Pamplona is our most visited location in Spain, Camino2026 being our 17th. We have stayed at 4 different properties in Pamplona since 2012. We have walked, flown, taken a taxi or taken a train to or from Pamplona. And fortunately, Pamplona is among our top 5 favorite Camino locations.
Pamplona has a rich history. Originally named Iruña, it was a settlement founded by the Vascones, the ancestors of the modern day Basque people of the Navarre region of northern eastern Iberian Peninsula. Transformed into a city by the Roman General Pompey in 74 BC. It’s name was subsequently changed to Pompaleo and it gained prominence as a Roman military outpost.
Pamplona became an independent Kingdom in 824 after centuries of resistance to Frankish and Moorish expansion, that occurred after the fall of the Roman Empire.
Pamplona’s history is marked by its strategic importance in ancient times, vibrant cultural traditions, and significant architectural heritage, making it a city of great historical interest.
As in previous caminos, we took a walk this morning to help our bodies to overcome jet lag and to accelerate acclimation to the time difference.
Also, the next few days are forecasted to be hot early in the day, so we began walking at 6:00 a.m. to gauge how quickly it actually got too warm for us.
Zariquiegue is on the Camino Frances about 6 miles from our hotel, so we walked about half the way to “Zari….” them returned toward our hotel. (We could have walked to Z and gotten a taxi back to our hotel, but our method saved us a $25 taxi fare.)
We stopped at a nearby ATM on our way back to the hotel to build our stash of euros for daily expenses.
The temperature was still cool with a nice breeze with less than 50% RH by the time we arrived back at our hotel at 9:30 a.m.
Armed with our “test” walk information, we will plan to begin our Camino2026 walk tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m.
The remainder of the morning was spent rearranging our day packs (which we will carry) and backpacks, (which will be transported by Correos daily.)
Linda selected the La Comidas restaurant for her birthday lunch, an eatery we discovered on last year’s stay in the city,
After our main meal, we walked around the Plaza de Castillo area to burn some calories and blunt a potential glucose spike. Pamplona is a great place to walk and commune with over two thousand years of history.
With an early start planned for tomorrow morning, we got to bed early after another enjoyable day and birthday in one of our favorite places.
Jimandi 