Aragon

The rain had stopped and the sun was out, when I finally reached the "Col du Somport" (aka "Canfranc Pass"). A Roman road existed here, later Vandals, Visigoths, Maurs, Franks - all have used this pass (el. 1632m) - and pilgrims of course. I crossed the border, entered the bar at the end of the parking lot and had an icecold Spanish Estralla-beer.

There is a modern chapel on the "Col du Somport" (aka "Canfranc Pass"), from where the visitors have a marvelous overview, when the weather is so brilliant. The place is just a few meters south of the border - and belongs to Spain.

Walking downhill, following the valley of the Rio Aragon. From now on, the "chemin" is a "camino". The "Via Tolosana" continues and is named "Camino Aragonés" in Aragon. As you can see, the distance from here to Santiago de Compostela is exactly 858 kms.

Just a few kilometers south of the pass, near the (huge and ugly!) winter resort of Cadanchu the ruins of "St Christina of Somport" are next to the "camino". This "hopital" is mentioned in the Codex Calixtinus, one the earliest known tourist guidebooks, written by Aymeric Picaud. Here the many pilgrims could stop and recover after having crossed the Col du Somport. St. Christina had a great reputation (similar to the Great St. Bernard Hospice in the Alps). Even Papal bulls considered the convent "unum de tribus mundi hospitalibus”.

"Canfranc International Railway Station" was opened in 1928, after a railway line, connecting France and Spain had been discussed since the 1850s, got finally completed. The line was opened, but never really sucessful. In 1970 a freight train derailed and destroyed a bridge on the French side of the Pyrenees. The bridge never got repaired - and the station is out of service ever since. Only two local trains leave this "palace", which is 240 meters long, every day. The huge tunnel, that was drilled through the Pyrenees for the railway line, houses the "Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc" meanwhile. Scientists there investigate neutrinos and WIMPS (= "Weakly interacting massive particles").

Passing the ruins of the Iglesia de La Trinidad on an early morning. I learned that a wealthy merchant from Canfranc named Blasco de Les, founded (and financed) a church and a pilgrims´ hospital mid 16th century. This is rather late as the heydays of pilgrimage were some centuries earlier. The complex was abandoned mid 19th century and burned down in 1944.

"Pon Nou" means "New Bridge" - this structure replaces an older bridge. The older bridge had been destroyed by a flood of the Rio Aragon and this one was built in 1599, but looks much older. Actually the Pon Nou is "signed". There is a stone inscription, telling us "RAMON ME FECIT 1599"

Just before I reached Jaca, I passed the "Ermita de San Cristóbal", just next to the camino. I learned the the erection of the hermitage north was comissioned in 1758 by Francisco Villanúa y Lafuente. The chapel was burned down in 1814 by the French in their retreat after the War of Independence. It was rebuilt later by a great-nephew of Francisco, but meanwhile it is vandalized and locked to secure the interior and the still existing furnishings.. Half an hour later I reached Jaca. I had visited Jaca some years ago and now decided to stay an extra-day to visit Castle of San Pedro and the Museum of the Cathedral - and to have dinner again in the restaurant "Meson Serrablo", a place I can really recommend. www.mesonserrablo.com/

Late afternoon in Jaca. Relaxing in a busy sidewalk cafe next to the "Catedral de San Pedro", one of the oldest cathedrals of the Iberian peninsula, dating back to the 1070s. The building, that was altered later, was commissioned by King Sancho Ramírez, who established an episcopal seat in Jaca, then the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon. The cathedral has an excellent museum, that offers special prices for visitors producing a "credencial". I took many photos and may upload some of them later.

Late at night at the "Ciudadela de Jaca". The construction of the pentagonal fortification started in 1592 under the direction of Italian engineer Tiburzio Spannocchi 1592. It took more than 80 years to complete the fort. In 1707 Jaca was under attack during the War of Spanish Succession by the armee of Charles of Austria. The fort was occupied by French troops during the War of Independence, but got recaptured in 1814 by Spanish troops. Meanwhile this is a "Monumento Histórico Artistico".

Just south of Jaca the camino turns west, it still follows the Rio Aragon. There is a detour, that takes the walkers to San Juan de la Peña. I was a little lazy and as I had been there some years ago, I choose the shorter "main-camino", that runs through a very hot, wide plane. Around noontime I reached Santa Cilia, where the camino crosses the N-240. As you can see (right), car-drivers are warned of limping pilgrims here - while the pilgrims (left) follow the advice to cross the road. Santa Cilia was the first village, where I noticed an obvious abundance of new streetlights. Santa Cilia has a population of about 200. In some villages I had the impression, that there were more streetlights, than inhabitants.

What I saw first as a wide, mostly shadowless plane was indeed the valley of the Rio Aragon, bordered to the north by the foothills of the Pyrenees and another mountain ridge to the south. Within this valley are some steep little mountains, often used for fortified settlements. Here is the hamlet Arrés.

What I saw first as a wide, mostly shadowless plane was indeed the valley of the Rio Aragon, bordered to the north by the foothills of the Pyrenees and another mountain ridge to the south. Within this valley are some steep little mountains, often used for fortified settlements. Seen here in a distant is Berdún, north of the Rio Aragon.

I could still see Berdún on the horizon (right), when this post told me that Santiago de Compostella was exactly 800kms west.

After having crossed some dried out tributary rivers of the Rio Aragon, I passed Artieda, from where I could see the Yesa reservoir, that I would follow for the next 20 kms. I was startled, when exactly at noontime three loud firecrackers rocketed from the village into the sky.

Walking on the southern shore of the Yesa reservoir, approaching Ruesta on a crisp morning. After the shadowless stretches of the last days, this was a lovely hike. On one of the trees to the right are two markers: the yellow arrow - and the white/red square.

This ruin is all, what is left "in situ" of a hermitage, erected within the 11th century, belonging to San Juan de la Peña. Two days ago, I had seen marvelous and impressing frescoes in the museum in Jaca. They had been taken from this church - and saved. Nowadays the walls of the ruin are covered with graffiti.

West of Ruesta a very long ascent starts onto afforested heights, but as soon as I left the shadows it got really hot. On my way to Undués de Lerda, seen in the hazy distant, I descendet via the ruins of an ancient Roman road, before I had to climb up again to the village. The first house, I reached, was a public washhouse, where I poured water over my head and took a break. I knew, that there was an alberge somewhere in the village - and I hoped for an icecold beer.