We weren't able to do the laundry last night since it was already late by the time we returned to our albergue. We did wake up while it was still dark outside, hoping to get a head start. We planned to walk the 24.2 kilometers to Puente dela Reina today. We planned ahead though and booked beds in a 'private', just in case we have to check in late.
If walking into Pamplona was long, walking out of
Pamplona was even more so. If I'm not mistaken, we walked 2 hours before we
even got to edge of the city. In the last village heading out, we ran across a
couple of old ladies who were carrying huge packs. Much like myself, they were
huffing and puffing their way up an arched bridge. One of them seemed to be
having a particularly hard time and making very slow progress, yes,
even slower than me. I made a comment about her huge backpack which seemed like
it weighed twice her body weight or more. I asked her the standard pilgrim
conversation starter which was when and where she started her camino, wondering
all the time how she was able to lug that weighty pack around for several days
through the Pyrenees. As it turns out, it was her first day on the camino and
they arrived in Pamplona just the previous day. So that solved a puzzle. She
asked about my camino, so I told her how challenging the uphills have been for
me. I also shared with her one of the most important
lessons I learned so far about leaving baggage behind. I told her that we've
been leaving some odd item or 2 practically in every albergue we've spent the
night in. And that a lot of the items we initially thought would be useful, we
never got around to using at all. We walked a bit together through that
hilly village and I asked her whereabouts she plans to continue walking. I'm
not sure if she had a plan or if she knew what she was getting herself into
because with a laugh, all she said was she plans to walk as far as her feet
will take her. I guess it's not such a strange answer considering where we
were. I walked with her a bit until she caught up with her friend, then I gave
them both a hug, wished them 'buen camino' and said goodbye. It was going to be
a long walk and I had to pick up my pace if I was to get to Puente dela Reina
before nightfall.
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| The lake where we had our picnic lunch |
A few more hours of walk and we came upon a couple
of pilgrims having a picnic by the side of a lake. It was such a pleasant
picture that we decided to follow their example and have an early lunch
ourselves by the lake side. So, we sat down, took off our shoes and socks and
enjoyed a light picnic for as long as we could. Of course, we couldn't really
stay too long because we still had a ways to walk.
The sun was beating down hard today and of course
that upped my water consumption. I kept looking at the pilgrim guide, wondering
where the next water fountain was going to be as I already went through my
first liter of water and just a little past halfway through today's walk. I
was so happy to see the last town going up Cizur Menor as the water fountain
was just at the entrance. We stopped a little bit at that town for a snack of
fruits and short chats with fellow pilgrims before continuing our uphill walk.
As we went up the hill, we could see the windmills from a distance inviting us
to spend some time. The last few hundred meters heading up to Alto de Perdon
had to have been one of the fastest walk I've done so far on this camino. There
was a mobile bar up top and we took time to have a light snack and rest our
feet again while we welcomed other pilgrims who came along.
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| Cizur Meno |
Going down was painful. The path was rocky and long. Since the descent was steep and the stones loose, we had to be sure of our footing which of course slowed us down some more. Maybe it was my imagination, but I swear I could feel every stone and gravel hammering at my feet through the soles of my shoes. We entered Uterga mid-afternoon with an older lady who was traveling alone, and 2 other girls we met along the way. The older lady already had her bags transported to an albergue in Puente dela Reina but she said she couldn't walk anymore. Thankfully, near the entrance of the town, a car stopped and asked if we need an albergue for the night. Well, we didn't need one since we were all already booked in Puente dela Reina, but we decided to hire him to drive us there. After a bit of negotiation and roughly half an hour's wait (he had to drive his son to Pamplona first), we were on our way. We were dropped off at her albergue and we walked the one kilometer distance to our albergue, which was at the edge of town.
We checked in and booked seats for the dinner buffet, which we felt we deserved after today's painful walk. Since it was a private albergue, there were only 4 of us in the room. We welcomed this almost privacy after sharing rooms with no less than 20 people the past few nights. The other occupants were 2 ladies from Poland, one of whom didn't speak English at all. But they were so nice to us, we decided to share a table at dinner. But first, laundry. Since we were not diligent in doing our laundry, I was out of clothes. Anj had to do the laundry while I stayed in the bedroom, draped in my sleeping bag. Thank God for dryers! Good thing the clothes were dry by the time dinner came around. :D
