Encouraged by the kindness of pilgrims

Today was a beautiful day - sunny and in the 70s. Everything felt easier with sunshine after two days of rain. The walk was more level today and was a welcome relief from the ascents and descents of the past few days. It was a beautiful walk through different patches of forests and passing by farms and through little villages along the way.

I walked for a bit with some people I met from Germany and Spain on my second night in the hostel. Their pace ended up being too fast for me, so I lagged behind. My knee started hurting pretty badly so I stopped to try to fashion a compression band out of my buff. I was feeling pretty worn and tired by the time I was getting to the last few miles for the day. As I was walking slowly through one of the little villages before Pamplona, the German man called out my name from a cafe and invited me to sit with them for a coffee. I walked with them the final mile into Pamplona and was grateful for the companionship and not having to focus on finding my way and just following them.

Pamplona feels like a big city after the tiny villages I’ve been staying in so far. I wandered into the old part of Pamplona to find somewhere to eat and saw some people I met from Ireland sitting at a restaurant outside. They invited me over and I asked if I could join them for dinner. I think the longer I’m on the trail the more kinship there will be with other pilgrims I’ve already met and new people I’ll continue to meet. I’m grateful for the companionship today.Read more