Tafalla

I am on a bus! This morning I left by myself at 7, since that Spanish pilgrim staying in our Albergue told me that he hadn't been able to get a bus ticket for Valencia. Since I didn't have my bus ticket to get me from Pamplona back to Irún, and since I really have to start the Norte tomorrow, I decided to leave by myself and walk straight into Pamplona. It was a long 30 K day with some asphalt close to the city, but lots of it was very pretty.

This route is also a local hiking trail, so they really do try to keep it away from the highway on earth paths. I went through several cute villages, saw an old medieval bridge or two, and then had many kilometers walking next to the river into Pamplona.

In Pamplona, I went to the cathedral to get a stamp for my credencial and then headed straight to the bus station. Turns out I had missed the bus to Irún by about six minutes, but there was another one leaving in about 20 minutes that would take me to San Sebastián. That's where I am now. From San Sebastián it will be a short bus ride over to Irun, which was a lot more convenient than waiting till the next bus at 6 PM.

Only thing is, this means I really didn't get to say goodbye to my four friends, who were still many kilometers away when I got on the bus. That also means I didn't get to thank them all with big hugs for all the wonderful times we had on this walk. It's not often that five strangers can come together and feel like old friends in a very short time. I'm hoping this won't be the last time we walk together!Read more