Walked Today: 5.9 mi Camino2023: 29.4 mi
The walk to Zubiri was quite difficult because of a steep start and rocky surfaces at the beginning and end. Thankfully, the middle section with relatively flat with dirt/gravel surfaces through shaded forests offering some relief.

The first half mile out of Lintzoain was a concrete walkway that was so steep, it took us over 30 minutes to walk it. The path then continued but with sharp, shale stone with scattered shale fragments.

Soon after the 1 mile point, the path became dirt with mixed gravel and relatively flat, through the forest.


The final downhill 2 miles into Zubiri was frequented by sections with walking surfaces of eroded shale stones sticking up and loose shale stone fragments. Each step carried the risk of a Camino ending injury from a twisted ankle, torqued knee or fall.

The difficulty in terrain increased the strain and fatigue on the body and by the time we walked across the bridge into Zubiri we were totally spent.

As planned, we called for a taxi in Zubiri to take us to Pamplona, skipping the next 15 miles through several industrial and urban areas, arriving at Hotel Maisonave, in “old Pamplona” at 12:30.

I am enjoying your trip. If possible could you explain a little more about the food. In this picture I see food that I don’t know what it is and I don’t know the names you associate with it.
Dave
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Great comment, Dave. The places we eat are called bars. You can usually get a meal until 3 or 4 pm or wait unto 7 or later. If you are hungry, the bars have appetizers or tapas (in this area called “pintxos”). A typical pintxos is a slice of bread with something on top. They are displayed all across the counter, usually without a name or description. You select one or two based on sight, because the bartender’s explanation is useless, unless you are fluent in Spanish (most bartenders speak little or no English or French). Part of the “fun” is not knowing what you are selecting until you take a bite, and you are risking only 1 or 2 dollars per pintxos.
Of the 4 we selected: one had a crab salad, two had versions of ham, roasted zucchini, mushrooms and roasted red and green peppers and the last one… we have no clue, but it was ” interesting”. We picked these 4 out of about 20 options.
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