Camino 23 - Pamplona to Burgos

A plan is forming which will help as I fly in 3 days.....update fly back in 3 days🤣this note is largely for me so it's a mix of plan and what happened.

I arrive Santander on Saturday so will wander to Laredo or Castro Urdiales.

And so it came to pass. My flight was delayed and so while I was waiting at the airport I bought a ticket to Laredo from the airport. It was a win win as it's only €3 from the airport and €5 from the following stop.... The city. Our plane did depart and I got off it in time to squeeze onto the 2:40 shuttle bus but for a change listened to the wee voices saying patience, charged my phone, then took the 3:15 bus.

I stayed in casa Loopez in Laredo again and still heartily recommend it. My single room was €44 and I think the €18 for the dorm is the value gig. Inflation on the Camino is clearly impacting the dorms where 4-5€ at the beginning and nearer 8-10 around Sarria in 2007 whereas now it's €14-20, except Burgos central dorm which is €10 with the pilgrim passport. Rooms on the other hand have largely stood still or doubled at the most. I've got a €33 ensuite in Cardenuela Rio Pico and it was probably €25 back in the day. Menu del dia has clearly risen from roughly €8-10 to €20-25, largely in line with beer and wine, between double and triple. In relative terms going back 40 years to the 80's since when it's gone up 10 fold. Inflation really does eke away your savings. A £100,000 wage 20 years ago would be nearer £300,000 today. Choose houses, digs or beer, it's just mental.

I'd bought a few beers and happily sat in the roof terrace drinking them in Laredo either side of stretching the legs while visiting a few bars.

Champions league was on so I caught the second half in la cabana. It's a great bar, especially for food. Lots of others worthy of note. I wanted to go back for the Tapa tasting week, I may yet do so.

Next up was the bus to Logroño a tour of the tapas bars then back for the 16:30 to Los Arcos. It's a new albergue, only 6 weeks old and the hopitalero is amazing. Sold me the €15 dinner and I was very happy. Great table camaraderie

The Japanese guy tried to air drop the picture but taking a picture of his phone was as quick. We don't need a detailed picture to share the laughter.....and don't worry I won't tell the table jokes. Camino humour rarely travels as well as it does across the table. It's the epitome of a location joke. They work beautifully in the moment, the best humour does. One day I'll learn that.

Usual drill, smelly pilgrims loving the experience. Opposite me were Newcastle in Australia, Kansas, Missouri, Denmark with Denmark jnr, Germany then my side was France, Ohio, Ohio, Scotland and Japan.

It was the G8 with a few moonlighting.

Next day I will get to Viana, which I have now.

I plan tomorrow to get to Navarette but have to share the weather luck today.

I was very happy it was overcast even if it did mean the pictures would be less vibrant.

There are many paths on the Camino and I took the high one here as I danced around the puddles. You think Spain is largely dry, it's frequently sold that way. The rain is often torrential when it comes, ensuring the wheat grows well and the flowers light up the trail.

Overcast means less sweat and more walk. It also means you can maintain your pace, which on the stretch after Torres del Rio, can be challenging. Jarv, stay at home just now, but we will get you out. It's like walking up from the burn to the tiger bar then walking back down to the burn, constantly. 

The two stop strategy turned out to be a tale of one pit stop then an enforced stop. 

The weather closed in very quickly. I was only 3km from the gleaming spires of Viana but the thick grey clouds suggested it was pretty heavy rain there.

The puddles would be growing in no time at all. 

As every plumber will tell you, water just obeys the science of gravity and well, I certainly believe in "Gravity". My song on the subject is now up to 10 minutes and it's hard to cut a verse. It's more like a ridiculously long poem.

I suppose Burns got away with Tam O'Shanter although I doubt I'm in the same league never mind century as Burns.

I am however a Hibs supporter so when I came across this bar in Logroño I couldn't help thinking the game would've been superb here. 

Who knew Logroño, so far from Seville would have a supporters club.

They do like Real Betis here. Before I leave the subject of Viana I must give St Jacques the nod. Heavens opened while I entered town so I went to the hotel Jimmy John and I stayed in, probably 2019, and asked if they had a room.

€42 ensuite with bath and I just thought, superb. How lucky was I that an electrical storm should appear just as I entered town. 

After the usual tidy up, unpack, make a mess, I went out for a couple before siesta.

Simon and I stopped here for some morcilla in 2007, it may have changed, I may even repeat myself later in this blog but it was even better than 18 years ago and I also spied through the arch a few more places.

One was an old man's boozer, one a  rock'n'roll bar and I sampled both. I lingered longest in the rock'n'roll bar.

The beer was superb, the sounds were right up my action strassa, oh and there was a darts board.

It was time to get home and so I did. I even woke up reasonably early and so Tuesday was Logroño. I chatted with two guys from Missouri and then, on going into town, bumped into Dunfermline renegade Gareth, a music dude with a wizard's beard, unlike his wife Clare who looked like a diminutive tough kiwi. A very short day indeed. It was to do with a thunderstorm and I found a place Pension Berceo which was €40 for a private room with shared facilities. A bit like the hotel in the picture which was Viana, which also had a bathroom.

Spotless and a really comfortable bed. Ah yes, that's the right photo

They also owned the launderette I would find out later. It was a good siesta and a good rest. A bit of admin housekeeping and not too much drink and tapas. I keep having to remember about fuel but in the main if I have a short day I try to add a little pub crawl with extra steps. So it was the launderette, the heavens opening again and then back out via the flat to get me to the desired number of km.

I met Dunfermline Gareth, and Clare, now of Dunedin, going into Logroño and would see them again in Navarette on the Wednesday. I did that foolish thing of not going up to chat thinking I'd go to the bar and get my elevenses first. I never saw them again. Typical of the Camino.

So Wednesday morning I was off to Navarette. I got to kick the ball slowly going out of town and after I got to the lake I checked the steps out of interest. Funny how restarting the phone doesn't always restart the steps. So annoying that from 8pm to 10am my steps were not on the machine. Luckily I measure Caminos in happiness and general fitness or wellbeing, so I wasn't really bugged for longer than five long friggin minutes.

I stopped at ventosa as usual. It's such a lovely walk with the art on the way.

As you leave Ventosa you pass a bodegas. I've still not bought a bottle in a sheepskin flask, but never say never.

I did see a picture of me from 4 years earlier. Wow, this cancer really has sorted a weight issue.

The albergue in Najera was superb.

Wednesday Najera 

That was a really easy three stage journey and a great albergue. I'm up 10 times through the night so on the notes I mentioned lower bunk and near a toilet please. I also mentioned the saliva glands so later on the hopitalero patiently poured extra gravy to help me through. I foolishly eschewed the opportunity for a foot massage. I don't know if it cost anything but everybody said it was transformational. Those tendons just below the calf that Achilles found to be a bit on the weak side, yep, those ones.

My stop at Najera was quite simply the best and another reminder of how many good albergues there are. If there was a sour taste it related to the empty bed above me and to the side. The albergue was full as all the beds had been taken. It's so annoying that people with the wealth can book out the albergue and then not show. I don't know how much it messes with the economy of an albergue. On paper you're selling all you beds, however the albergue income stream involves dinner, washing machines and often a bar. 

Thursday it was a walk to Azofra first up and I got to spend time in Bar Sevilla again. 

Then it was on to the golf club.

Rioja Alta in Ciruena. €36 for a round of golf and a burger if you play after 1pm.

The course looked great and empty as usual although I did see one couple playing.

One of my favourite hours on the Camino is the gentle rise and fall to Santo Domingo de la Calzadas.

A Brazilian cyclist asked me to take a picture. 

So I did and she reciprocated.

Then 15:40 Santo Domingo bus to Espinosa where the beautiful albergue was full and big one closed, then walk to Villafranca Monte's de oca and stay in la alpargateria. 

Late arrival at 6pm, meant wash drink wander drink sleep. I had a plate of albondigas and the sandwich I'd eaten most of from Azofra breakfast.

I woke up to find my 5 trips to the toilet had cleaned the hostel out by 7am. I laughed then got up to bang my head again about 7.45 had a shower and wandered out for coffee. 

By 8:55 I headed up to the shop which opened at 9am. I sat so chilled on the bench thinking it's such a short day today.

The walk to St Juan de Ortega saw me kicking the ball, meeting Quebecois, Colorado, Taiwan and now Chris and Joe from Minnesota. 

The ball didn't always play ball.

The Taiwanese were superb. 

The three women had so much fun. They were part of a church group walking the Camino from Taiwan and I suspect they were not the pious ones in the pews.

Chatting to Chris and Joe, then later Chan and Jean Pierre there were so many ideas popping around.

Chris is a photographer and I couldn't help thinking how valuable his sight was. I didn't ask if he had specific insurance but my mind went on the beautiful journey of him taking pictures of Harley Davidson motor bikes at 5am or 10pm so that the marketing minions can discuss the latest sales figures from a glossy magazine. Surely by now all bikers know about Harley Davidson bikes. My mind wandered to how much tax he pays and whether he pays another tax to an accountant and if so, why doesn't the IRS just say you pay $5000 a year and you pay an accountant $5000 a year. How about stop doing accounts and just pay us €9000 a year. We collect taxes to pay for street lighting to pay for things in your community. If you believe in paying tax you can pay $9000 and no accounts.

The alpha male thing of running on ahead to buy 4 coffees and tortilla when a crowd looks like it might swamp the cafe is so funny. I really identify with the fear aspect of waiting. I also love being on my own as I don't over manage myself, just when I feel I'm the organiser. It's even funnier for me with someone from the USA as they are the bullies being bullied by a smaller nation. The idea of entitlement and the great US empire is never far away. Switch it on its head and realise this is out of fear and that's what drives some people in other cultures.

My mind then wandered to how you bring a product to its knees in the competitive corporate world. Well I thought, imagine if you were accused of using radioactive water in your bourbon or soft drink. How quickly would that cyber attack work.

Dinner was great tonight and an afternoon drinking and discussing nonsense was fun. Occasionally we stumbled into politics but I feel so relaxed that it's easy to see the fires but it's the fire starters we need to sort. The fun of the international community is never far away and takes of present or past Camino's lift the spirit no end.

Tomorrow 7th June Saturday Cardenuela Rio Pico 

Sunday walk in and maybe bus out of 

Tuesday bus from Burgos to Santander 

Wednesday home

Don't panic the power will return and now its Santillana del Mar to St Vicente de Barquera

The power did return and now we head to santillana del mar. What made me chuckle was I say Saint Jacques will provide and of course life will go on.

That is the essence of believing in fate. In my case it's trusting in fate. It's believing in what fate produces is my most majestic belief.

I honestly believe that fate around the corner is like, how would we say, good for me. I don't feel uncertain or uncomfortable. I honestly feel strongly that it will be new experience. I find that good things happen when you encounter things you weren't expecting.

I also get shit scared that I'm bluffing. I was so delighted when we stuck to the high road on our way to St Vincente de Barquera. It meant that when we did finally join the road it was short lived and we were able to get back away from the traffic and onto the beach. The stretch of coastline is quite simply magnificent, so its well worth doing again. We had got the bus to Santillana del MAr and whilst you think you'll see the sea what you get is a wee medieval town centre with everything a bit overpriced for the likes of me. The hotel we stayed in by the green was the better part of town as I found the city centre like the centre of most of the camino towns in Northern Spain, old and attractive. I found Santillana had cobbles like Pamplona, Ponferrade or Puente La Reina. Does the wee castle of Ponferrade triump over them all, for me visually yes. I maybe shouldve read some marketing literature to see why it was so good but instead we wandered found a couple of places and chilled. Next day we took off early from our lovely wee hotel. It was very reasonable, so that appealed to my modest means, and we had breakfast thrown in. Their electrics werent fully restored, a common theme as I dug out cash instead of card. I'd brought 600 with me so it proved handy. Its no suprise to see everyone has a way of getting around booking.com fees and later on in Burgos I paid 402 euro in cash and saw that the owner had rejected my booking owing to a card issue. There was no problem with getting the keys and it was a great price for 5 days in the city centre so I've no problem with it. It could unnerve you if you were travelling on a hot day and it looked like your booking had been cancelled while you had a siesta but I'd not been walking, had a receipt and so just accepted it was a normal way to operate. Taxes, fees and commissions are dodged the world over by the rich, the poor and everyone in between. When we left Santillana the route takes you up and down. Its a brilliant meander through quiet country roads as you walk 8km to get to the town that was 5km away when you started. We're on camino now, I mused, properly walking round in circles away from the noise. Our first stop was at the top of the hill with a church. I thought I'd get to light candles, I was wrong. I did get to put sun cream on, drink the juice and eat my food. We enjoyed a good 20 minute break and stretch. I like to support the cafes by going in at the every opportunity. The truth is its ok to bring your own food and stop on a bench where the views are magnificent. After doing this for 18 years I think that is by far my greatest lesson, just chill. Once we'd climbed the hill we were always going to go down and so we did until we got to the town at half way. We were given a choice to go down the hill and bypass the main road in or stick to where it looked like there would be a cafe. We took the high road, keeping the altitude and stopped for coffee. It was great to go to the toilet too. Also the energy levels are so variable I got myself an extra juice. If there's one lesson I need to keep repeating its the dioralyte message. Keeping hydrated, post cancer treatment aside, is the most forgotten thing for me. I remember once I'm done in. Later on as we descended all the way down to the magnificent wee beach, I thought the same. Hydration and hills go hand in hand. As we left sea level and climbed I noticed instead of lagging behind Simon, I was striding passed him. Considering I was out on my feet upon hitting the first hill out of Castro Urdiales I was well chuffed. It was a 15 minute hill. I took a lot of pictures back to the town. I also stood for ages admiring the view down to the hotel by the beach. It got better the higher we climbed although Simon wasnt getting much chance to admire it. I was really confused about how I had suddenly found my legs. It was exceedingly unusual. When we got to the top there was a little garden with fountains. The gardeners were in and it was a bit noisy but totally worthy of a stop. We took the water, got our breath back and soldiered on. Our next stop was as a result of keeping to the high ground. I saw a really nice cafe but Simon figured it was a wedding. We didn't see any other pilgrims but having said that, you rarely do on this stretch as there are a few ways to go and the Norte is quiet. When we did finally stop it was a great piece of cake. The local restaurant is a destination place. Most people arriving did so in cars and the tables were all being dressed for lunch when we arrived. I had a similar cake later in St Vicente de Barquera and it wasn't in the same league. We paid half the 5 euro we'd paid up the hill but quality is quality. I like treating myself on a 2 euro item not a 200 euro item. When we were walking the beach it was simply magnificent. There were the surfers, the families, beach games. Its just a big party. We got to a bar, ordered a beer and took another 20 minutes to savour it. Just to feel the ambience is everything.

Excitement building and more migration thoughts

Friday April 25th we are off to walk the camino norte stages from Bilbao to Santander. Well lets be fair its Bilbao for lunch if I have my way and then bus to castro urdiales for our overnight stay. We will walk saturday to Laredo. Sunday 27th to Noja Monday 28th walk, bus and boat to Santander. Tuesday - Friday will be Burgos or further along the Norte. An alternative plan might be to do the Irun to San Sebastien to Zarautz which Simon missed. So much fun but we can cross that bridge in due course. I'm hoing to put some pictures in which I taken from www.davewhitson.com of the routes. I liked the look of the wee crossing on google maps. not sure its real but I do hope we can go to Galiziano via the coast. Recovery from Chemo and Radiotherapy requires patience. I'm not very good at this but I had a reassuring update from Speech therapy and nutrition when they looked at me last week. Chemo brain is a thing which means my dementia is not as fast approaching as it feels. An example of how it manifests with me is I set my alarm to go off, like most people in the morning, after the masters 1am finish it was at 8.15am today. As I write it 14:55 and I'm still on 10 minute snooze alert. Until I'm doing the job I was supposed to do I snooze it for 10 minutes. It snaps me out of my slumber and I do something. I was to get milk bread and rolls after chatting to my dad. I potted a few things up and sowed a few seeds. I made him two coffees and offered him a bacon roll. We had a long conversation about economics and my theory from the 90's which has turned into 30 years war of words. My theory started in the 80's with Thatcher's adminstration getting it all wrong in my opinion on how to address the issues faced between 1979-83. I've gone on at length about these things but the problem I believe many politicians and economists have is that they look back selectively for answers. So my theories have always been about looking forward and for example modern migration. My area of expertise is closer to the wealth migration than the war zone and economic aspirant migration. I therefore base my thesis on glbal taxation for a global age on Wealth migration not poor, desperate and in many cases highly skilled people trying to earn a living. I dont have any expertise in that area but I do believe strongly that people 9especially skilled working people) are the lifeblood of an aspirant domestic local economy. My cure for providing a society therefore is to defend our borders from the wealthy trying to flee to our economy where they can get all the infrastructure free of charge as their wealth isnt taxed. Everybody in Manchester has heard of how the Glazers wandered in and acquired one of our community assets for free. The level of taxation is probably close to zero as it was all debt reversed in at an exhorbitant level. This debt was serviced by the community and the wider football community who funded sky sports and underwrote the business model. I dont blame the Glazers for being opportunistic and doing this, Hanson Trust and all the other investment trusts had for years been taking advantage of old school economics never catching up with new accounting practices. They werent the Only Ones. It was "Another Girl Another Planet", "There's no peace for the wicked", tax regimes have always been exploited by "the beast", I tell you "Its the Truth". That was a wee musical interlude, from one of my favourite bands and I'm so easily distracted by these things. We joke all the time about old dogs new tricks. It is the truth that people who make money deciphering tax regimes for avoidance love what they do as its a clever puzzle to solve and putting barriers in their way just creates more fun. As i mentioned during my privatisation dissertations, it was not wider share ownership during the privatisation or asset stripping in the mid 80's. There was not 2 million or even 6 million new shareholders. There was a patriachal/matriarchal ownership structure where one person bought shares in 20-40 people's names. Names were the thing back then, just as they are nowadays with people opening multiple betting accounts etc to get free bets or home deliery of food etc. Skilled practioners would ask their friends if the were going for them or not and then supply the cash. Some very brazen ones would write cheques on their own account to be presented to buy shares for their friends and family. I know this quite simply because I was part of the processing unit that received these cheques and applications for shares. History tells us this wasnt really documented but my point is simply this. THey enjoyed the game so much their greed became an arms race with colleagues in the pub. An arm wrestle using family and friend networks where people would apply for 50-100 different people. Imagine nowadays with technology how many mutiple applications you could make. Back then, there was little scrutiny of multiples. Eventually towards the end scrutiny was introduced on the last few privatisations but the game had moved on to the land grab of how these former state companies could now be dissected for most gain. Shame the dissection wasn't done at the beginning to maximise value for the state. City advisors, I laugh, were obviously very good at advising the decision making politicians. Some civil servants stood tall though and hats off to the Scottish office for retaining Scottish Water. I'm sure someone will eventually get their hands on it and drive a sale through but hopefully we've benefitted from having it these last 40 years. So how do we introduce a fairer taxation based on the global aspirations of all our people. Some want to work away and return with their riches, 30-40 years later. Some want to play the game of working away but pretending to still live here and topping up their NI contributions. You might think having a whole lot of wealthy people returning to where they were born would be a good thing for the local community. As Gary Stevenson's garyseconomics you tube channel will tell you its not all plain sailing. Someone returns home with £2m they buy 7 flats and rent them out. There's no CGT when they sell. They live hear off the income which they'll put through a property company, wash it gently flat, generate £150,000 in revenue but somehow only make about £12,000 which just so happens to be because they've spent it on the flats. They will pay £200,000 to £400,000 for the flats and by having some needing more work than others its very simple to improve them. This reverses your income into capital. The capital of course is free of CGT so no tax will ever be paid. What looks on paper as a rich person coming to your country to help the local economy has don nothing more than force the prices up of property. As they sell these properties one every 3 - 5 years the anticapted revenue for them means they probably sit with £300,000 in their account at any one time and can retire very comfortably living off what Gary loves calling their passive income. The more money you come to this country with the more outrageous it becomes. Billionaires launder their cash through sophisticated models so Football teams are good ways to create a notional loss while performing the age old bottle/glass, glass/ bottle tommy cooper trick. Ok, its time for the allotment, its 15:45 and I'm feeling a dyslexic urge.

blown away by Gernika

I'm not sure how I feel about my title but as we watched the horrors unfold on the screen as we made our way through the museum it was true.

Later as the planes and bombs of Hamas and the israelis cut more children to death the tears of war just ran and ran.

They could learn from Gernika but only if they want to.

I started this a year ago and I see I haven't added to it. The death toll and expansion of the middle east madness has gone wild.

After Lebanon and Iran not Saudi have got involved with buying the world cup as part of a 2034 peace plan. 

I'm not sure I get the logic but it isn't completely flawed. The middle east seems to involve Israel protecting it's borders by taking over lands to police or resettle. First renaming them then after a period of occupied territory status, doing a playing the sudetanland card. A wee tidy up project and annexe them. 

The far sighted Saudis have bought loads of defence from the west but perhaps their greatest defence will be to build a stadium so they can jointly run world cup football games with Israel and proclaim themselves the two power houses of the region. I'm not sure if that piece of paper would end up like Chamberlain's but it's worth a try.

Camino September October 2024

My schedule will be clearer on Tuesday August 13th, when Oncology at the western will hopefully have found and let me know certain bits of key information. Discovery of the primary site for targetting being uppermost in the list, but secondary thoughts extend to have the wisdom and other teeth removal, healed sufficiently to receive radiation and are other teeth in the way. Notwithstanding the Cancer Camino, the Norte, or Camino Francais will still go ahead and this is a rough timescale. Flight or train to Biarritz/Hendaye/Irun. Current prices. Edinburgh to Biarritz, Thursday September 19th 12:35 is £112.99 whereas Monday September 23rd at 13:10 is £33.99. I propse flying Monday and I will book a seat even if I end up not making it. The Santander prices drop on September 30th to £28. The starting point for Edinburgh or London still makes sense to be Soth Western France. There is a big or 2 small days walking from Biarritz, via St Jean de Luz, to Hendaye and Irun. There is a great donativo albergue in Irun with lots of free maps, pilgrim passports and other treasures, as well as the many hotels and apartments. I suggest that this is a great meeting place and the walk to San Sebastian is one Rich and I could describe for ever. Jackie and I stayed at a really good central place in San Sebastian that was not that expensive, monday - thursday so assuming the weekend is not important the monday flight is wise. San Sebastian is an hour from Pamplona. Simon and I stayed at a great wee place in the first town outside Pamplona and so a day in the city followed by a number 7 bus to the door in cizur major is a wise way to prepare for the mountain over to Puente la Reina. Stu, Rich and I missed one of the days on the way to Bilbao but with Simon in tow the mountains from Markina - Xemein to Guernika might not appeal. If I'm not there I'd recommend filling in some the Camino Francais. Rich and I did Maneru (just after Puente LA Reina) to Logrono from our base in Estella. I'd suggest after Puente you walk to Maneru or Lorca and then get the 1pm bus into Logrono and enjoy a day in the city before doing Logrono to Burgos. Monday September 23rd, srrive Biarritz Tuesday 24th arrive Hendaye/Irun Wednesday 25th arrive San Sebastian Thursday 26th arrive Pamplona Friday 27th arrive Puente La Reina Saturday 28th Logrono Sunday 29th Najera or Azofra Monday 30th Santo Domingo de las Calzadas. (stay here or bus to Belorado) Tuesday 1st October Villafranca Montes des Oca Wednesday 2nd arrive Cardenuela Rio Pico or Burgos. At this stage I will pause as I've no idea how long everyone will be out for but I'd hopefully be able to join you on the Tuesday in Villafrance Montes de Oca if I flew out a week later on Sept 30, but thats a big if. From Burgos you can get a fast train back up to Bilbao/Irun so its a good stopping point for Rich if he's on the train. Equally though if we can we carry on. Hornillos del Camino on Friday 4th Catrojeriz on Saturday 5th Fromista on Sunday 6th Arriving Leon Friday 11th October. There's a part of me that says I join you in Bilbao if my treatment takes longer and finishes in October, so the wednesday 2nd or friday 4th October flight. Variables, I like planning around the variables. Its like an never ending debate about the existence of God with a believer. You can chunter all you like but they wont listen to anything but their own voice. That's me and planning. (smiley emoji) The flight to Bordeaux is much more frequent and at only £14 worth considering as a 2 hour train to Biarritz or Hendaye is also do-able.