had lovely ham and cheese Subs and then proceeded up through incredible quantities of mud to the Alto de Perdon, the peak which is covered with windmills and at the top there are Pilgrim sculptures. Here are the sculptures, with us and without.

We continued over and now the mud was replaced by steep rocks for several km. We finally arrived in Uterga after 8 PM, a 12 hour 12.4 mile hike. We had dinner and slept in a private room.

Posted from here.

We planned to go to Zaraguieri and stay at a nice Albergue. Unfortunately the Albergue was close and we had to go over the mountain to Uterga. Here is us at the top of the mountain. When we are not exhausted we will fill in with other pictures.

Posted from here.

We leave Pamplona tomorrow morning for day one of our pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela We will be following these metal plates in the road to find The Way.

Posted from here.

One of the chapels included the patron saint of the church where Susan and I were married. The church in Woburn goes back several generations of Joneses.

Posted from here.

We went into the cloister to see some of the original 12th century French architecture. The first thing you notice are rejas, ironwork fashioned from the chains of Christian prisoners liberated after being captured in a 1212 battle.

Next were the three kings

This is the dining hall for monks and pilgrims.

Each of the roof supports had a different design such as this

This is the Tympanum of the death of the Virgin from the 14th century. The doorway under is is called la Puerta Preciosa. It leads to the Roman ruins on which the cathedral was built.

Posted from here.

Susan and I attended Mass this morning and then spent over an hour in the Catedral. I have never seen such a place. The Mass was in Spanish with what seemed to be the new responses. The homily was under a minute, something unheard of in the States.

Here are some of the chapels and the central altar.

Detail of above.

This is the renaissance choir behind the main altar. It is difficult to photograph due to the ironwork surrounding the altar.

Here is St Antonio Abad and his iconic pig from chapel one,

and the Pieta from chapel 2

Posted from here.

We will be referencing sites in “The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago” by David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson. The references will appear as PRS 21-1 meaning item one in chapter 21 of the book (in this case the Pamplona Cathedral).

Posted from here.

We are at the Hotel Europa in Pamplona after very few hours of sleep. From our room we could hear construction but were so tired we slept anyway. It is an adventure to do laundry on a European hotel! Today and tomorrow we are turistas here. The pilgrimage starts Friday when we become peregrinos.

Posted from here.