Zubiri to Pamplona

April 20, 2016 Wednesday

Walking from Zubiri to Pamplona in the rain    Walking Day #3

It is often said or sung that "the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain." [from the film My Fair Lady]. That may be true, but the rain was falling in Zubiri, and fell on us all the way into Pamplona, and we are far from the meseta (the plains). It rained and rained today, and while not a hard rain, I am very glad I got a rain jacket (thank-you, Melissa). Made of gore-tex, it worked perfectly, and I did not get wet. And the Osprey backpack I am carrying has a built-in rain cover, and that too worked perfectly. So it was off into the rain.

Shortly after leaving Zubiri, the Camino path passes a large industrial area on the right, not scenic. But on the left were a few pleasant surprises, like this waterfall:
 

A very pleasant sight, and very loud, too. Many pilgrims stopped to look, but hurried on not wanting to stand and get wetter than necessary.

There were occasional breaks in the rain, and I got  picture of the path along this lush green field.

Then the path went in and out of the forest. Wet, but not too wet. Actually, not  bad day for walking. And being mostly flat, I was making good time without thinking much about the pace.

In these woods, I caught up to a young lady from Colorado, Nikki, who is among other things a yoga instructor. We had a good discussion about yoga, my yoga history, and her being an ordained Zen Buddhist <something>. Our pace was good, but not too fast, and we fell into a comfortable rhythm. As we were entering the outskirts of Pamplona, Nikki took this photo on me on a bridge.

(I did not remove my backpack and let it fall into the water as Martin Sheen's character did in the film "The Way" at a different bridge.)

As we were in the outskirts of Pamplona, the street on which we were walking was lined with cherry trees, and being April, the blossoms were out:

A while later, we climbed into the old fortress/city of Pamplona. This is where the celebration in which the famous "running with the bulls" takes place. It does look almost exactly as we have all seen in films, on television, etc. It is a charming old city, full of restaurants, small shops, small hotels, and more. Everything was closed as we were entering at about 2:00 PM. The Spanish take time off in the afternoon from about 2 until 4:30 or 5, then everything is open until 8, 9, or 10, including banks and the post office.

Another view of part of the old city on my walk from Nikki's albergue to my hotel. I got lost once, found the tourist information office, got a map with directions drawn, got lost again, and a British lady showed me the way. These streets are more confusing than Boston or other cities with meandering streets whose names change (London, Paris, etc.). But this is not a large area, so getting back on track was relatively easy.

I joined Nikki and her Spanish friends for an early dinner at the Meson de Tortilla. Nickie speaks English and Spanish, I speak only English, and the other three (a man and wife who have walked the Camino Frances at least 12 times, and a friend of theirs) speak no English, but they speak Spanish, Galician, French, and Italian. We had a blast at dinner. 

Here is Nikki and me outside the restaurant. I may see her and her friends tomorrow evening in Puerta La Riena about 25 kilometers up the road.

And here is my hotel, the Hotel Europa. This is a very nice hotel.

Breakfast from 7:30 to 9:30. I'll be down at 7:30 and hopefully be on the road by 8:15. Another excellent day on the Camino de Santiago. Unlike anything I could have thought. A long walk on a tired and sore body in the rain, and I got to share it with new friends.

Next: Up to Alto de Perdon and on to Puente La Reina