Tag 4 - Pamplona at Puente la Reina

I'm the last one to get up again 😅

After breakfast, Jutta and Christoph from Haus Paderborn bid me a very warm farewell. I can only recommend staying overnight there in Pamplona if you ever do the Way of St. James.

Ainhoa and Viky set off shortly before 8am. We walked together through the city for the first hour or so before they picked up the pace and I continued walking at a leisurely pace. My left foot blocked every now and then and the pain only subsided once I had warmed up. It was raining lightly, or rather drizzling, and it was really cold and windy again. 🌧🌬After leaving Pamplona, it was a good stretch uphill directly along the country road. I wanted to take a break at the first bar to put Voltaren cream on my foot. But today is a rest day. Of course. Whenever I needed a bar 😣A very strong Englishman, who I had met several times in the past few days but who we hadn't introduced ourselves by name yet, pointed this out to me again. Yesterday he had already given me this message at the first bar. But he wasn't in a good mood today because someone had stolen his walking sticks from his accommodation. But since he really depends on them, he quickly bought new ones in town. The bar is open in the next town 🙏 and I sit down with Sofia and Nicole from Italy. Sofia's backpack weighs 17kg 😲 she is a bit stronger, but 17kg is an enormous amount. After the cream has been absorbed, I carry on walking. It's still raining, but every now and then the sun comes out and gives us rainbows. 🌦🌈 In a small village with 4 houses and a church, I get my stamp. Then it's a pretty steep climb up a mountain. I was accompanied by headphones the time I got up there, so the climb went really quickly and effortlessly. During this time the sun came out 🌞 and so from the summit I had an incredibly beautiful view of Pamplona, which I had left behind, and the valley, which I was about to descend into. The descent was by far the most strenuous part of the day. It took over 1.5 hours over scree. I wasn't alone. There was a white butterfly around me the whole time. It was unbelievable. When I got down, I stopped for lunch in the first town and had a delicious pizza. A short time later, I met Francisco (a vagabond from Brazil who travels all over the world and is so cool 🫶 - the picture of the man with almost as much hair as me is him), as well as Elias (from Italy) and Sofia and Nicole. We walked together for the last hour across fields to Puente la Reina, where I'm spending the night tonight.
After I showered, I went to a laundromat. Today is laundry day and to make the most of it, I have under my pants... oh, let's just forget about that 🤣 In the hostel, a few more people had the idea of doing laundry today because the clothes lines are all full. A shirt here, two socks there, but I still manage to fit everything in somehow. I spend the time drying with the Italian connection, Francisco, Christian and others who sit down with us in the garden of the hostel and my Voltaren is doing the rounds ⚕️

The evening is all about the last few weeks and I'm looking for a restaurant where I can eat a steak. 🥩Fabio & Maria, a married couple from Australia, although Fabio is Italian, are replacing Tristan, Hendrik, Pasi tonight, and I hope you carried on without me 🤣Fabio and Mario got married in Australia in November and in Italy on April 6th. The Camino is their honeymoon. I was sent photo evidence and of course I won't hold it back from you.
Tomorrow we continue to Estella.

Cost of the day:

Accommodation: 9€ without breakfast

Food along the way: 15€

Dinner: was invited 🫣