- Some of the details of this trip are lost to time and poor memory. The outfitter that organized the Camino part of the trip, Great Explorations, badly overbooked the dates (lots of people added at the last minute), so various changes had to be made to shuttles, accommodations , and timelines. The somewhat rushed pace to cover the route from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostella left little time for note-taking (or photography). The trip was spectacular, my traveling companions were wonderful, and the guides were great, but my overall opinion was that the Camino should not be done by bicycle (and that trip organizers should adhere to their advertised claims, regarding group size).
- Saturday: Susan gave me a lift to Dulles. The United flight direct to Madrid [map] departed late due to bad weather, arriving around 10AM on Sunday morning. Watched “American Sniper” on the flight.
- Sunday: Beautiful weather in Madrid. Took the express bus from the airport to Atocha Station, arriving there around 11, and was a little confused by the city map I was using. Luckily, I saw the sign for the Hotel Mediodia nearby. I checked in, but the room wasn’t going to be ready until around 2, so I had lunch (fried sardine sandwich) at the cafe near the hotel (El Brillante de Atocha), and then walked to Buen Retiro Park (also near the hotel). Back to the hotel around 3, and moved in to my room (nice room overlooking the plaza in back of the Reina Sofi Museum). Rested until about 8, then went back to the El Brillante for dinner (seafood paella). Mosied around the city, after dinner, heading back to the hotel around 11.
- Monday: Up around 6:30, breakfast at the hotel, then hung around the hotel for an hour or two, planning the week. Walked to the Prado at 9. Visited the museum until about 3 (lunch in the museum cafeteria, salmon baguette), then headed to Puerta del Sol to do the Rick Steves’ “Madrid Walk.” Stopped by La Mallorquina for a Napolitana, then walked to the the Plaza Mayor and the San Miguel Market Toured the Royal Palace, then walked back to the hotel, arriving around 6:30. Hit the Brillante again for dinner (meat paella), where I chatted with a family that I met on the bus from the airport (a family that had flown from Dulles on Saturday), then walked to the train station to see about getting a ticket to Toledo (ticket office was closed).
- Tuesday: Up early, breakfast at the hotel. Walked back to the Atocha train station, bought train tickets for the Wednesday trip to Toledo, then grabbed the metro for a ride to Plaza de Toros to purchase tickets for the evening bull fight. Took the metro back to the Atocha stop (directly in front of the Hotel Mediodia), then walked to the Royal Botanical Garden. Toured the garden for an hour or so, then read for a while in one of the courtyards. Had a bocadillo de calamares at the Brillante, took a nap at the hotel, then headed back to Ventas for the bullfight. After the initial pomp, the “fight” turned as brutal as I feared. I left after the awful spectacle. Stopped by the Steakburger near the hotel for dinner, then walked around town for an hour or so, before heading back for the night.
- Wednesday: Breakfast at the hotel, then a quick walk to the Atocha station to catch the early train to Toledo [map]. Walked from the train station into old part of city. Mosied around town (bought jewelry for Mom and Susan), toured the cathedral and bell tower, the El Greco Museum, and the Santo Tome chapel. Had lunch near the museum (green beans and ham, albondigas, sangria, flan), and then walked across town to a Bus 12 stop to catch the Steves-recommended route back to Plaza de Zocodover. Walked back to train station and caught a late-afternoon train back to Madrid. I met a very nice women from Bilbao (Noella) on the train, and chatted all the way back. Got to Madrid around 7PM. I decided to rest for a while, but didn’t wake up until 10:30PM, so I read for a few hours, and skipped dinner.
- Thursday: Up around 8AM and had breakfast at the hotel. I read for about an hour, waiting for the Reina Sofia Gallery to open, then walked across the plaza to the museum were I stayed for about 4 hours (10 AM – 2PM). Another great lunch at the Brillante counter (met some kids from Maryland) and then caught Bus #27 and rode uptown to business district. I walked most of the way back to my hotel, stopping on my way back to visit the Madrid library (closed to tourists), and toured the Navy Museum. I stopped by the McDonalds near my hotel for frozen coffee and cookie, stopped by my room for a quick rest, then walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner.
- Friday: Breakfast at the hotel, then walked up to Atocha station to catch the train to Pamplona [map]. I grabbed a sandwich to bring along for the trip. The train trip took about 4 hours and the car was almost empty. Listened to old Joni Mitchell albums as the train zipped through the countryside of eastern Spain. Arrived in Pamplona in the early afternoon and caught a cab to the Palacio Guendulain. Unpacked, then hiked around town for a few hours, toured the cathedral, then walked back to the hotel, arriving around 7, and met the small group I’d be traveling with, as well as the larger group traveling along with us (off and on). My group consisted of our guides, Juan Catusus and Irelanda Moreno, and fellow travelers Donny and Linda Mulrain (Calgary, Canada), Allan and Joan Kovacik (Calgary, Canada), and Diego Hernandez (San Juan, Puerto Rico). The trip had originally been scheduled to be one group of 10-12 travelers, but the Great Explorations owner (who was on the trip) had decided to expand the group and try to organize it as two separate tours (forcing last-minute changes to accommodations, assigned guides, and shuttle arrangements). After introductions and a quick group briefing, Juan, Irelanda, Diego, and I went for tapas and drinks.
- Saturday:
Day 1 of Camino de Santiago
Route: Roncesvalles [map] to Pamplona [map], 26 miles
Maps: map 2, map 3
Scheduled Hotel: Palacio Guendulain
Breakfast at the hotel, then met to prepare bikes for the week (fit saddles, put on pedals, etc.). After the bike-fitting, the entire group took a bus to Roncesvalles [map], where we’d start our ride. The morning was cold and rainy. We stopped in the monastery to pick up our credenciales and then got started out of town on a trail through the woods, In the next town we turned onto the road and climbed over several high hills. We got snacks on the highest summit, then coasted downhill into Zubiri, where we had a picnic lunch on the riverbank near a gothic bridge. Not long out of Zubiri, we took the dirt trail. I fell on steep section (couldn’t get out of clips) ande ended up in heavy brush downhill from the trail. We rode on into Pamplona and back to the Palacio Guendulain. - Sunday:
Day 2 of Camino de Santiago
Route: Pamplona to Estella [map], 25 miles
Maps: map 4, map 5
Scheduled Hotel: Hostal San Andres
bad fall…Pension San Andreas…no hot water… - Monday:
Day 3 of Camino de Santiago
Route: Estella to Logrono [map], 29 miles
Maps: map 6, map 7
Scheduled Hotel: Calle Mayor Hotel - Tuesday:
Day 4 of Camino de Santiago
Route: Logrono to Santa Domingo [map], 28 miles
Maps: map 8, map 9
Scheduled Hotel: Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada - Wednesday:
Day 5 of Camino de Santiago
Route: Santo Domingo to Burgos [map], 42 miles
Maps: map 10, map 11, map 12
Scheduled Hotel: Norte Y Londres
bus to Burgos (no biking); hotel hubbub - Thursday:
Day 6 of Camino de Santiago
Route: Burgos to Carrion de los Condes [map], 50 miles
Maps: map 13, map 14, map 15
Scheduled Hotel: Hotel San Martin - Friday:
Day 7 of Camino de Santiago
Route: Carrion de las Condes to Leon [map], 55 miles
Maps: map 16, map 17, map 18
Scheduled Hotel: Parador de Leon - Saturday:
rest day in Leon - Sunday:
Day 8 of Camino de Santiago
Route: Leon to Rabanal del Camino [map], 39 miles
Maps: map 19, map 20, map 21
Scheduled Hotel: Casa de Tepa - Monday:
Day 9 of Camino de Santiago
Route: Rabanal del Camino to Villafranca [map], 36 miles
Maps: map 22, map 23
Scheduled Hotel: Parador de Villafranca del Bierzo - Tuesday:
Day 10 of Camino de Santiago
Route: Villafranca to Sarria [map], 43 miles
Maps: map 24, map 25, map 26
Scheduled Hotel: Hotel Alfonso IX - Wednesday:
Day 11 of Camino de Santiago
Route: Sarria to Melide [map]
Maps: map 27, map 28, map 29
Scheduled Hotel: Hotel Carlos 96
biked to Melide, Hotel Carlos 86, restaurant specializing in Polbo a feira, - Thursday:
Day 12 of Camino de Santiago
Route: Melide to Santiago de Compostella [map]
Maps: map 29, map 30, map 31
Scheduled Hotel: Parador de Santiago de Compostella
biked about 1/2 of the day’s route (later half), arriving in Pamplona around noon. Checked in at the Parador de Santiago de Compostela, then met Joan and Linda for drinks and lunch at the outside cafe. Roamed around town for a few hours, then back to the hotel to clean up for the farewell Great Explorations banquet. Strolled back to hotel, after dinner. - Friday: up early, quick breakfast at hotel, walked to train station, train to Madrid (Chamartin), transferred to train to Atocha, checked in at the Hotel Mediodia (Bridal Suite), walked through the Buen Retiro Park, one more dinner at El Brillante, quick stroll around the neighborhood, then back to the hotel to get some rest for the flight on Saturday
- Saturday: breakfast at the hotel, then walked up to the Atocha station to catch the express bus to the airport
Spain Photos
Great Explorations Camino Travelogue
Great Explorations Camino Itinerary
Camino Credentials