Logroño Day Two - a legend on the Camino

I've never been shopping whilst on the Camino, besides buying a few souvenirs and  trinkets.  Today we caught the No 9 bus to the Decathlon store which is an enormous outdoors store on the outskirts of the town.   I bought a pair of waterproof trousers, a new waist bag (Finn's Jeep bag is just too bulky for me) and some trail food.
We caught the bus back to town and after lunch Marion and I visited the Apple store in search of a part for her ipad. By the time we got back to the hotel, the last in our group, Father Jeffrey Edmunds had arrived.
We met Connie and Moyra and the four of us walked out of Logroño on the Camino path to where Maria Medel sits at a table outside her house selling souvenirs and offering a stamp with the words "Figs, water and love" "Higos, agua y amor" as her mother, Felisa, had done before her.
I met Felisa in 2002 when she was almost 92 years old, a wizened,  almost blind woman who sat in the shade of a fig tree for almost 12 hours every day eeking out a living from donations from passing pilgrims.  She passed away in October that year and her daughter Maria took over from  her. I visit Maria whenever I am in Spain and sometimes send her little notes and gifts with South African pilgrims.
She was surprised to see me this time and there was much hugging and kissing. We all bought a little something from her table and before we left I was able to connect to You Tube to show her a short video a pilgrim had taken of her mother Felisa in June 2002.  Maria will be 83 in a couple of months. Can she continue to sit in the shade of the fig tree for another 10 years? When she passes on, will anyone take over the Felisa table to offer Figs, water and Love to passing pilgrims? If not, the Felisa stamp will become just another story in the tapestry so stories that makes up the modern Camino and we will be all the poorer.

Navarre

The cheapest flights from South Africa are on the middle eastern airlines Emirates or Qatar.   Many south Africans fly to Europe and other destinations on them. Qatar is a 5star airline but, flying 8 hours East and then another 7 hours back West isn't great! 9 of us flew from RSA to Madrid on Thursday - 7 from Durban which involved 3 flights and a scary 4 hour bus ride along a twisting road from Madrid to logrono. It wad exhausting and I was so pleased that we didn't have to start walking the next day.
Moyra and Connie from Canada were waiting for me when I arrived on the bus at 14:45. They helped me drag my suitcases to the hotel which is opposite the cathedral in the center of town.   As soon as I unpacked all the stuff for San Anton  and Santiago,  Moyra and I found the Correos and I posted the two boxes.
At 6:45pm we walked back to the station to meet Marion. Her bus was 30 min late and it was nearly 8pm  when we got back to the hotel.
The four of us had a meal at a restaurant about 50 from the hotel. Connie and Moyra went to bed and Marion and I waited up for Randy and Bonnie who arrived at about 10:30pm.
When I finally got to bed I was feeling delerious with lack of sleep and after a shower got into bed and died!

Leaving, on a jet plane....... 3rd September

What happened to travelling light, with just a backpack and two walking poles?

This time I've got a small suitcase for Marion who has a quick change at Madrid airport to the ALSA bus so she won't have time to collect baggage after landing. 
I've also got stuff to take to San Anton and gifts for a few people along the way.  The bigger suitcase is mine. 
Believe it or not, my rolled up backpack is in the pink shoulder bag together with toiletries and medication. 
Passport, air ticket, bus ticket, note book and money is in the Jeep waist bag.  I could walk like a medieval pilgrim with just a shoulder bag and a walking pole!

Its going to be a long journey.  We'll leave home at 9h30, have the cases bubble wrapped, fly to Johannesburg at 12h10, fly to Doha after 3pm, then to Madrid after midnight arriving at 8h10; then a 4 hour bus ride to Logrono arriving at 14h45 tomorrow. 
Moyra will be waiting for me at the bus station to help drag the cases to the Pension near the cathedral. 
Marion arrives by bus at 7pm so we will go back to the bus station to fetch her.
One couple arrive from the USA at 10pm and we are planning on waiting up for them.
Thank heavens we don't walk until Monday!

Tourist in Spain 4 - 24 May. Logrono, Maria, Viana

I left the hotel at 9am and followed the Camino path out of the town towards Maria's table. Many pilgrims passed me going into town. As I approached her table she recognized me and we hugged, doing a little jigg on the path! We sat inside talking about her daughter and grand children, her knees where she'd had operations in 2012 and her eye with the cataract which was now clear.  Pilgrims came in and she held up a credencial for me to see - a South African credencial.  The pilgrim was from Cape Town and was having a miserable time, not enjoying the Camino at all. She was walking with two American pilgrims and when I mentioned my name, Patty from Oregon asked if I was Sillydoll from the forum and knew Annie who had led groups in 2012.  We had our photos taken and they went on their way.

Back outside at the table, a car pulled up and I recognized Acacio from Villoria.  I was thrilled to see him because I had an envelope for Tomas of Manjarin that I was going to leave at his albergue on the way to Belorado. He told me that he had received a message and photo from Tomas that morning telling him that it was snowing at Manjarin.   I thought of the pilgrims walking in those cold mountains and hoped it would clear before our group arrives there in a few days time.
I said goodbye to Maria and walked back to the city. I packed the last box of chocolates in my backpack and got the bus to Viana.

I phoned Jose and we met in the square where a fiesta celebrating ethnic Basque dancing was in progress.  Jose left to direct some pilgrims to the apartment and I sat with his 8 year-old watching the dancing.  When Jose came back he invited me to have lunch with them at their home.  His wife, Pili, made us pasta and salad and I played computer games with the son.
I kept looking at my watch because the last bus was at 3.30 but Jose told me to 'tanqilla' -he would drive me back which he did, right to the hotel. Many pensions and hostals (different from hostels) are owned by families and the people are friendly and kind and make one feel at home.
Kathy was arriving at 7pm so I walked back to the station to meet her.  We stopped at the Carefore supermarket on the way back to the hotel so that she could by a yoghurt for her breakfast.
We shared pita and cheese sandwiches for dinner and had an early night.  Not much good it did with Spain playing 2 football matches and the bar across the road packed with screaming fans until 4am.

Tourist in Spain 3 - 23 May. Pamplona to Logrono

We met downstairs and I showed them the way to the cathedral. We had breakfast at a cafe bar and then I left them to go to the Bus station. This time I carried three boxes of Amarula chocolates - one for Marian in the tourist office in Estella and one for Jose in Viana and one for Maria outside Logrono.
When the bus stopped at Puente la Reina,  I saw Sharon Kalidene from our May group in the queue. She sat next to me and told me that she hasn't been walking because of a painful knee.  I thought she was very brave to get buses on her own from town to town - not my idea of fun.

We got off in Estella and walked to the tourist office.  Marian recognised me and we had an emotional reunion.  We left our packs with her and visited San Pedro de la Rua across the road.  It was the first time in 12 years that I had been able to get inside the church which features prominently in my novel.

We had tea with Marian and her coworker. They offered us Rooibos tea. I asked about Maria who worked in the tourist office with her and she told us that due to cutbacks, Maria had been retrenched.  This is the story for many people in Spain,  factories closing, offices moving, people losing jobs.
Sharon and I walked to Hostal Cristina and then I left her to go to the bus station.
I decided not to stop at Viana and continued to Logrono.  I had my map and a fair idea where the hotel was close to the cathedral but still I got lost and walked up and down trying to find it. It is in a side street right opposite the cathedral and I must've passed it 10 times! The hotel Numantina is clean and the rooms are comfortable but it is 7 flights of stairs to the hotel floor and the walls are so thin i could hear the person in the next room coughing.
I checked in, left my bags in the room and found a supermarket to buy food for dinner and breakfast. I ate in the room and although I could hear the TV in the room next door I slept dead until the morning.

SPANISH FIESTAS AND FESTIVALS ON THE CAMINO FRANCES

 

 

Over 15 000 fiestas and festivals are held in Spanish villages and towns throughout the year. Many are religious, celebrating local saints, some are Regional and others are National events such as Semana Santa (Easter), Corpus Christi and Christmas.

Prohibited during the forty years of the Franco era Carnaval is celebrated in many Spanish towns a week before Ash Wednesday.

January

5^th January is Three Kings Day procession.  In Spain it is the kings that bring the children their presents and although the official day is on 6^th January, the Procession of the Kings takes place the night before.   The 6^th January is a National holiday and many shops are closed.

April & May 

Some of Spain’s biggest festivals take place during April and May starting with Semana Santa or Holy Week which is celebrated all over the country.  Many shops will be closed and transport is scarce.

May or June 

Corpus Christi is celebrated around Spain.  The feast is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday so the dates change each year.

July

St James’ Feast Day – 25^th July – is celebrated in most towns and villages along the Camino.

October

12^th - Dia de la Hispanidad - Spain's national day, also known as Columbus Day

November

All Saints' Day, celebrated throughout the country. Most shops will be closed. Spanish people from all over the country return to their birthplaces to remember their deceased relatives.

December

24^th Dcember - Christmas Eve (Nochebuena), a far bigger event than Christmas Day. Expect most shops to close early on the 24th and remain closed until the morning of the 26th.

25^th December - Christmas Day - a quiet day, with most shops closed, though many bars open in the afternoon.

28^th December - Santos Inocentes, Spain's version of April Fools' Day.

31 December - New Year's Eve (Nochevieja).

 

If you are walking the Camino Frances there is a good chance that you will come across a special feast day or festival in some of the towns villages.  Most small villages have their own, special feast days or festivals and some of these don’t appear on official guides to fiestas.

If the fiesta is a popular one, you might find it difficult to secure accommodation.  During San Fermin (the Running of the Bulls) in Pamplona, rooms are almost impossible to find even in surrounding villages and the costs triple or quadruple during the festival.

Another busy time is the September Wine Harvest Festival in Navarra.  Although most of the festivities are celebrated in Logroño, rooms are booked out in neighbouring villages and you might need to book rooms ahead of time during the weeklong festival.

The Camino Frances passes through four main Regions - Navarra, la Rioja, Castilla y Leon and Galicia.  Here are some of the many fiestas held in villages and towns along the Camino.  The list is far from complete and dates might change with each year.  If you would like to add a fiesta or festival, please let me know.

NAVARRA and LA RIOJA:

In La Rioja, Spain’s most famous wine-producing region, the fiestas are generally held towards the end of September especially around the 24th on St Matthew’s Day. The most celebrated, and biggest, of these is in Logroño. Here the grape harvest is commemorated for a whole week with parades, concerts, street theatre, ball games, bull fights, fireworks and wine tasting.

 

Valcarlos : Pilgrimage of La Magdalena : April 25

Valcarlos : Bolantes Luzaide : Sunday and Easter Sunday.

Valcarlos : Santiago : July 25

Burguete : Food Fair : September

Burguete : The bonfires of San Juan : Mid-summer night

Zubiri: San Esteban : August 3

 

Pamplona : San Fermin : July 7 for a week

Pamplona : San Saturnino : November 29

Muruzabal : San Esteban : August 3

Puente la Reina : Santiago : July 25

Puente la Reina : Pitchfork fiesta : September last week

Estella: Virgin of Puy : May 15

Los Arcos : San Vicente : January 22

Viana: San Felices O De La Fundación : February

Viana:  La Virgen De Cuevas : Easter Monday

Viana: Santa María Magdalena : July 22

Viana:  Virgen de Nieva: September 7 for one week

Logrono: St Barnabas (Patron Saint) : June 11

Logrono : Wine Harvest Festival : Mid September for 7 days

Najera: San Prudencio  : April 28

Najera : San Juan y San Pedro : June 24 to 29

Najera: San Juan Mártir y

Najera: Santa María La Real  16 to 19 September

Santo Domingo de la Calzada: Santo Domingo: May 12

 

CASTILLA and LEÓN

 

Villoria : Lunes de Aguas: April 8 – 12

Belorado :  la Virgen de Belen : January 25

Belorado: San Vitores : August 25 - 26

Belorado :Accion de Gracias: September  1^st Sunday 5 days

San Juan de Ortega: Romeria Monasterio de San Juan:June 1^st Saturday

Attapuerca: Battle Navarra vs Castilla August - penultimate Sunday

Attapuerca : Festival of Accion de Gracias :August 24 & 25^th

Burgos : San Anton : January  17

Burgos : San Lesmes : Last Sunday in January

Burgos : Carnaval : February

Burgos : Burgos Carnaval : Start of Lent

Burgos : Pedro and San Pablo : July 6 for one week

Hontanas : Immaculate Conception : December 8

Castrojeriz : San Juan  : June  

Castrojeriz : Garlic festival : July  18

Castrojeriz : El Sejo : September

Boadilla : San Genaro : September 19

Fromista : San Telmo: After Easter Sunday

Fromista : The Virgen del Otero : September 8

Villacarza del Sirga : Nuestra Señora del Rio : June 8^th – 10

Villacarza del Sirga : la Virgen Blanca : August 15

 

Carrion de los Condes  : Carnaval : Before Ash Wednesday

Carrion de los Condes  : Fiestas de San Zoilo: August

Carrion de los Condes : Our Lady of Bethlehem: September 8th

Sahagun : Romeria la Virgen del Puente/San Marcos : April 25

Sahagun: San Jaun : May 31 – 3rd June

Sahagun : Corpus Christi : June 10

Sahagun : San Antonio : June 13

Sahagun : Asuncion de Nuestra Señora : August

Sahagun : Pilgrimage of Bread & Cheese : October 5

Calzada del Coto : San Roque : August 16

Calzada del Coto : San Esteban : December 26

Bercianos : St Vincent : January 21 – 24

El Burgo Ranero : San Isidro  : May 15

El Burgo Ranero : San Pedro Apóstol : June 29

Mansilla de las Mulas  : Feast of Slaughter : February 10

Mansilla de las Mulas  : Dia De Asturias : August 15

Mansilla de las Mulas  : De La Virgen De Gracia : Sunday after 8 September

Leon : Carnaval : End January/1st week February

Leon : San Juan and San Pedro : June 21

Leon : San Marcelo : October: 28

Leon : San Froilán : October 5

La Virgen del Camino  : La Virgen: September 14 - 16

La Virgen del Camino : San Miguel: September 29th

La Virgen del Camino  : San Froilán : October 5th

 

Hospital de Orbigo: Romeria of Nuestra Señora del Rio: February 3

Hospital Órbigo : Honroso: End of June

Astorga: Carnaval: February

Astorga: Virgin of Castrotierra: June

Astorga: Fiestas of Astures & Romans: Last week July

Astorga: Santa Marta: August

Astorga: Romeria of la Zuiza/ Batalla de Clavijo: Every 3 years

Astorga: Santa Martas : Last Week of August

Santa Catalina de Somoza: Festival: August 1^st week

Riego de Ambrós: Corpus Christi's

Riego de Ambrós: Mary Magdalene: July 22

 

Molinaseca: Our Lady of Sorrows: August 15 - 18

Molinaseca: Water Festival: August 17

Ponferrada: Carnaval: February

Ponferrada: Noche Templaria : Various – summer

Ponferrada: Nra. Ms. de la Encina: September 2 to 9

Camponaraya: Virgin of Solitude: 3rd Sunday of September

Cacabelos: Bendición del Pan  : February  2

Cacabelos: Easter Monday

Cacabelos: The Festival of la Quinta: April 2 – 25

Cacabelos: Harvest Festival: August : Last Sunday

Cacabelos: Carnaval

 

Villafranca del Bierzo: Santo Tirso: January 28

Villafranca del Bierzo: Fiesta do Maio: May 1

Villafranca del Bierzo : Festival of the Tourist: August – 1st Weekend       

Villafranca del Bierzo : Santísimo Cristo de la Esperanza :14 September + 3 days

Trabadelo: St Tirso & St Antonio Abad: January 28 & 29

Trabadelo: San Nicolás de Bari: December 6^th

Ambasmestas: Virgen del Carmen : July 16

Vega de Valcarce: Santa Maria Magdalena:   August 1st Sunday

Vega de Valcarce : San Roque: August 16

Ruitelán: San Froilan: October

La Faba: San Andrés

GALICIA

 

Piedrafita O Cebreiro: Holy Miracle: September 8 – 9

Triacastela : San Mamede  : August 17

Sarria: Entroido en Sarria: February 19 – 20

Sarria: Medieval: June 23 - 25

Sarria : San Juan: June 22 – 25

Sarria: Santa Barbara : August 6 – 7

Portomarin: la Feria del Aguardiente : Easter Sunday

Portomarin: Cristo das Vitorias: September 1 – 3

Palas de Rei: San Cristobal: July

Palas de Rei: Honra Ó Ecce Homo: September 14 - 15        

Melide : Feast of St. Anthony   : June 13

Melide : Festividad del Carme: July 16

Melide : San Roque: August 15 to 21

Melide : Feast of San Caralampio: September 2nd Sunday

Arzua: Carme en Arzúa: June

 

Santiago: San Lázaro : April 11

Santiago : St. James : July 25 

Corcubion: Medieval Costa da Morte :          July 21 - 23

Muxia  : Romería de Nuestra Señora de la Barca : September

Fistera : Santísimo Cristo : April  21 – 15

 

  

Sources:

http://navarra.fiestas.net/

www.turismocastillayleon.com

www.leon.es/

www.feirasdegalicia.com/feria/31568

www.laboral-social.com/calendario-laboral-nacional-comunidades-autonomas-fiestas-locales.html

Photos:  GoSpain - www.gospain.org/   www.wikipedia.com 

Patron Saint of pilgrims and guides

Bona of Pisa (c. 1156 – 1207)

Info and Photo Wiki

When I was planning the amaWalkers guided walk to Santiago, I thought it would be nice to have a patron saint for our group.  I did a search on the internet and came up with Saint Bona of Pisa, a 12th c saint who led 10 groups of pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. 

At a young age she saw a vision of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and three saints,  including James the Greater. She was frightened by the light around these figures, and ran away. James pursued her, and led her back to the image of Jesus. Bona observed a pronounced devotion to James for the rest of her life.

After leading her first group of pilgrims to Santiago she was made an official guide by the Knights of Santiago. She went on to lead 8 more groups and despite being ill she lead a 10th group and died at the age of 51 shortly after returning home.   Saint Bona is regarded as the patron saint of travellers, and specifically couriers, guides, pilgrims, travellers, flight attendants, and, of course, the city of Pisa.

Yesterday I discovered that her her feast day is celebrated on May 29 - the day our walking holiday starts from Roncesvalles! Is that synchronicity, or what?

Plans are going well for the walk and I have such a good feeling about it! Besides walking the three sections of the Camino we will have time for extra excurisons - to see the castle at Clavijo, where Santiago was first seen on his white horse fighting off the Moors and so became known as Santiago Matamoros: we'll have breakfast at O Cebreiro on our way to Sarria and we'll visit 'Las Meduals", the remains of the most important gold mine in the Roman Empire. We are planning on doing a Nocturnal Walking Tour of Santiago's old town culminating in a visit to a club for a Queimada and a Sunset trip to Finisterre with wine and tapas to celebrate the end of our walk.

Most of the hotels, inns, apartments, private albergues have been booked or chosen and we will take the Chu-chu tourist trains in Burgos, Leon and Santiago.  We only have two places left on the walk - with 4 friends waiting for a slot for four.