Friday, May 27, Day 5 on the Camino

We started the Camino a bit late this morning as we were out late last night and everyone was having a difficult time starting after such a nice stay. There were other pilgrims walking by as we left the apartment.

There were many new faces as Pamplona is the starting point of my pilgrims that wanted to avoid the steep climb out of Saint Jean. It was interesting to see the new pilgrims with their overloaded backpacks and the fast pace that will surely bring new wreckage on the Camino with the injuries. We were also meeting the pilgrims that had started from Saint Jean the day after us.

The terrain today was through the similar and beautiful green countryside, with the rolling hills that we had been going through before Pamplona. It was less of a climb but still we encountered fairly steep climbs, many of them over very rocky sections of the Camino. I found it at times very challenging with the Wheelie.

We made it to Puente La Reina early in the afternoon and had trekked about 15 miles today. We were unsure of a place to stay and found a very nice hostel and hotel just as we entered the town. We were fortunate and got a private room that slept three, and with a bathroom, and didn’t have to sleep in a dorm. In the beginning areas, and small towns, there are generally limited lodging options so this was a bonus.

Many hostels on the Camino offer breakfast and diner for the pilgrims. Our hotel offered an excellent buffet diner for a reasonable price. As much wine as you could drink to, since it’s part of the culture served with diner.

During diner a young man from San Diego went around the tables and organized a group walk into town. This is typical on the Camino as people get to know each other. There are already so many of the same faces we see on the Camino, at rest stops, hostels, and restaurants, and it is part of the Camino de Santiago that I am enjoying.

Tomorrow we will hopefully make it to Estella, which is suppose to be another beautiful old Roman town with a rich history. It is about another fifteen miles, which has been our average since starting. I am hoping that once everyone is in condition and finds a rythem that we will increase our distance every day. We are not in a rush, and there is so much to see, but traveling the longer open areas will give us more time in the places we may find the most interesting.

Best wishes to all,

Ted

Castle just outside of Pamplona
Camino leaving Pamplona