Pamplona, Spain

We got an early start in Zubiri, out the door by 6:30 to the corner cafe for cafe con leche, juice and chocolate croissants. Norm realized he’d lost his hat, and I was pleased I could recover it for him at the cafe! By a bit after seven, we’d hit the trail along with a lot of other pilgrims. On our way out of town, we saw a pilgrim camped with a donkey! It was cold and misty. I wore my merino wool shirt instead of my fleece because the fleece gets soaked and the wool wicks the water better. I kept the rain cover on my pack, adding my raincoat when needed. It was going to be our longest hike, about 15 miles. There were lots of windflowers to see as we hiked. In the next village, we had more coffee at a mercado, and picked up picnic supplies, cheese and fruit. There was one big hill, Eros, all the rest was simple up and down. We hiked until 3:30 stopping at one for lunch, the fruit and cheese sandwiches. Once we got to Pamplona, I had to stop again because my feet hurt, so I changed my socks. Sadly, I stopped too late because I developed three more blisters so I’m now limping around, and we have to take a break from walking. I went to the pharmacy to buy some compeed and ointment. We won’t be hiking tomorrow. We ate dinner at a cafeteria that was filled with women’s groups all chattering and enjoying tea and cakes. In Spain, they don’t eat dinner until 8 but we can’t easily wait, so we eat around 6:30. They had a good pilgrims special, green salad, French fries and pork and flan for me. They served us an entire bottle of red wine. You can get a three course meal, with wine for ten euros. It’s morning on Wednesday as I complete this. I’ve treated my blistered feet, and I’m resting as Norm takes care of business. Business today is taking care of laundry, paying for another night here, and changing money. When I’m less dispirited, I’ll go out for breakfast and to shop for socks that work better. It seems the blistering is partly due to damp feet, and also that I’m not in shape. When I hike again, I’ll wear my hiking sandals with socks. My business today is mainly to rest my feet.