- Distance today: 7.6 mi
- Distance Camino 2017: 39.9mi
It was still dark when we left Akerreta at 6:05 a.m., with Linda and her headlamp leading the way. A half-hour later it was light enough to see as we began walking along the Rio Arre (Arre river).
For the rest of the morning we walked on both sides of the Arre, crossing over a number of different bridges: some new, some old, some very old.
The walking surfaces and undulations were typical of recent days but the duration of the difficult sections was manageable.
Not until 8:00 did the sun appear as it rose above the mountains. We’ve only got a couple or three more hours before it gets miserably hot for walking in the open. And there are no bars until we reach the suburbs of Pamplona.
We crossed over the Romanesque Trinidad del Arre bridge and began looking for the Hotel Pamplona-Villava. The Booking.com app directions took us over a mile away from the bridge which we knew could not be correct. After several misdirections of our own, trying to figure out the app (it seemed to be giving us driving rather than walking directions) and three well-meaning but clueless Pamplonians, we finally arrived at our hotel at 10:45 a.m. and thankfully, our room (62€) was ready for us and were allowed to check in very early (normal check-in is 2 pm).
After a brief rest and completing our routine “chores” we selected additional items we feel we won’t need until we get to Leon a month from now, based on our experience this first week. We’ll drop them off at the Pamplona post office, Correos, as we walk through tomorrow morning. Now is the time to lighten our packs as much as we can for the next few weeks.
Linda got her first significant blister today. So guided by Linda’s close scrutiny, Jim administered the treatment procedure we learned in 2014 to hopefully minimize any pain and accelerate the healing process.
We’re in for the evening at 5:30 after a late lunch/early dinner at the hotel restaurant. The hours for the restaurant were 1:30-4:00 for lunch and 8:00-11:00 for dinner!
Jimandi 