Day 4: September 4, Zubiri to Pamplona - late post

Part of today's terrain

We woke up a little recovered and promptly started packing our sleeping bags. We had a small breakfast of bread, cheese, fruit and instant coffee at a picnic table right outside of the albergue and filled up our water bottles for the walk ahead. The sun was already up and most of the pilgrims have already left by the time we set off for Pamplona. There were just a few of us stragglers getting ready to start walking. Up to this 4th day, I still haven't gotten into the habit of checking the terrain to mentally prepare myself for the day ahead. My goal is to take the walk a kilometer at a time. Since it's the 4th day, a lot of faces have become more familiar. People are getting friendlier and chattier so it was with a lighter mood that we set off with a group of pilgrims.

Getting out of Zubiri was still difficult since the uphills just kept coming at me. It just seemed a longer walk than normal. The start of the day was pleasant though. We walked through wide meadows and hills, and every so often I felt the urge to burst into song and start singing "the hills are alive with the sound of music..." In fact, my sister and I gave in to this urge a few times. :D 

Our first stop was a cafe where a lot of pilgrims converge for breakfast. We stayed a bit longer and said goodbye to a couple we met in Roncesvalles. This was their last day of walking since they are putting their camino on hold until the next year. We were all heading to Pamplona anyway, but as it is such a big city, this is likely the last time we'll see each other on this walk.  

a fellow Filipino pilgrim

Pilgrims resting halfway to Pamplona

I was very excited walking into Pamplona's city limits. I didn't know then that it was such a big city and that from the entrance to our destination will take more than the little bit of time I envisioned. I imagined Hemingway's Pamplona, a smallish town-village with cobbled streets and narrow alleyways too small to fit cars but wide enough for people to run from bulls during town fiestas. (Yep, I know he wrote the book almost a century ago but it's my imagination, okay?) Add to the pin that burst my bubble was real pain as walking on concrete can make your feet feel like it's been pounded on by a meat tenderizer. I felt like I've been walking for a couple of hours and not come anywhere near the heritage center where the albergues are located. I even felt like we were already walking out  of the city by the time we reached the center. The historical core from a distance looked like an oasis that kept moving further away, the closer we seemed to get. But eventually we got there and I saw the Pamplona of my imagination, well, the 21st century version of it anyway.

   


We must have gone through 4 or 5 albergues before we found vacancies and I was so relieved just to have a bed for the night. We followed the hospitalier up to the dorms and as we mounted the steps, I could feel every muscle in my body screaming in exhaustion and pain. Indeed, as soon as he left, I dropped facedown on the bed, shoes, backpack and all and cried. I actually developed a slight fever, had chills and started shivering even though it was not very cold. I had to rest for about an hour before I could move to remove my shoes. 

As much as I wanted to just lay there for the rest of the evening, I couldn't. We were in Pamplona after all and we only had a few hours to enjoy the city. Plus, we had some tasks that we needed to accomplish in this city since this is the last big one we will be in for the next few days. So after pulling myself upright, we went through our packs and gathered the things we were likely never to use for the length of the walk. The plan is to send all those things to Santiago so we didn't have to lug them around and shed extra weight. In the end, we were able to pack away about 3 kilos of clothes and extra stuff. We also needed to get a Spanish SIM since my network picked a good time to not work. And more importantly, we didn't want to miss the city.

After getting ourselves cleaned up and organized, we headed to the reception area to ask for directions on how to get to the post office and a Moviestar shop. For the rest, we decided to just follow the crowd, which worked because a few minutes out the door, we already found ourselves having our first taste of churros con chocolate in Spain.
It seems we picked a good time to arrive in Pamplona. There was some sort of festival going on. We saw a street parade, numerous street performers and a street market with a whole bunch of stalls selling just about any kind of food and spice available. And that's when we lost each other for the first time. Following logic, we both made our way back to the albergue. Of course, my sister got there first and left a message as to where I can find her, which I did. So, we were able to get a SIM card and crossed off an item on our list. Next, we headed to the post office, which apparently is trickier to find, and promptly lost each other for the second and thankfully the last time. After losing each other that first time, we agreed to go back to where we last saw each other face-to-face. So, there I waited. 15 minutes later, she was there sans shipping bag. Yehey! Mission accomplished! We can finally walk slower, relax and have dinner.

I'm not really a fan of bullfighting or running with the bulls. What was more thrilling for me was knowing who ran with the bulls along the streets of Pamplona. So, we followed the trail that bull runners take and saw the markers along the sides of the streets while taking in the festivities going on around us. Afterwards, we started checking out the menu del dia of different restaurants, trying to decide where to have dinner. Along the way, there was the odd pilgrim or 2 shouting out a greeting in their slightly inebriated state. It was probably a little late because darkness already descended and a lot of the restaurants were filling up with patrons. 

After dinner, we walked back the few blocks to our albergue. Along the streets, the locals were converging and engaging in what sounded like very lively conversations. They were starting to form small groups, sit on the sides of buildings and share bottles of wine. Everybody seemed to be in a festive mood and having a marvelous time. I think this is how I will choose to remember Pamplona from today, a city rich in culture, where people enjoy the simplicity of sitting on the street side while sharing a drink with friends.