Walked today: 6.79 mi Camino2023: 36.2 mi
After a 15 minute taxi ride from our Pamplona hotel to the outskirts of Pamplona and the village of Zariquiegui, we began our walk up to the Alto del Perdón at 6:45. The temperature was in the low 60’s with heavy clouds and a slight breeze… perfect for walking.
We will spend two nights a Casa Raichu and use taxis to manage logistics of staying in one place while advancing two days walking on the Camino.
We slept in this morning then had a nice breakfast in a favorite spot a short distance from our hotel.
While Linda took advantage of the down time to relax in our room, Jim ventured out to stretch his legs and appreciate, perhaps for one more time, our favorite of Camino cities.
San Saturnino o San Cernin was built in the XIII century by the French inhabitants of Pamplona, as a church and a fortress, for protection from unfriendly ” neighbors”. The two towers were ” watch towers” for the fortress.
Under a 1423 treaty, the three urban jurisdictions of Pamplona became a single municipality, under the same coat of arms and taxes. This treaty, at the same time, ordered the destruction of the physical boundaries (mainly walls) between the three of them, conserving the outside protections.
The point where the three jurisdictions came together became the site of the City Hall. This is also the building from which, today, the City Council President launches the ceremonial rocket that marks the “Chupinazo”, or official opening ceremony of the annual fiesta of San Fermin (July 6-14).
San Fermin is said to have been the son of a Roman of Senatorial rank in Pamplona in the 3rd century. He was converted to Christianity by a disciple of Saint Saturnino. According to tradition, he was baptised by Saturninus (also known as Saint Cernin) in Pamplona. Fermín was later ordained a priest in Toulouse, and returned to Pamplona as its first bishop. On a later preaching voyage, Fermín was dragged to death in AD303. He is considered a matyr in the Catholic Church. It is believed he died on September 25, AD 303. Saint Fermín is said to have met his end by being dragged through the streets with angry bulls running after him, hence the tradition.
Jim next walked to the Plaza Castillo, the center of old Pamplona.
He then walked to another favorite, Bar Gaucho, for a sampling of pintxos. Unfortunately, it was closed, perhaps to give its staff a well deserved break after two weeks of non-stopped festivities.
But, alas, a mere 15 steps away was Bar Guria, a new find and the sampling began.
Jim’s first selection was (left) was Carilleras: pork cheeks, potato slices in a well seasoned red brown sauce. The second selection (right) was Pulpo a la Gallega: octopus and potato slices seasoned with sea salt, Spanish paprika and extra virgin olive oil. And a nice glass of vino tinto Navarro red wine. It was a very successful sampling… everything was delicious.
His pintxo appetite now sated, Jim ambled halfway up a nearby street to Caminoteca, an “everything-you-need-for-walking-the-Camino-in-case-you-forgot-to-bring-it” store.
We’ve shopped here numerous times and found some neat stuff at very reasonable prices like trekking poles, hydration bladders, socks, etc. It’s a great resource after walking the first 45 miles of the Camino Frances and it easy to find… a few steps down the street from the Catedral.
After a 2 hour mini-adventure in Pamplona, Jim returned to hotel Maisonave to find Linda ready for a late lunch. We ventured out together and found a nice shady outdoor table and enjoyed a late lunch.
Just as we were waiting to pay our bill, an American couple who moved to southern Spain five years ago and were in town for the San Fermin festival stopped by our table and introduced themselves.
We chatted briefly and they hurried on their way and we returned to our room to prepare for continuing Camino 2023… pondering our own future… hmmm.
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.
Walked today: 8.95 mi Camino2023: 23.5 mi
What a difference a day makes! The fog had dissipated and the temperature was a dry 60 degrees when we walked out of Roncesvalles at 6:45. Our walk today was quite pleasant and the easiest so far, in spite of walking farther.
We walked the final mile to Lintzoain and were able to get into our room at 12:30 p.m. Our room has a shared bathroom.
The only other occupant of the albergue is Beth from England. Sharing was not an issue with just the three of us competing for the facilities.
The three of us were served a family style pilgrims’ dinner consisting of a tasty homemade vegetable soup, pork chop with tomato and pasta and a nice strawberry yogurt for dessert, complimented with a red table wine.
After an relaxing dinner and conversation with Beth, we went back to our respective rooms and organized our packs before retiring for the day at around 9:30.
We are so glad we factored in a day off this early in Camino 2023. We were both dragging when we walked in yesterday. But, a good night’s rest and some extra recovery time has significantly reduced the muscle soreness and fatigue we had after our first two physically difficult days. We now have a more positive outlook for moving forward tomorrow morning.
During the day we enjoyed gentle walks around this small village ( Pop. 21) for light exercise and to take a few photos.
We tried additional Basque dishes at dinner, typical of our hotel’s restaurant offerings.
We also for the second night, had a signature Garnacha wine bottled exclusively for the Casa de Beneficiados.
Today was a nice, relaxing day and we’re looking forward to getting an early start tomorrow morning.
Walked today: 7.5 mi Camino 2023: 14.6mi
We left our backpacks in the lobby (for pickup and transport at 7:00 as our driver arrived to return us to our stopping point for yesterday. We had a nice conversation with Pelo, a native of SJPdP, during the 30 minute ride back up into the Pyrenees. He provides reasonably priced transportation for pilgrims, locally, as well as several trips per day from the Biarritz Gare when pilgrims are stranded due to frequent French rail strikes. He has a wife and two small children and was very hospitable to us. We strongly recommend him if you are in need of his services.
Today’s walk was dominated by fog and working out the muscle soreness. In summary, Linda seemed to thrive in the cooler environment and Jim struggled a bit.
Unlike yesterday’s all uphill, today started that way, but at the midpoint, it was almost totally downhill from there on. We also chose an alternate route to temper the downhill in exchange for some extra walking distance.
The scenery in this area is spectacular but was not evident today due to the ever present fog.
We arrived at Roncesvalles at noon, after 5 hours of walking. Like yesterday, we were tired but apparently getting stronger and some of the soreness had dissipated by dinnertime.
The food at Casa de Beneficiarios has always been excellent for our five previous visits and number six did not disappoint.
We attended the 8;00 mass with our friend, Kris and chatted a few minutes after the service, then bid him farewell.
Our Camino 2023 plan calls for us to take a break here, by spending two nights, to recoup from jetlag and the difficult first two days, which at this point was a brilliant idea.
“What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger!”
Jimandi 