Wednesday, 22 Sep. Pamplona to Puente La Reina, 14.3 miles

I realize that when I put mileage, that doesn’t count when I walk around the towns. And those walks are an effort – just want to sit. But one day in a town and I want to see. 

Actually Puente la Reina was wonderfully small. My hotel was an ancient building with a rabbit warren of rooms and very weak Wi-Fi, so lost the post I made yesterday. Amazing that I have to look at my photos to remember what we did and then it comes back. 

I loved this day – all alone with brief conversations with a few people, always saw people I knew by name when I stopped at cafes and joined them. Stopped twice today, but other than that listened to my book and marched along. My longest conversation (in Spanish!) was with a woman from Valencia that I’d had brief interactions with a couple of times yesterday. She was great. As far as the walking, I thought it was the hardest day on the feet because there were a number of miles that looked like this: 

• 

But, of course, there were a variety of paths and so many beautiful scenes.

• 

• 

This is heading toward the ridge with the windmills. Tore down an ancient village to build them, but the books don’t say much about the loss. And they do have energy! This is where there is a row of bronze pilgrims that’s quite wonderful. I’m a bit hunched over in the photo because it was blowing and my feet hurt courtesy of those rocks. But it was fun because I ended up taking about 15 people’s photos once I got going and was then told in about 5 languages to get a jacket! People really are nice since there’s this bond of being a peregrino (pilgrim). The photo after the pilgrim photo is what you could see behind the statues. 

• 

• 

One of the littlest villages I walked through had a very small church with a beautiful Mary and child – the notes said Flemish which you could tell from the sweet smile. The church looks giant in the photo, but it’s only big enough for about 10 rows of benches. Outside the church were a couple of guards/policemen. Then I took a look at the car and realized they were for the pilgrims, first I’ve seen it. They are the inheritors of the traditions of the Knights of Templar and Knights of St. John, who started in order to protect the pilgrims to both Santiago and to Jerusalem. I took a photo of the car and one of the guys gave me a card. Hope I don’t need it!

• 

• 

Weird juxtaposition there.

The markings generally have been amazing all along the way, different towns sometimes implementing their own style. Only once did I get a bit stumped and for the first time no peregrinos were anywhere. After a couple of minutes a French woman came and we conferred and finally pulled out phones. We then talked for a bit, she’s been doing this since 2014 in two week increments with some years off. But she started at the beginning – the real beginning – outside of Paris. Wow.

• 

• 

Finally, on this day, someone – American probably – had written messages in some of the yellow arrows that we follow along with the blue with yellow star/shell signs. One said “walk, don’t reach.” Good reminder.