We departed Óbanos at 8:30 am and soon saw our first vineyard.
MT 8:44 AM – Between Óbanos and Puente la Reina – our first vineyard.
We arrived at Puente la Reina (aka Gares in Basque, pop 2,500) at 9:15. On the way into town, we stopped at the bronze pilgrim monument that marks the junction of two pilgrimage routes from northern Europe (the Camino Frances, and the Camino Aragonés from Arles). The
8:55 AM – Puente la Reina: MT with pilgrim statue.
8:57 AM – Puente la Reina: Don with pilgrim statue.
8:58 AM – Puente la Reina: Don and MT with pilgrim statue (German man from Munich took it).
We
found the Iglesia del Crucifijo, but
it was not open yet.
The Iglesia del Crucifijo (Church of the Crucifix), 12th-century late
Romanesque was founded by Knights Templar. It received its present name after a
14th-century German pilgrim gave it an unusual Y-shaped crucifix.
9:07 AM – Puente la Reina – Iglesia del Crucifijo.
We
stopped at a bar for breakfast: tostadas con tomate y aciete; MT coffee/Don
orange juice (total 7.10€). MT bought an apple and peach for 1€ each at
grocery.
We
departed at 9:45. On the way out of town, we crossed the Queen’s Bridge (Puente la Reina).
The 11th-century Romanesque
pilgrim bridge with 5 arches over the Río Arga is called the Queen’s Bridge (Puente la Reina) because
it was built by the Queen of Navarra.
MT 9:47 AM - Puente la Reina – building on stilts near pilgrim bridge.
9:47 AM - Puente la Reina – MT on pilgrim bridge.
9:50 AM - Puente la Reina – MT on pilgrim bridge (different angle).
Soon after Puente la Reina, we saw snails attached to weeds.
10:14 AM – After Puente la Reina – snails on weeds.
10:14 AM – After Puente la Reina – snails on weeds (cropped).
MT 10:13 AM – After Puente la Reina – snails on weeds.
MT 10:13 AM – After Puente la Reina – snails on weeds (cropped).
We met two young ladies from Northern Ireland on the steep climb to the first alto of the day, near Mañeru.
10:44 AM - After Puente la Reina – path looking back down from Alto.
10:46 AM – After Puente la Reina – MT and N. Irish ladies on path (looking back down from Alto).
We passed through Mañeru (pop 365).
10:51 AM – Near Mañeru: Mañeru in distance.
10:52 AM – Near Mañeru: mutii-colored dirt.
We met Spanish ladies picking and eating figs (higos). These were the same two ladies we has seen picking plums, plus two more. MT was thrilled to find her favorite fruit, although these were still duros (hard). We were soon joined by the German man who had taken our photo in Puente la Reina.
11:06 AM – Near Mañeru: MT and Spanish ladies picking figs (German man taking photo at far right).
11:06 AM – Near Mañeru: MT, Spanish ladies, and German man picking figs.
11:06 AM – Near Mañeru: MT, 4 Spanish ladies, and German man after picking figs.
Then
we passed through Cirauqui (Zirauki
in Basque, pop 500) around 11:15.
Cirauqui (Zirauki in
Basque) has the 15th-century fortress-like Gothic church Iglesia
San Roman, preserving some Romanesque parts from the 13th century.
The town has many large stone houses with coats of arms lining cobbled streets.
Pink (rosado) wine from the vineyards
around Cirauqui is one of the best in Navarra and is on the menus of many
restaurants.
11:15 AM – Near Cirauqui: MT on path; Cirauqui in distance.
11:19 AM – Near Cirauqui: Vineyard and Cirauqui in distance.
11:37 AM – Near Cirauqui: Vineyard and Cirauqui in distance.
11:37 AM - Cirauqui: entering town.
11:44 AM - Cirauqui: MT and old gate.
11:47 AM - Cirauqui: door with coat of arms above it.
11:47 AM - Cirauqui: closeup of coat of arms (telephoto, 186 mm).
11:50 AM - Cirauqui: building with coat of arms and yellow arrow above one of five archways of its arcade (pointed down, meaning to go through that archway).
11:50 AM (Cropped) - Cirauqui: building with yellow arrow (pointed down, meaning to go through that archway).
11:50 AM - Cirauqui: MT with do-it-yourself sello in passage under that archway (we had walked past it, but a lady told us to get our sello there).
MT 11:53 AM - Cirauqui: Don by old doorway, just past the archway.
MT 11:53 AM - Cirauqui: old doorway, past archway.
Just after passing through that archway, we again met the four Spanish “fruit-picking” ladies.
MT 11:54 AM - Cirauqui: MT and 3 Spanish fruit-picking ladies by that doorway.
MT 11:54 AM - Cirauqui: MT and 4 Spanish fruit-picking ladies by that doorway.
MT 11:54 AM - Cirauqui: Don and MT and 3 Spanish fruit-picking ladies by that doorway.
As we neared the end of town, we say a large garden landscaped as a world map.
11:58 AM - Cirauqui: world map garden.
11:59 AM - Cirauqui: world map garden – MT trying to point at US, but finger on S. America.
12:01 PM - Cirauqui: world map garden – Don pointing at US.
12:01 PM - Cirauqui: world map garden – MT pointing at US.
As we left Cirauqui, we followed one of the Camino’s best examples of a Roman road, of which some sidewalks and paving stones remain, as well as a Roman bridge whose upper part was transformed in 1702.
12:07 PM - After Cirauqui: MT going down steps to Roman bridge (steep steps on both sides).
12:07 PM - After Cirauqui: MT (looking back) at Roman bridge (steep steps on both sides).
12:41 PM – After Cirauqui: Roman road (our path).
MT 1:07 PM – After Cirauqui (near Lorca?) – “¡Buen Camino!” in tunnel under highway.
MT 1:08 PM – After Cirauqui (near Lorca?) – drawing and “This walk is a test to see who is strong enough to finish and the person who finishes isn’t the same person who starts ☺ ” in tunnel under highway.
MT 1:20 PM - (Near Lorca?): figs on tree.
When we reached two albergues in Lorca (Lorka in Basque, pop 128) one with a double room with bath for 40€, MT decided it was too noisy.
MT 2:08 PM – Lorca: MT and Don with Santiago picture on wall by entrance to Albergue La Bodega del Camino.
So we went on to Villatuerta (aka Bidaurreta, aka Bilatorta in Basque, pop 101 or 786), where she didn’t want to look at the albergue either.
3:19 PM – Villatuerta: MT on Romanesque medieval bridge over Río Iranzu.
3:24 PM – Villatuerta: clown fountain.
The 14th-century Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
has thick walls with twelve powerful buttresses, and the foot of its tower
rests on a primitive structure from 1200. The rest of the original church,
built during the transition from Romanesque to Gothic, was destroyed in the war
between Navarra and Castilla in 1378. Rebuilding in the Gothic style started in
the 11th century and ended in the 15th century. In the plaza in front of the
church is a statue of San Veremundo, patron saint of Villatuerta.
3:30 PM – Villatuerta: 14th-century Church of the Assumption.
We went on to Estella (aka Lizarra in Basque, pop 15,000).
The original primitive village built on the slopes of the hill of San Millán in the area south of the Río Ega was called Lizarra and had been reconquered from the Moors in 914. Early documents identified it as Lizarra, Lizarrara or Lizarraga (with variant Izarra). The etymology of the name is subject of much debate, although it is unequivocally in the Basque language. Most prevalent is the belief that it comes from lizar, meaning ash tree in Basque, related to the abundance of this tree on the banks of the Río Ega. Some have seen the name as a derivative of elizar or elizarra (old church), referring to the Iglesia San Pedro located there, or iizar or ili-zarra (old town). However, the term izar or izarra in Basque translates into Castillian as estrella (star). Even before the king of Pampolona created the neighboring borough of Estella, a [Castillian] document from 1031 referred to Fortunio Lopez as “señor de Estella” (Lord of Estella). The eight-pointed star has been a distinctive symbol of the city since its founding.
The Castillian name Estella comes from the Latin stella (star). Estella was founded in 1090 by Sancho I Ramírez, the king of Pamplona and Aragon, on the right bank of the Río Ega near the village of Lizarra. As in other areas along the Camino, artisans were encouraged to return here after their pilgrimage to Santiago and bring their skills with them. Quick to realize the enormous potential of the pilgrim road to Santiago, the Pamolonese king created a separate borough for French pilgrim settlers on the other side of the river. The new citizens of French origin referred to it as L’Izarra (Basque for star), which became Estella (Spanish for star) with all its connections to the Milky Way Via Lactea otherwise known as the “Way of the Stars” to Compostela. It became a melting pot of Francos (French imigrants), Jews, and the original Navarrese inhabitants. Jelousy and greed led to disharmony amoung these groups.
Estella was formed by three independent boroughs (barrios): San Pedro, San Juan, and San Miguel, each of which was surrounded by its own walls. The first core of its French inhabitants was organized around the church of St. Martin (now disappeared), on the right bank of the river Ega and in the shadow of the castle (destroyed in 1572); this became the borough of San Pedro. The thriving community, taking advantage of a favorable economic situation, grew slowly, as well as emerging new boroughs of San Miguel (designed for meeting Francs and Navarrese, fostering close interbreeding), and San Juan founded in vineyards owned by King Sancho the Wise. In 1266, the different boroughs were unified into one town, called Estella in Spanish and Lizarra in Basque.
On the way into town, we passed the Iglesia del Santo Sepulchro (Romanesque from around 1200, amended in Gothic style in 13th and 14th centuries), but it was covered with scaffolding for renovation (so no photos this time). MT wanted to check Pensión San Andrés (before trying Hostal Cristina, where we stayed last year). On Calle Mayor, we met the Scottish man, who said he was at Pensión San Andrés. We got a double room with bath there for 40€, and the lady would do our laundry (as the Scot told us). We got sellos there: “Fonda San Andrés” (fonda means inn or restaurant).
7:18 PM - Estella: Pensión San Andrés exterior.
7:27 PM - Estella: Pensión San Andrés, our room.
We bought bananas and almonds at grocery (5.96€). Then we checked on mass time at San Juan Bautista church (8 pm). At Café-Bar Astarriaga on Plaza de los Fueros, we has 2 orange juices and water (6.50€) and MT used their WiFi while we waited for Restaurante-Bar Casa Nova to open at 7 pm. When it didn’t open on time, we went to Iglesia San Juan Bautista for mass and then back to Restaurante-Bar Casa Nova for two 12€ menu del día: 1st course: shared mixed vegetables/spaghetti; 2nd course: both had tuna; dessert: vanilla ice cream. In the restaurant, we saw the German man (from Puente la Reina and fig-picking), but the waitress seated us at a table next to the two young ladies from Northern Ireland; on the other side of them were the four Spanish fruit-picking ladies.
MT 6:40 PM - Estella: bar keeper at Café-Bar Astarriaga.
6:54 PM - Estella: Restaurante-Bar Casa Nova exterior.
.
Iglesia San Juan Bautista has Romanesque origins, probably dating back to the 12th century, although most of it is Gothic from different eras. The current structure has a neo-classical towers (1901) and façade (1902) built after the originals collapsed in 1846, but preserves a simple Romanesque portal on the south side and a simple Gothic portal on the north side. (Thus, its three doors are all in different architectural styles.)
6:40 PM - Estella: Plaza de los Fueros and San Juan Bautista church.
6:40 PM - Estella: San Juan Bautista church.
8:30 PM - Estella: San Juan Bautista church, view toward main altar.
The main altarpiece, Retablo de los Santos Juanes, dedicated to San Juan Bautista and San Juan Evangelista, is one of the best Renaissance altarpieces of Navarra (although it is close to the Romanesque). The altarpiece dates from the 16th century, with rococo polychrome added in the 18th century. In the first body are carvings of San Andrés [Andrew], San Pedro [Peter], San Pablo [Paul] and Santiago [James], and the reliefs of The Crowning with Thorns and La Piedad [pieta]. The second body is presided over by images of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, to whom the altarpiece is dedicated. In the central niche of the third body is the Baptism of Christ.
8:30 PM - Estella: San Juan Bautista church, main altar (cropped).
In a south side aisle is the
rococo Retablo de Santiago (1765)
with a carving of Santiago from the first half of the 17th century.
MT 7:52 PM - Estella: San Juan Bautista church, Santiago Peregrino on side altar.
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