The Way of St James, or the Camino de Santiago de Compostela is a series of pilgrimage routes running across all of Europe with Santiago de Compostela in north west Spain as their final destination. People have been walking it – as a pilgrimage route – for over a thousand years.
This 8 day section from St jean Pied de Port leads you to the start of the Camino.
From the Medieval fortified city of St Jean Pied de Port in French Basque Country and capital of Low Navarra, to Logrono, capital of La Rioja, this program is a discovery of Navarra. The first stage is tough as it crosses North to South the Pyrenees by Roncevaux, then walking down towards Pamplona is breathtaking, both soft and steep. Wheatfields, olive trees and fruit trees orchards slowly change into vineyards as approaching Logrono. This program is an immersion into Spanish atmosphere and from Puente La Reina where the historic Camino Frances starts, you will certainly meet other pilgrims and learn History thanks to the rich heritage along the way of churches, monasteries, palaces. ( Read more : Ici & Là Nature )
See the Post : Basque Mountains Landscapes ( 20 photos ).
The historical defeat of Charlemagne and the Pilgrim’s Way to Santiago de Compostela have made Roncesvalles a key location, as a shelter for walkers and pilgrims, a source of legends and a convergence of cultures.
Monument commemorating the 12th centenary of the battle of Roncevaux Pass, Orreaga-Roncesvalles
Roncesvalles is famous in history and legend for the defeat of Charlemagne and the death of Roland in 778, during the battle of Roncevaux Pass, when Charlemagne’s rear guard was destroyed by Basque tribes.
Battle of Roncesvalles ( Middle Ages )
The Death of Roland ( Middle Ages )
Ernest Miller Hemingway was born in 1899 in the USA. Considered one of the best writers of the 20th century, he gave life to a number of characters in around twenty novels. Among them, The Sun also Rises , a definitive work to make the festivity of San Fermín internationally known.
Hemingway visited Pamplona nine times, and from the first he walked the streets of the city, drank in its bars and cafés, and enjoyed the local food, the bull runs, the bullfight and the happy atmospheree of the fiesta in general.
Following the steps of Hemingway in Pamplona : Café Iruna : his favourite place in the city.
Following the steps of Hemingway in Pamplona : The terrace of the Iruña Café.
Following the steps of Hemingway in Pamplona : Café Iruna – 185-centimetre-high bronze sculpture of him, a natural size replica of Hemingway leaning on the bar, watching the world go by.
Following the steps of Hemingway in Pamplona: Monument to Hemingway – in front of the bullring, next to the entrance on the Paseo de Hemingway. 8,000-kilo block of granite by the sculptor Sanguino.
Following the steps of Hemingway in Pamplona: Ernest Hemingway
Following the steps of Hemingway in Pamplona: Paseo de Hemingway.
Following the steps of Hemingway in Pamplona: The bullring.
The Way of St. James : Camino Francés Saint- Jean-Pied-de-Port / Logrono with Ici & Là Nature : Click here.
Church of St-James, Puente la Reina.
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The Way of Saint James or El Camino de Santiago
Self-guided trips in the Way of Saint James
