Day 5: Pamplona - Puenta la Reina

Day 5: Pamplona - Puenta La Reina
~23.8 km (14.8 miles)

I headed out of Pamplona this morning and managed to get lost. 🙄😂 It’s easy to do, I suppose, if you take your eyes off the signs and miss the yellow arrows. Luckily, a very nice Spaniard, who was headed to work, noticed me and steered me in the right direction. I wasn’t sure of my whereabouts again later, so I asked a man who appeared to be walking the Camino. He only spoke Spanish and did not understand a word of English. Don’t ask me how, but I eventually understood him and knew that I was on the Camino going exactly where I was supposed to. 😁

I walked past a large group of young adults who were speaking English, so I asked them where they were from. They responded that they were from Utah and confirmed that they were the students from Brigham Young University traveling with their professor, who I had met in Zubiri.

As I walked on paths between expansive fields of wheat, I marveled at the beautiful blue-green color. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I also love that the red poppies that are in bloom seem to multiply each day. The contrast of their color against the color of the wheat creates the perfect color palette dappled with the yellow mustard. Even the weeds are beautiful putting on a show of blooms along the edge of the paths.

Today included a slightly strenuous hike up a hill to the Alto del Perdón, which is a wrought iron representation of medieval pilgrims. It was cold and windy at the top, but it was fun to reach this well-known site. The downhill afterwards was rocky and somewhat steep, so I was careful with each step, unlike two young, female pilgrims who almost ran down.

I was happy to have my first private room at Hostal la Plaza in Puente La Reina. I was so exhausted when I arrived that I just laid on my bed for awhile unable to move.

After I showered I ventured out to find something to eat and I’m learning that this can be a challenge in Spain. Most places are closed from 2:00 - 5:00 pm and dinner doesn’t start until 8:00 pm.

I was lucky to find a bar that still had some small items leftover from earlier in the day, so I enjoyed a piece of tortilla and a beer. A young girl from Ireland, Hannah, who was walking a small portion of the Camino, joined me at my table and chatted away. She was darling and I enjoyed her energy and her company.

After I ate, I was in search of a charging cord for the new battery pack that I had purchased in Pamplona. While walking down the street, I heard someone call out my name. To my surprise, there was Doug and Jeff from Atlanta, GA. I thought that they had stayed an extra day in Pamplona, but I was wrong. Here they were in Puenta La Reina enjoying a beer at the bar attached to my Hostal. Linda and Jeff from San Rafael, CA were with them, and it was my first time meeting them. Both Jeff’s thought that they could help me out with a charging cord for my battery pack and one of them did. Again, the Camino will provide.

Doug, Jeff, Jeff, Linda and I all enjoyed dinner together. I also learned that Doug and I had worked for the same pharmaceutical company years before. Amazing the serendipity that you can experience on the Camino. 💫Read more