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LIVE from the Camino A Sketchbook Camino

Stephan the Painter

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Donating Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Frances ' 22, Madrid '24, Frances '24
Starting April 7, 2022 from Pamplona. I started off my day waking up in the Hostal Bearan, which is a modern and comfortable space if a little thin walled.

After getting some equipment together I left and briefly looked around Pamplona. This being my first Camino, my eyes welled up with tears first time a Spanish woman said “Buen Camino“ to me.

The original plan was to only hike to Cizur Menor or Zaroquigui as a warm up first day. But unfortunately there wasn’t an Albergue open until Uterga.

Albergue Casa Baztan was fine, if not luxurious. But unfortunately I woke up with a lot of pain in my shin, which I found out later was probably an anterior shin splint. That’s an ongoing problem and I posted another thread about that seeking advice.

On the next day, I decided to just do a short hike to Puenta la Reina. I ended up staying at Albergue Estrella Guia after I saw a review from @alexwalker in the Wise pilgrim Camino France app.

And I did do some sketches. Of the Iglesia Crucifijo and the old Roman bridge in Puenta La Reina. Both Watercolor and ink on paper, 6 x 9” or 15 x 22cm.

 
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Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Why on earth did I not realise you had never before walked a camino?
I have seen your @name so often I just took it for granted... you are in blessed country. If you have time on your side, take the time it needs to protect the shin problem. The first albergue out of Puente, run by a couple who have walked the CF, is a treat. Maybe is is not the first, but it is on the left.
A traditional house, and plenty of space, and with an option for meals. I do not bookmark much, but I try to keep an eye on such threads as yours. Your artwork is precious. Thank you for sharing.
 
I absolutely love these drawing, you are very talented and I am very jealous! Buen Camino
 
More 2024 Camino Guides available
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Sorry about the shin - do try and rest it - but at least it will give you time to sit and sketch (if time allows it).

There is something quite special about the sharpness of the pen line and the softness of the watercolours that appeals to me - quite envious as it's something I could never achieve.

Buen Camino!
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Following with interest. I plan to do the same thing on the Portuguese this fall - I walked the Frances in 2019, but didn't plan time to draw along the route so have been doing drawings from photographs. I am not completely happy with this process. The photos don't always match my memory of the experience or lighting is wrong for painting, detail lost - as you imagine... I look forward to getting it right.
 
Maybe you should take more time off for your shin to heal and do more of these beautiful paintings to produce a book. I didn't realize that you were that sort of "painter"
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Such lovely paintings! I’ve been waffling on whether to take a small sketchbook and watercolors but this just convinced me the extra weight is worth it.

I hope your shin issues resolve quickly and easily. Saying a little prayer for just that.

Also, nice to know about the Hostal Bearan - I booked a night there and then catch the bus to SJPDP the next morning.
 
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Because of my problem with shin splints, I’ve decided to return to Pamplona. I rented a dormitory in some campus housing (Micampus Pamplona) for a whole week, which was the best price I could get. And I also made an appointment to see a podiatrist Wednesday. I may also go see a physical therapist.

I could’ve stayed in Puenta la Reina in a private room for about half the price, and I might’ve, because I didn’t realize how quick it was to take a bus to Pamplona. But nevertheless, here I can use public transportation and maybe rent a bicycle to get around and do some sketches while I’m working on healing my shin splint. I can just rest and ice and massage my foot. I also found some stretches on YouTube that I’m going to start trying today.

Also, it will give me the opportunity to ruthlessly purge my pack of unnecessary gear. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to continue my Camino walking, but I may have to be shipping my pack. And if by the end of the week it hasn’t become better enough to start again I may do a bus or bicycle Camino.

And here’s another sketch I did the day before I came here. A nice rooftop view from the patio of this very nice albergue ( Estella Guia) in Puenta La Reina, Spain.

 
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Thanks for update. Yes, it is more expensive in Pamplona, but also, you have the benefit, if you can manage a bike, to do peripheral runs along by the river that are not taxing, at least for me as a walker, they were very comfortable. You can mooch around in the municipal mercados - fascinating, especially the ugly fish, the poor little rabbits...not to mention the old town, or just sitting in the Plaza de Castillo, watching people, a bottle of water in hand...the other hand, not the sketching hand! I think your decision will reap benefits for you. You will let us know.
 
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Glad to read that you have found a spot for the next week. Hope that you will be more comfortable each day.
You will find that the people of Pamplona can be very helpful to tourists and pilgrims. Here is a happy memory about an elderly helpful Pamplona priest.

Carpe diem
 
If I could produce art like that I’d be doing nothing else. Thank you for sharing that. Good luck with the shins. Your health comes first.
Best wishes, Tony
 
Beautiful sketches, just beautiful. Best of luck with the shins, it sounds like you are doing everything possible to get those legs back into shape. I know there are many forum members hoping for a good outcome from the visit to the podiatrist. Though we all wish you a buen camino, we are also a bit self-interested in seeing more and more of this gorgeous camino artwork.

Buen camino, Laurie
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
get a good drawing of the French gate for me!
 
Tony Lenton said:
If I could produce art like that I’d be doing nothing else. Thank you for sharing that. Good luck with the shins. Your health comes first.
Best wishes, Tony
Click to expand...
I actually don’t do much else besides draw and paint. A life of it. For all the time I put into it, I actually think I should be better! Thank you!
 
Thank you! I’ll be doing the sketchbook Camino this spring one way or another! It just might be a little different than I planned, I see that now.
 
Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Absolutely beautiful sketches of the Camino. Very wise decision to rest for a week - just make sure you DO it - no cheating. Pamplona will give you many chances to be inspired. I try so hard to sketch, continually looks like the flailing of a four year old.
 
The visit to the podiatrist was good. A very nice and competent female clinician (Clinica Podologica Ituramma in Pamplona if you ever need one).

She agreed that I had shin splints and thought the problem was caused by me holding my foot in the wrong way while walking. This was caused by some sensitivity I was having in the ball of my foot that I had before I came to Spain, that I thought I had dealt with.

She suggested that it’s going to take a while to heal, perhaps more than the week I’ve allowed. She added some padding underneath my feet and kindly trimmed and sanded down my toenails.

I managed, with some trouble, to sign up for the local Pamplona electric bike city rental program. But you can only go from one parking stand to another, so if you want to get around you still have to do a bit of walking. I ended up walking 3 or 4 km and my pain was much worse. I’m definitely not going be walking the Camino anytime soon.

Yesterday, I was convinced that I would try to buy a used bike to do the Camino Frances. Today I’m not so sure. Everything is made a bit more difficult (read, almost impossible) because the city is pretty much shut down for the four days up to and including Easter. I doubt I could even look at bikes until Monday.

Anyway, here’s a sketch that took me way longer than I thought of Plaza del Castillo in Pamplona, Spain. The face on the side was just inspired by a woman who walked by with a really big smile directed at me. She seemed so happy I was drawing there! 6 x 9” or 15 x 22 cm, watercolor and ink.

 

ya can carry an easel on a bike --- easel, beret, brush ------------- you'll look the part



oh, you have an annoying level of talent btw - lovely work
 
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Gosh! Those are beautiful! Thank you for sharing them!
 

I really don't know why you are concerned about a few days - you should be doing nothing but resting and drawing until the leg settles - the only real option for moving anywhere for a few days is if a few of us get a hospital bed on wheels and push you around (you'll need your foot elevated really) -

which would be a quite different idea for a Camino - even beats the donkey

spend the days drawing and looking up facebook market place for a bike near you

I thought the 'bike as a walker idea' so good that I'm intending to do it that way myself - it allows one heaps of time in places if one just does the distances of a walker, but, the speed of a bike.

of course - I don't have schedules like many who come from other places and have a plane booked for return - my live and lifestyle has taught me one thing - expect anything and be flexible

my Europe experience this time began on March 17, 2020

I had boated from Ipswich in the UK to Ramsgate on the 16th March - I got to Ramsgate and, I thought to myself -- being able to basically almost see Calais - over 'calm' water - yeah - calm would you believe

I decided to stay in Ramsgate and thought I might stay a couple of days - I knew atm that I was tired - but, I felt fine - however it was wise to rest before a solo Channel crossing.

well - thank you the gods of Covid ----------- Macron, bless his dear self - announced that night at 8.30 PM that all French borders and ports would be closed at 12 noon the next day -

grrrrrh! so, I had to be in Calais by midday - or - no go.

So, up I got at 2 am and off I went (calm sea had disappeared btw - I rocked and rolled across the Channel at full noise because I now had a deadline)------------- I was the last private boat into Calais at 10 am before the first 3 month (from memory) confinement - the Marina had already closed - they opened it up for me - and, I stayed there until May - when, I yachted south around paris with a few wiggles to Burgundy - where the boat is now -

flexibility wins when travelling --- we went from confinement one to confinement 2 etc etc - and, now - 2022 great new year --------------- now, we have a European war ---

what's next??

for you? -- personally, your shin splint might be a blessing in disguise - I've learned to never judge the race until it's over
 
Have you looked into bike rental services?
I don't know about Pamplona, but I know people who were ae to rent bikes in Burgos that they dropped off in León.
You may want to read the posts in the Bicycling on the Camino sub forum.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
trecile said:
Have you looked into bike rental services?
I don't know about Pamplona, but I know people who were ae to rent bikes in Burgos that they dropped off in León.
You may want to read the posts in the Bicycling on the Camino sub forum.
Click to expand...
You can definitely rent them, and electric bikes as well. There’s places that will just drop them off And pick them up anywhere along the Camino. I’m sure they’re very nice bikes, but if I wanted to rent them for a month itd be far cheaper to just buy a used one and give it away in santiago to someone in need. Of course they would probably provide you with support if anything broke. I’m looking into it all. Today it just seems like a big headache. I think you posted in another post just to take the bus. I’m weighing both options.
 
Pintohoo said:
or you? -- personally, your shin splint might be a blessing in disguise - I've learned to never judge the race until it's over
Click to expand...
You never know, do you.? I’d like the sentiment behind I thought. As you said, I almost canceled because of the Ukrainian war.


I’m actually not worried about the few days. I scheduled three months in Europe. Mostly I’m worried that even if I wanted to do the walking bike thing you suggested, I might not be able to do the walk thing part. My unhappiness stems from the fact that I can’t even walk three or four blocks without being in pain.

Anyway, I have a few days. There’s actually a store in Pamplona that specializes in secondhand bikes.

They may not open until Monday, but that might be easier than looking at on Facebook messenger or online in a language that I don’t really understand and try to contact people who I can’t really talk to. Besides trying to figure out where everything is located. Even if I paid €100 more, it would be worth the less trouble, and I’m sure that the bike would be all tuned up.

segundociclo.es
 
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Stephan the Painter said:
I think you posted in another post just to take the bus.
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From memory, there are slow bus connections with numerous stops for the lines Pamplona to Logroño and Belorado to Burgos and probably also in between. With the long Easter holiday weekend ahead, you would have time to go to the big bus station in Pamplona and get timetables for a bit of advance planning (also online of course but you need to go beyond Rome2rio and look them up on the individual bus company websites).

Mainly biking is of course an option. What I can't quite visualise: pushing your bike over long distances instead of just pushing it uphill from time to time. I imagine it is very awkward and tiring to push a bike along just in case you might need it after a few hours.

PS: You are in Navarra and their public holidays are:

14 de abril (Jueves Santo).​
15 de abril (Viernes Santo).​
18 de abril (Lunes de Pascua).​

Calendario en la Comunidad Foral de Navarra 2022 - Fiestas Laborales y Días Inhábiles, con Carácter Retribuido y No Recuperable

www.pamplona.es
 
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It’s true, I did say that I would treat it like a packhorse, but that’s probably not what I would do. I would be riding it, just not uphills or at racing speeds like some of the people who are serious bicyclists do. A slow bike Camino, Stopping to sketch. Probably not the pure Walking way I wanted, but you usually never really get what you want out of life anyway, do you?

That’s a great idea, to research the bus lines. But I’m not going to do that. I have the Wise pilgrim app and guidebook, and it lists if there is bus connections or stations in each town on the Camino France. That should be enough, if I have to wait for the connections, so be it. Too complicated to plan things in advance.

Holidays: I know! Everything is closed. I stopped by the tourist office yesterday and they warned me to make sure I buy everything I wanted or needed Wednesday night. I won’t leave Pamplona until at least Monday.
 
Stephan the Painter said:
I have the Wise pilgrim app and guidebook, and it lists if there is bus connections or stations in each town on the Camino France. That should be enough, if I have to wait for the connections, so be it. Too complicated to plan things in advance.
Click to expand...
That's good to know. When I said "a bit of planning", I did not mean detailed planning. Just getting an idea whether there will be a bus stopping at that bus stop five times a day, including in the afternoon or evening, or once a week . I vaguely remember that after Burgos, buses don't serve the Camino Frances in large numbers. In Galicia, it's much better again. There are always taxis, too, of course when in need.
 


well, I don't think many on here would have liked James tone either indeed, in comparison, from what I've read, I'm a conservative angel in comparison

Jesus didn't call him and brother 'sons of thunder' for nothing these days snowflakes would melt in the tons as he walked

yes, a shop for secondhand would be convenient -- facebook market place has translate in the descriptions btw - and if one wants to write something - just write it in google translate and copy/paste into a message
 
More 2024 Camino Guides available
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Electric bikes can be heavy. I would love one, but I could not manage it up and over the step into the house! Therefore, pushing one uphill would be quite a task. I have been messaging my friend in Pamplona. Today maybe, and definitely tomorrow everything closed. Saturday, Traperos will be open, and Decathlon.
Traperos, you can look them up. A wonderful organisation. They fix broken things and sell them. My friend got a bike from them for €30.00 some years ago. It is located in Berriozar, I think that is what she said.
If nothing there, walk back ten minutes towards Pamplona, and Decathlon is there. Not far from the railway station, and a bus goes there from city centre, you will see on google maps. A range of options for different purses. Googling, although I hate that! Will give you instructions on how to access both places.
Hope this is of some help... Decathlon, if it had something in your price range, would be maybe a good idea as they are strung out across the country if a problem showed up... your saga continues. Thank goodness you seem to be able to cope with this unexpected challenge.
 
@Stephan the Painter, I guess you are aware of the Easter processions that are so typical for Spanish towns and that start in earnest this evening (Thursday) with the highlights perhaps tomorrow (Good Friday). Did you get a timetable and maps of the roads in question, perhaps from the tourist office or in a regional or local newspaper? This is a great opportunity for you! Or is standing also difficult? Perhaps you can find a space where you can both sit and observe?
 
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Kathar1na said:
@Stephan the Painter, I guess you are aware of the Easter processions that are so typical for Spanish towns and that start in earnest this evening (Thursday) with the highlights perhaps tomorrow (Good Friday).
Click to expand...
I’m in Pamplona until Monday at least. I’m aware of them, and I got a pamphlet from the tourist office. With timetables and some locations where it goes through. But I’m not really conversant on anything else. Is Good Friday usually the big event? Alas, I was raised a Unitarian, and it wasn’t a big deal….
 
Stephan the Painter said:
Is Good Friday usually the big event? Alas, I was raised a Unitarian, and it wasn’t a big deal….
Click to expand...
From the theological point of view, the big event, the Resurrection, is commemorated on Easter Sunday morning .

But it is my impression that Good Friday is THE day for processions, and the Tourism Office seems to confirm it: Pamplona, the capital of Navarre, hosts the procession of the Holy Burial on Good Friday. This is the most representative event of Holy Week in Pamplona. Twelve floats parade before the silent and serene gaze of those present.
 
I did go tonight for the Maundy Thursday procession, and I’ll definitely go tomorrow. Thanks for the information. I’ll try to post a little video. (Update, Well, I guess that didn’t work. I’ll just post some images. There’s some videos posted to Instagram and Facebook and probably Tumblr. Just search for my name or there’s some links below in my signature.):
 
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Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
STP-- I am not a doctor and hesitate to give medical advice. But I can pontificate with the best, so here goes. My own experience (with severe tendonitis, a total ankle replacement, and knees that my doc says should be replaced soon) is that rest helps more than you think and faster than you think. Real rest! (probably not walking in short burst that still add up to 3-4 km /day!) Give your body time for the inflammation to go down, ice or whatever the podiatrist recommended. But rest. I have gone from a knee injury that kept me from walking at all, to walking relatively pain free after 5-6 days of rest. Bottom line, real rest, really helps!

And in the meantime, I love your paintings. Thank you so much for sharing them with us.
 
ebrandt said:
Bottom line, real rest, really helps!
Click to expand...
I know you’re right. Zero walking would be the fastest way to heal. It’s really difficult to do when you’re in a new place with no support, and you have to do everything for yourself. I am trying to seriously limit the walking but Its hard not to walk three or 4 km a day anyway. That said, it’s finally starting to feel a little better. It’s been six or seven days now with minimal use.

But I can see that the underlying problem is not going away. There’s still a sensitivity in the ball of my foot, which would make me hold my foot differently when I’m walking and probably will trigger the problem again as soon as I start walking with a pack. I’m still going back-and-forth between bicycle, bus, or going down to a beach in southern Spain for a few weeks and see if it really heals.
 
Here’s another drawing right near the Portal de Zumalacárregui o de Francia - Zumalakarregiko Portoia. Or maybe those two gates have the same name? But I think it’s the other gate that bears the name. I couldn’t find a good composition or a comfortable place to sit for the actual gate, so I did this view yesterday. Quite a few pilgrims walking past me looking exhausted up that little hill wonder where they came from? Every time I asked, we didn’t have a language in common. 6 x 9” or 15 x 22 cm., Watercolor and ink.

 
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Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
It is always a pleasure to see your wonderful drawings. Thank you for sharing them here on the forum.

Your drawing shows one section of the once extensive five-pointed-star-shaped 16th c. Pamploma citadel. For more info on this citadel see this comprehensive Wikipedia article. The section on Construction is especially interesting.

Carpe diem.
 
Lovely paintings, @Stephan the Painter, and as always, thank you to @mspath for additional info. If this is indeed a gate and the wall of the Pamplona citadel (and not the town wall), then most pilgrims won't even see this because the Camino bypasses it on the right. It is so high up that it is out of view from below the Camino. At least that is my recollection. I did visit the citadel at another time. Great view and painting!
 
awesone work! glad you finally made it. i remember communicating with you over a year ago or 2 when we were both planning to go. i'll be about a week behind you. looking forward to good things for you buen camino
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
You have reminded me of happy memories with lovely artwork!!
 
Now you are on your way again, soon. You are no doubt devouring any posts re cycling the CF. You already know some of the restrictions, but I think you have accepted them. Take care, wear your helmet, ring your bell, and soon you will learn from other cyclists how to get a bed without anxiety. Maybe a cushioned seat will make the first days slightly easier!!!
Whatever about the Camino provides, it is you, the pilgrim, who has to receive what it offers! Buen camino, and keep sketching.
 
Yesterday, I gave up, at least for the next couple weeks, walking the Camino.

But not to worry! Also yesterday I bought a used bike a secondhand shop in PAmplona. I still have to get a little more equipment, and because of Easter no stores are open until Tuesday. So the plan is now to leave Wednesday morning and resume the Camino France.

No doubt, they’ll be many unexpected trials and tribulations. I’m going to ship my backpack a couple hundred kilometers and purchase some bicycle saddlebags. Luckily these things are quite inexpensive at Decathlon. Then I’ll decide how I’m feeling and if I want to resume walking.

And here’s a new drawing:

View of the Pamplona cathedral, Santa Maria la Real. On an Easter weekend afternoon, many locals and tourists enjoying wine and coffee in this beautiful corner of the world. 6 x 9” are 15 x 22 cm, watercolor and ink

 
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I wish you peace and hope and safety as you continue your Camino. Thank you for sharing your beautiful art with us. What a gift! Happy Easter and Buen Camino!
 
I
If you head up to Media Luna, there is a wonderful view, including the view of the Cathedral for those arriving from Burlada. Actually, mu current avatar is photo is from there...
 
Beautiful sketches! You are very talented!
 
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Stephan the Painter said:
Yesterday, I gave up, at least for the next couple weeks, walking the Camino.
Click to expand...
I'm glad you fond an alternate way to continue your journey. You've certainly made the most of your time in Pamplona. I've been on the fence about bringing my sketch kit, but you've inspired me to bring it!
 
Beautiful paintings in watercolor and ink. I hope you are healing well.
There must be quite a variety of people there.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Just finished reading this thread about your journey so far.
I injured my knee over a week ago after walking over 100 kms. I was pain free in the morning, a very minor bit of discomfort the first few kms, after getting up from a coffee break a couple of kms further on I was having pain. We carried on (luckily I wasn't by myself) and after a km more of walking I was barely shuffling along. Was diagnosed two days later with patellar tendonitis.
Long story short it has been just over 10 days and this morning I managed to walk 180 metres with one pole. Not pain free but it took barely 12 minutes! I thought that was pretty good until I did the math and that equates to 66 minutes per km.
Serendipitously I am holed up a few blocks from the camino before heading into Santiago. My husband is walking and I have just over a week to get in shape to walk the last 1.6 kms with him. Hopefully with my pack as well.
Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.
Buen camino, whatever that ends up being for you.
Your art work is wonderful and I am sure many of us on this forum would commission something from you, from meaningful photos we have taken on our camino. Just a thought.
 
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
This is of course the bronze sculpture of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. It’s right near the Plaza del Castillo.

(If you’re not familiar with that event , once a year in July there’s a religious celebration that features a group of people running ahead of charging bulls. That’s right, sometimes people get gored and even killed. But it’s a really big deal here, immortalized by Ernest Hemingway In his book “the sun also rises.”)

Monumento al Encierro,” by Rafael Huerta. 6 x 9” or 15 x 22 cm, water color and ink.
 
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Another wonderful piece of art from you! My introduction to the Running of the Bulls came in James A. Michener’s ‘The Drifters’, still one of my favourite books.
 
jungleboy said:
Another wonderful piece of art from you! My introduction to the Running of the Bulls came in James A. Michener’s ‘The Drifters’, still one of my favourite books.
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Wow! I read that book when I was in high school, and it made me want to grow up to become a hippie and go to Spain! And that’s one of my favorite books of all time, as well. I haven’t read it in years, I’ll have to when I get back home.
 
Behind that gorgeous tree is a convent in the middle of Pamplona; Convento de Augustine Recoletas. But you can tell that I was really fascinated with that tree. A gold star and a smiley face for anyone who can tell me what species of pine tree that is?

This is pretty much just a watercolor, with a few thin lines of ink that you can barely see in the photo. I’ve actually hardly ever painted with them, I’m much more of an oil painter.

6 x 9“ or 15 x 22 cm, watercolor and ink on paper.
And today I left Pamplona on my trusty bike. A very different experience than walking, and actually a little bit harder work, I think. You really have to pay attention, and although you move faster, you do that by expanding more energy. A short ride to Puenta La Reina where I stopped walking 13 days ago. The shin splint is almost completely gone, but I think the underlying problem is still there, So I’m not going to risk any serious walking for awhile….
 
Get a Spanish mobil number + data while on the Camino
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
I have no idea what kind of tree that is......but it is fascinating. It looks like a storybook tree in the photo of the real tree, not like a real tree. I looked around to see if I could find something similar in pictures on the web. It might be a weeping cypress of some kind, but I don't know. Thanks for sharing your painting. It's awesome!
 
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Someone told me that that Pinetree is a European Larch. It’s hard to tell when I Google images of it, but it could be.

And below, a hasty study of a beautiful hilltop town in Navvare province in northern Spain, Ciraqui/Zirauki. Beautiful spring countryside. It’s quite hard to capture with a drawing or a photo how magical that village looked in the distance. And, It’s definitely harder too focus on my best work when I have the physical exertion of traveling, 6.9 inches are 15 x 22 cm, watercolor and ink.
 
Seeing Ciraqui in the distance was so exciting for me; my very first excitement to see a village from afar, and so pretty.
Another lovely painting, Stephan, and a good memory for me!
 
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Camino Chrissy said:
Seeing Ciraqui in the distance was so exciting for me; my very first excitement to see a village from afar, and so pretty.
Another lovely painting, Stephan, and a good memory for me!
Click to expand...
The painting of Ciraqui is a good memory for me, too.
Camino Chrissy said:
Seeing Ciraqui in the distance was so exciting for me; my very first excitement to see a village from afar, and so pretty.
Another lovely painting, Stephan, and a good memory for me!
Click to expand...
Cirauqui is also a good memory for me - it reminds of me the cold, rainy Sunday morning a couple years ago when I was walking from Puente la Reina to Estella, but hoping to find a place in Cirauqui to stay because I didn't think I could walk that far in the cold, wet weather, when I encountered what I think was a city council meeting letting out where the Camino takes you through that corridor in the municipal office building. I asked a woman if there was a bus to Estella - no! - and no taxi - not on Sunday, then she talked to someone and a very kind man got his car and drove me 20km to Estella...and refused to take any money.
I had never felt so 'stranded' before - and I was grateful to those kind people to make sure I safely got to Estella! I love Cirauqui and the wonderful people who live there! And I love that painting!
 
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Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
This is a view of the town church in Los Arcos, Spain. The fields are in bloom, and the view is essentially unchanged from what a pilgrim might’ve seen hundreds of years ago. While I was painting, a man on a horse rode by!

I went to a service the night before at this church. All in Spanish, so of course I had no idea what was going on. But it was quite full with people, and the church interior itself is stunning, full of gold leaf and polychromed statues.

Yesterdays ride to get here of about 25 km was through beautiful pastoral countryside.

After I finished this drawing I left about noon and went about 30 km. to Logrono. I passed her a couple beautiful towns: Sansol, Torres de Rio,and Viana. All much prettier places than where I ended up. Usually I’m traveling on the walking/biking trail, but someone had told me to avoid a certain stretch where there were a lot of difficult up and downs for bicycles, so I went on the road for about 10 km. I met a couple of Belgium guys who had biked from Belgium, all on road, averaging about 100 km a day. They were all decked out with expensive bikes and camping equipment.

I had the impression, and certainly other walkers do, that bike riding was easier than walking. Of course, it’s faster, but I find that I put out more energy, especially going up in the hills where I often have to get off and push the bike. I don’t recall ever panting with effort when I was walking. Of course, overall, walking is more difficult in the long run.

And I see how riding a bike puts you out of the community. I’m meeting and talking to people, but I’m not seeing the same people. I’m a little too fast for the walkers, but not fast enough for the real experienced bicyclists. I actually don’t like being a bicyclist. Technically this route is both a bicycle and walking trail, but it really is more for walkers. And the spirit of the experience is for walking.

I can however see how it works better in the service of the “sketchbook Camino,” giving me more time to explore. I occasionally ride down a dirt road that looks interesting just to see what’s there, and have explored each town perhaps more thoroughly than the usual walker would.

6x9 inches or 15 x 22 cm, water color and ink.
 
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Thank you for sharing your experience and your beautiful paintings, @Stephan the Painter.

Your comment that the fields are in bloom, and the view is essentially unchanged from what a pilgrim might’ve seen hundreds of years ago made me smile. You are referring to the yellow colour of the rapeseed fields. I am so old that I remember our landscapes without yellow. Spanish agriculture is no different from the rest of the EU countries. These yellow fields are fairly new. An article in a Spanish newspaper from yesterday: Rapeseed is a crop that has gone from being an almost non-existent crop in 2004 to around 100,000 hectares per year now. The title: Spain turns yellow with rapeseed boom, and in particular in the region of Castilla y Leon where you are now.

We don't always see what they saw hundreds of years ago, even when it feels like it . The times are indeed changing but that's not a bad thing in itself.

Continued Buen Camino!
 

I am loving going along with you on this pilgrimage.

Drawings are ever so nice.

Thanks for sharing.
 
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...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Since the last posting, I left big city Logrono, spent a night in a truckstop hotel near Najeera and then went on to Santo Domingo Calzado. I am enjoying the pastoral landscape filled with vineyards of Riojas.

As most of you here know, Santo Domingo is a famous stop on the Camino Francis. Santo Domingo was a saint who specialized in helping pilgrims by improving infrastructure for them; hospitals and accommodations and bridges.

The Cathedral here is gorgeous inside and out. I spent a rainy afternoon drawing outside, and the next morning I paid a five euro admission to go into the museum in church and walk up to the tower in the drawing. The church and museum are filled with beautiful artwork, and well worth a visit. I particularly enjoyed the carvings along the tops of the capitals.

The tower has some exhibits on the bottom, but you can walk up about 150 steps to the bell tower, and observe the bells close up, as well as get an expansive view of the landscape around Santa Domingo.

There’s a famous story here, which most of you know, about a chicken who came to life to prove a thief’s innocence, and within the Cathedral there’s a henhouse.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t see that, but I really wanted to! Not open to the public.

There is rain predicted for the next two days, so we’ll see how that goes bicycling.

Torre de Catedral de Santo Domingo de Calzado, 9 x 6” or 22 x 15 cm., Watercolor and ink.
 
Stephan, I am enjoying all of your beautiful sketches and interesting commentary. On my Caminos I always seem to take 2000+ photos as almost every where I look I see interesting uniqueness and beauty. With your artistic skills, I'd think it would be a difficult decision to choose just one landscape, church or village to paint each day.
P.S. May I ask you approximately how long it takes you to complete one painting?
 
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Absolutely Stunning Stephan.
 
Just catching up after finishing my own walk.
Absolutely beautiful work, Stephen. Even if watercolour is not 'your' medium! I'm so glad you found a way to keep going.
Stephan the Painter said:
6x9 inches or 15 x 22 cm, water color and ink.
Click to expand...
My favorite so far. It really captures something that a photo could not. The feel of the place.
Buen camino, peregrino!
 
Train on the 4-day Catalina Camino
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
It’s a really hard choice deciding what to paint. It can take longer to decide on that then it does to do the painting, some days! Having the bicycle helps me look at a lot of different areas quickly. And sometimes it gives me too many choices!

I would say that I actually have pen or brush to paper for about two hours for each of those drawings.

Of course that doesn’t count all the deciding time, the stopping if it starts to drizzle like it did on that painting. Waiting for the sun to come back out. Trying to explain in my broken Spanish why I am sitting in a dirty corner to a kindly Spanish woman who kept on telling me I should go sit on the bench 5 meters away.

It is an advantage to not speak the language, in one sense. In an English-speaking country I feel compelled to have conversations with people. Because people are curious. And in Spain and other places I’ve traveled to, I can just hide behind my language skills and sooner or later they go away.
 
Camino Chrissy said:
I've been wondering the same thing and if so possibly it will be available for purchase on Amazon.
Click to expand...
And @Jeff Crawley . It’s absolutely something I hope to do. But I think I’m still a long way from having enough material for a book. But I am going to be a Spain working on Camino drawings and paintings until the end of June, if things go as planned.
 
Train on the 4-day Catalina Camino
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
I love the ‘old queen tried to pick me up’ sub title on your sketch!
 
April 28: I left Belarado and made it to Ages, Spain. Rain and drizzle all day! Wetter and dirtier than I’ve ever been. The brakes were failing on the bike so it was scary to go downhill. Found a good Albergue in Ages. Met nice people and had some nice talks over dinner.

A strange experience in the church in Ages, where I was sitting and contemplating the beautiful altar. A woman, probably the caretaker, came up to me and started insisting that I take photos of the altar and generally harassed me. I wasn’t quite sure what her point was, and I felt uncomfortable and left. Later I met some other people who said they had had a similar experience, but they just went with it and ended up ringing the church bell, Ha! They could speak Spanish, so maybe the woman was friendly in a crazy way and not intimidating as she seemed to me.

Before I left, I was as able to fix the brakes. But I’ll have to get new pads in Burgos.



I did a drawing of an old house in Ages. There’s great examples of wooden beam and stone architecture and all these small towns in this area (not evident in my drawing).You can view it on the outside walls sometimes. 6 x 9 inches or 15 x 22 cm, water color and ink.
 
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Stephan the Painter said:
There’s great examples of wooden beam and stone architecture and all these small towns in this area (not evident in my drawing).You can view it on the outside walls sometimes.
Click to expand...
I enjoy your astute observations - both in your paintings and in your comments. I suppose you did drawings of the timber framed houses in the region. I remember Ages because of this - perhaps because this architecture looks familiar to me, just like home . Later, after Burgos, you will see that the timber disappears and it is only adobe walls.

Your anecdote about the church also reminded me of similar experiences. Locals are proud of their churches, their sellos, etc and what is well intended appears sometimes a bit like pushing. I usually got only a sello from where I stayed but occasionally I would get a sello in a church or a chapel just because I clearly felt that it was expected of me.
 
April 29: A relatively quick ride to Burgos, Apart 30 km. It started off with a really big hill , at the top of which was a big wooden cross and that gave one a sense of accomplishment! Between Belarado and Burgos I never saw any kind of food market or small store.

I arrived in Burgos and took a quick look at the Cathedral. After checking into my accommodations I rode my bike out to the Decathlon where I had to get new brake pads for the bicycle. I also got a T-shirt and belt there, the belt having broken and having lost a second T-shirt.
April 30:

The next morning, while sitting in the park I replaced my brake pads. Then I went to draw the Puente
Santa Maria. It wasn’t a great composition, and as usual I want a little too far. I chose not to share that one now.

It was a busy place, and at some point some hustlers asking for money targeted me and a few of them came up and started trying to talk to me. I told him one of them I only spoke English, and all he could blurt out was, “money, money!” I’m really cautious of these people, because in the past I had some serious problems. In Italy they slashed my bicycle tires because I refused to give them money.

About 3 o’clock I left for the 30 km ride where I booked a room in at El Puntido in Hostanas. A very pretty town. The room was odd, really just an extra Albergue a room with three different beds. And a couple shared baths with probably at least 25 other people. And even with a private room, I couldn’t sleep because I was having such a bad allergy reaction from bicycling through the grass fields.

I was grateful that I hadn’t booked a dormitory bed, because I think I would have kept the whole room up half the night!

Finally sleepless at three in the morning I decided to stay an extra day here and booked something else just across the street. It’s a very paintable town.

Next morning I woke up and had an overpriced breakfast and went out to find a place to sit and draw. The town is in a bit of a valley so it has some fascinating views from the hills surrounding it. The constant sound of chickens and animals wafts through the air.

Here is that drawing, “Morning in Hontanas, Spain. 15 x 22 cm or 6 x 9”, watercolor and Ink.
 
If you do publish these sketches in a book or calendar please also include these photographs with the sketches and the subjects.
 
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
2024 edition: The Brierley Camino Frances Guide
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
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