Pamplona to Puente la reina

After an amazing night in Pamplona Jenni and I were up early and left just after the sun rose high enough to light the streets.

Walking through Pamplona that early in the morning gives an interesting look into the city. Just a few hours earlier the city was alive with every bar open and people were drinking their wine and eating tapas while sitting on the stone street outside the doors. Age was not an issue as there were people as young as 16 and others old enough to be their great grandparents all hobnobbing together.

The abandoned streets were a bit surreal as the echoes from the night before faded into the sunlight.

When we left the Alberque we were among the first to go. We had learned our lesson on the gym floor the night before and were bound and determined to get to the next city in time for a bed without having to sacrifice stopping to take pictures.

The walk was as picturesque as ever. The views of the valley opened up to show the mountain range ahead. We could see a ridge about six miles ahead. On the ridge were dozens of windmills and between us and them were rolling hills planted with wheat that was just starting to turn a golden brown.

Along the way to the windmills we came across James from Ohio. We had met him the day before and enjoyed listening to him talk about his studies in India. His pace was a bit quick and after a few picture breaks he pulled ahead.

When we made it to the top of the ridge we were greeted with an amazing view of the valley on either side of it. In the distance behind us Pamplona stuck out as a reminder of where we came from and in front of us on the other side of the ridge we could see where we had to go.

On top of the ridge was the pilgrim monument. It held the 1/2 inch steel cut out images of pilgrims made to symbolize everyone that has come through this way.

On either side of the pilgrim monument we could hear the enormous blades of the windmills cutting through the air above us The generators were humming with electricity. The wind was so strong that we could hardly stand in one place.

We walked on and stopped at a cafe for lunch in a small village along the way. It was a welcome relief for our aching feet after having climbed up the ridge on one side and down on the other. Surprisingly both of us realized the uphills were preferred even though they tired us they also made us stronger. The downhills slowed us more than the uphills because of the fear for slipping on rocks and the aching joints caused by the sharp pounding of our feet against the ground aided by gravity.

At the cafe we sat down and ordered a coffee then took out our bread, cheese, and salami. This meal combination has already become a staple meal for Jenni and I. While eating we were joined with two members of our Camino family. Eva from Germany whom we met a day earlier having a beer and coffee for breakfast. We also met Joey the freshman student from Iowa that is attending Jenni's rival school St. Johns in MN.

We enjoyed the conversation and through it Joey taught us am important lesson of the Camino. Getting from point A to point B is not the primary objective. Without this lesson we would have not considered taking the road less traveled. Joey told us of a Templar Church that even though it would add an additional 3 kilometers to our route it would be a spectacular and inspirational visit. There was a pilgrims hostel attached to it that we considered a good place to stay if there was room.

The route leading to the church was lined with fields covered in plastic. We learned that under the plastic was crops of asparagus. This explained why on either side of the road there was so much wild asparagus it grew like weeds.

We arrived at the church just after 1 in the afternoon. Fortunately the lady working there had not gone on siesta yet. The however had and we weren't allowed to see the inside. It was a magnificent round building made of stone surrounded by an intricately carved stone fence. Walking around this fence in bare feet seven times has been foretold to heal pilgrims feet. We did not know of this spiritual power till later that night but Jonathon, a member of our family from Australia, claimed it was a bit uncomfortable on the rocks but it did also massage the feet a bit.

Behind the church was a row of cherry trees that were just beginning to ripen. This was a welcome consolation when we were informed that the hostile was no longer in operation.

After eating our fill of cherries we walked on with Joey towards town. While walking and talking we misread the map and took a wrong turn. Having realized this halfway up a steep hill we resolved to bush whacking through a vineyard and across a cornfield. The corn was up to our ankles and afforded us a view into country life that we would not normally have seen.

When arrived at Puenta La Reina we walked through the Main Street on centuries old cobble stone where the buildings on either side were so close that any American SUV would have trouble fitting between. At the opposite end of town from where we arrived stood a spectacular bridge built by the Romans. One couldn't help but be humbled by the engineering marvels the ancient Romans built that still stood thousands of years after being constructed.

We choose to stay at a private Alberque that was 400 meters up a steep hill. While climbing the hill one walker with a sore knee was walking backwards and in Spanish told us the road was too steep for her aching knees and she was going to go to the municipal Alberque in town.

The Alberque was nothing like any we had stayed at this far. It reminded me of a KOA that we would see in the states with its cabins and swimming pool. The pilgrims area was still a large room filled with bunk beds sectioned off in cubicles of four bunks per.

That night Jenni and I met with members of our Camino family for dinner. This was our first dinner where we were the only Americans. At the table we were joined with Jonathan from Australia, Christina and Ana from Portugal, Francesca and Andreas from Italy, and new to our group was Patrick and Tamara from Great Britain. It was here that we were reminded of the spirit of camaraderie that one could only receive on the Camino. We shared stories from the trip and our lives. It did not matter that the food was mediocre at best because the company made the night one that we would not trade for anything.