Author: Lisa

The Meseta:  A vast plateau between Burgos and León.  A few pilgrims avoid the Meseta for its lack of trees and shade and often stark vistas.  I, however, LOVED walking the Meseta.  The openness, the springtime beauty of the flowers and fields, the time and space allowing one’s mind to wander and ponder….all of it made this part of the Camino a meaningful and powerful experience for me.

Some of my many thoughts considered while meandering on the Meseta:

Favorite hill climb on the Meseta:  When I first really got into hiking, I HATED hiking up hills.  I consoled myself by thinking that I could stop anywhere at any time to catch my breath before continuing the climb – and that there would be a summit soon.  As I became a stronger hiker, hills weren’t my favorite but I managed to do fine on them.  On this Camino, I ADORE hills!  It began on the final hill heading into Los Arcos.  Now, I become the Energizer Bunny on a hill, smiling the whole way up.  The climb up to Alto de Mostelares, just after Castrojeriz, was dreaded by some – and loved by ME!  Who woulda thunk it??!!

Best blister care:  Compeed and a safety pin!  My legs and body feel very strong and not sore at all.  My feet, though, developed a few blisters after the first week or so of walking.  One day, the blister on my left second toe hurt so much it began annoying my big toe.  The tape in my head kept reminding me that one should never burst a blister as an infection may ensue.  However, I used my safety pin to terrific relief and now firmly believe in the power of Compeed PLUS safety pins to relieve blister pain.

Best hiking shirt:  It’s a tie between Minke’s Patagonia hooded, long-sleeved, thumb-hole shirt and my magic blue breathable, adjustable sleeved hiking shirt!

Sentence completed before it even started: For dinner, we often have the Pilgrim Menu, consisting of a starter, a main dish, a dessert, bread, wine, and water.  Trout is sometimes offered as the fish main course.  I enjoy eating trout, but I don’t like to see its head on my plate.  Minke and I are so in-sync after traveling the Camino together for nearly 400 miles (adding in Paris, rest days, and wandering), that we not only are able to complete each other’s sentences but, when I silently hand her my trout plate and look away, she removes the head and returns my plate.  ❤️

Most bells:  In Carrion de los Condes on May 8 at about 6:10 pm, I was lying on my bed reading a book, when the bells at the church outside our window kept ringing – nonstop.  Curious, I looked at my phone and saw that the smoke was white – a new Pope was chosen!  Minke hopped out of the bathtub (her favorite place to relax after a day’s walk when a tub is available) and threw on some clothes, so we could walk around the village to watch and listen to bells tolling throughout the small village.

Most interesting translation:  According to Google Translate, Calzadilla de la Cueza means “cook’s underpants.”  Perhaps not surprisingly, Calzadilla de la Cueza provides the worst coffee we’ve had so far on the Camino.

Best communal lounging area:  In the sweet town of Castrojeriz, we stayed at La Posada de Castrojeriz, a small hostal with a beautiful covered atrium and comfortable chairs, a  perfect place to read, relax, and/or chat.

Most annoying on the Camino:  Oftentimes, the Camino is shared by both walkers and cyclists.  Annoying and a bit scary are cyclists who quietly sneak up on you without either a verbal or bell warning.

Warmest welcome:  Upon arriving in León, we were cordially greeted at a tent by friendly senior volunteers, wearing neon vests with shirts festooned with official patches.  They stamped our Pilgrim passports, gave us a lollipop, and provided directions on a paper map to our hotel and local attractions.  What a sweet welcome!  

Now, it’s time for a rest day to relax, refresh, and enjoy this beautiful city!

Stage 13: Burgos to Hornillos del Camino (14.3 miles)

Stage 14: Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz (14.7 miles)

Stage 15: Castrojeriz to Fromista (16.9 miles)

Stage 16:  Fromista to Carrion de los Condes (14 miles)

Stage 17:  Carrion de los Condes to Calzadilla de la Cueza (12.8 miles)

Stage 18:  Calzadilla de Cueza to Sahagun (14.7 miles)

Stage 19:  Sahagun to El Burgo Ranero (12.7 miles)

Stage 20:  El Burgo Ranero to Mansilla de las Mulas (15 miles)

Stage 21: Mansilla de las Mulas to León (21.3 miles)

Camembert Francis de Santiago was born to a French mother, Belle Poulet, who encountered “the love of her life” during a free range vacation in northwest Spain.  Although his mother took the name “de Santiago,” CF de S never met his father.

Camembert, or “Cam” as his friends called him, was a noble rooster – or coq (in French) – and enjoyed a distinguished academic career writing several books, including the well-known masterpiece El Gallo et Coq Galuois:  Rooster Symbolism in Spain and France in the Middle Ages.

While he shunned politics in general, he briefly led the ill-fated campaign to free the caged chickens of Santo Domingo de la Calzada.

Toward the end of his life, he sought to explore his Spanish roots. In Saint Jean Pied de Port, France, on Monday, April 21, 2025, he began to travel the Camino with two human companions. 

Finding sympathetic ears in these and many other pilgrims, he shared stories of his colorful, at times difficult, youth.  Often following a long and arduous day’s journey on the Camino, Cam’s best stories were enhanced by a drink or two (or three…).

On the morning of his surprising death, he tumbled from a cafe chair, losing his head and his life.  A coroner’s investigation, required due to allegations of nefarious misconduct, determined cause of death as accidental.

CF de S never married.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Belle Poulet, and is survived by his twin brother, Roquefort Leon de Santiago. CF de S  is sorely missed by his Camino family, Lisa, Minke, Stephanie, Lisa #2, Jill, Maggie, and many others.

In lieu of flowers or donations, please consider walking a Camino in his name.

RIP, Camembert Francis de Santiago

(Written primarily by guest author Minke, with photos and a bit of input from Lisa.)

After spending the first third of our Camino in the Pyrenees and Basque Country, we now relaxed and walked about seven miles in the gorgeous city of Burgos to rest up before entering the Meseta, the plateau with its open fields of grain.

Rest day in Burgos, so I’m blogging about the second part of our AMAZING journey…

Instead of writing about each day individually, here are some general thoughts about the past five days…

• Most beautiful scenery – I loved the walk from Najera into Santo Domingo!  With varied walking surfaces and captivating views of undulating wheat fields, this was a gorgeous walk!
• Hardest physical challenge – The walk from Santo Domingo to Belorado was quite challenging as the terrain was uninspiring and the highway noise was disruptive.
• Strangest church exhibit – In Santo Domingo’s cathedral, a pair of chickens resides to honor the memory of Domingo’s miracle (see Wikipedia).  The chickens are changed every few weeks and enjoy the rest of their lives in a chicken coop at a nearby hostel.
• Most challenging weather – By far, the most challenging weather was the heavy rain storm, complete with thunder and lightening, for a large part of the 30 km from Belorado to Atapuerca.  Blustering wind and pelting rain drove many pilgrims to remain behind or take a taxi to their next stop.  We, however, continued on – until the sunshine miraculously parted the skies right when we arrived at the monastery’s pub in San Juan de Ortega.  We, of course, revived ourselves with a shot – or two! – of whisky!
• Most beautiful hotel  – I turned “princess” at our supposedly one-star hotel in Najera.  My very kind sister-princess Minke shared with me her experiences at paradores in Spain. ‘Parador’ is the name given in Spain to luxury hotels managed by a state-run company and usually located in buildings of historical importance such as fortresses, monasteries, and castles.  Wowza!  The parador in Santo Domingo de la Calzada just happened to have an available room for us the next night, so Minke treated me to a luxury experience.  Such a treat!
• Creepiest animal – Leaving Logroño, we walked over a bridge where we saw groups of people staring down into the river.  What were they looking at?  Creepy yellow mouthed catfish!
• Saddest event – In Saint Jean Pied de Port, Minke rescued a porcelain rooster… She will, when she feels up to it, write an obituary for him which I will share on this blog.  Until then, please know that we were deeply saddened when Cam (Camembert Francis de Santiago) fell and broke his head in Ventosa.
• Oddest dinner – Our package with Camino Ways includes most dinners, especially when we are in small villages.  Sometimes, the hotel has its own restaurant.  Other times, we are given a “ticket” for a meal at a nearby restaurant.  In Najera, our hostess directed us to Trece restaurant, where the bartender sat us in the back room and used Google translate to share the menu with us.  As the only back room guests for over an hour, we felt quite out of place until Ernesto and Katherine, two other pilgrims, joined the back room an hour later.  The front bar area, though, was busy with locals drinking and playing card games!
• Best tapas – At this point, the best tapas with the greatest variety have been in Burgos!

Stage 8:  Logroño to Nájera (19 miles)

Stage 9:  Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada (16 miles)

Stage 10:  Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Belorado (16 miles)

Stage 11:  Belorado to Atapuerca (20 miles) 

Two videos…I accidentally stopped my Fitbit at the top of the hill…

Stage 12:  Atapuerca to Burgos (16.5 miles)

What a rest day it was!

I started the day hanging out in the breakfast room, updating my blog.  With intermittent WiFi, the process took longer than expected.

Next, I grabbed our laundry and headed out to the local laundromat.  Interestingly, the washing machines dispense their own detergent.  This laundromat allowed me to pay tapping with my phone.

Upon returning to our hotel and putting away laundry, Minke and I wandered around Logroño.  When we arrived at the cathedral plaza, we noticed people milling around outside stores…and no lights on in any of the stores.  Power outage!  Throughout Spain and Portugal – and a bit of France!

We headed into a tapas bar to grab a bite and a glass of wine.  The server calmly wrote down our order on a scratch pad, used a calculator to add the total, and accepted our cash.  Everyone was so calm and chill!  We asked the server if the power goes out frequently, and he said “no.” 

Next, we went back to the hotel where our room was, thankfully, on the first floor (ground floor in Europe is Floor Zero).  When I woke up from my nap, I strolled around town on my own for a bit.  I went into a store – and the lights came on!  Five hours after losing electricity, we had power once again.

A journey of 500 miles begins with the first step.  😊

This, our first rest day, gives me the opportunity to share the first seven stages of this adventure.  WiFi is a tad sketchy and glitchy, so please excuse typos, errors, etc. 

Stage 1:  Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles (16.4 miles)

This first stage, over the Pyrenees, scared me the most when thinking about walking the Camino.  Over the Pyrenees?  Climbing a total of 5370 feet?  Stories of snow, rain, and wind?

Fortunately, we had fabulous weather!  Windy at times but no rain.  Relatively clear skies creating magnificent views.  The climb was a bit relentless and hard but not impossible.  

Wow!  It was a terrific first day!

Stage 2:  Roncesvalles to Zubiri (14.8 miles)

In some ways, Stage 2 was harder than Stage 1!  Although the elevation gain was only 1662 feet, the descent was treacherous.  Not only was there a bit of rain, we descended through deep mud and slippery rocks into Zubiri.  Thank goodness for hiking poles!

Stage 3:  Zubiri to Pamplona (15.1 miles)

A beautiful and relaxed walk through the countryside!  When we stopped for lunch – a delicious spinach frittata – my tracker stopped, so there are two shorter videos for Stage 3.

As you view the videos, you may notice a few of the many friends we have made.  Stephanie, Jill, and Lisa…plus many others…have added humor, depth, and fun to our trip.  Most days, we share a refreshing beer and tapas as we transition from walking to relaxing.

Stage 4:  Pamplona to Puente de la Reina (18 miles)

Since we didn’t see much of Pamplona when we arrived, Minke and I chose to take an early morning stroll around this beautiful walled city.  Following breakfast, we met up with Lisa and Stephanie for our walk through the countryside, observing many fields of yellow rapeseed along the way.  

After climbing Alto de Perdón, we found the Pilgrim statue where we, with other peregrinos, posed for photos.  Near the statue lies a monument to Civil War victims under Franco’s regime.

The descent from the statue and monument was quite relentless…but the views were spectacular!

Stage 5:  Puente de la Reina to Estella (17 miles)

A meandering walk through the countryside with views of Roman ruins, red poppies, and cute villages.

Stage 6:  Estella to Los Arcos (15.5 miles)

The day started with a bit of wine at the fountain in Irache.  Using my pilgrim shell, we each had a sip of wine.  Then I got stung by a bee!  I was chatting with Jackie, a Brit who now lives near Toronto, when OUCH! I felt a sting!  Jackie pulled out the stinger and gave me a sheet with antiseptic and lidocaine on it to clean the poke and take away the pain.  I now look like a chipmunk with my swollen cheek!

On the final hike up the hill before entering Los Arcos, I had this amazing endorphin rush!  I felt strong and powerful, in full flow, and started laughing while climbing.  It was incredibly cool!

Stage 7:  Los Arcos to Logroño (19.3 miles)

A long walk through wheat fields, country trails, and rolling hills.  Some of the climbs were a bit steep; one descent was at 10%!  There were many cute villages along the way, especially Viana where we stopped for lunch.

What a wonderful and relaxing day!  We wandered all over Saint Jean Pied de Port, finding the Camino trailhead, watching a parade in support of Basque independence, walking the old walls of the city, and having the “lunch of champions” (beer and ice cream!).

My technology worked today, so below is an embedded video with today’s meanderings.

Booking our travel to Saint Jean Pied de Port (SJPP), we realized that it would be wonderful to spend a day in Paris.  This allowed us to not only begin to recover from jet lag but also to explore the City of Lights.

After our uneventful red eye flight from San Francisco to Paris, we took the train from the airport to our terrific hotel in the 5th Arrondissement, the Latin Quarter on the left bank of the Seine just across the river from Notre Dame.

Upon settling into our room, we began our fifteen miles clockwise walking tour of Paris.  Along the way, we viewed:  Sorbonne, Luxembourg Gardens (with children pushing sailboats in the pond), Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomph, Mont Saint Michel, Sacre Coeur (and a spectacular panoramic view of the city), Moulin Rouge, and Louvre.  In addition to these terrific sites, we ate AMAZING Lebanese organic ice cream rolled in chopped pistachios and shared a liter of wine (one half at lunch and the other at dinner 🙂 ).

Paris in one day?  Sure!  Why not?!

I strung together six mini-videos of our day into one 3:28 video.  Click on this link for the video.  (I tried to embed the video…but the internet is too slow…and I’m too tired!  😘 )

A few years ago, my friend Minke asked if I wanted to walk the Camino de Santiago with her.  I, of course, said, “Yes!”

The time has come.  We leave TOMORROW to walk the Camino Frances route, 500 miles from Saint Jean Pied de Port, France, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.  After spending a night in Paris and a couple of days in Saint Jean, we start walking on Monday, April 21.  The first day:  up and over the Pyrenees!

To say I’m excited is an UNDERSTATEMENT.  I am thrilled, eager, and joyful.  I am also a bit anxious and nervous…which is to be expected.

Our plan:  We booked with Camino Ways, so our accommodations, luggage transfers, breakfasts, and most dinners are all pre-arranged.  Our focus will be on putting one foot in front of the other while carrying a daypack with what we need for that day.  Interspersed among our 34 walking days are four rest days.  In Leon, Heather will join us and in Sarria, Kayla and Traci will connect with us. 

My blogging intention:  The purpose of this walk is to immerse myself in the environment, allow my mind to wander and reflect as it so chooses, and enjoy the community on the Camino.  However, I know me.  I know I will want to take photos; I also don’t want to be tied to my camera or to a laptop.  So I will snap photos that interest me with my phone and, on our rest days, perhaps upload them to my blog.  My thought is to minimize technology use by relying on the Relive app to track where I’ve walked while automatically linking my photos to the route itself.  Of course, we shall see!  If and when I post, I will let you know!  🙂

Buen Camino!!!