Media (7)
Pamplona calmly, between recovery and pilgrim spirit.
June 13: short day, few kilometers to Pamplona.
I chose a short stage to rest and not leave the others in the group too far behind, since they would also arrive in the city. Arriving early in Pamplona was perfect: a famous, lively city, with a particular energy, also because of the famous San Fermín festival.
As soon as I arrived, I stopped at Albergue turístico y de peregrinos "Jesús y María" to wash clothes and then go out. At the sinks I met Catherine, the Belgian girl I had already crossed paths with in Orisson, friend of the blonde girl from Québec. Actually, after Orisson, where we still had never spoken, we had the chance to get to know each other along the route, a few days later, during a break: I had seen them sitting on a meadow and took the chance to sit near them and eat a KitKat. On that occasion I greeted the blonde girl from Québec, whom I already knew, and introduced myself to Catherine. While I was eating the KitKat, I offered them the first sticks, and they both accepted one. Shortly after, we stood up and got back on the road, each on our own way. Anyway, that was a few days earlier; coming back to the present moment of this day, after laundry we said goodbye and went to our rooms to take a shower.
Later we met again and went to have a beer together. In the evening I also met the Orisson group to say hello to everyone, since they had booked an Airbnb and were all together there in a private house. When they were organizing to book the Airbnb, I had not stepped forward, because I like to live the pilgrim experience fully and I prefer shared albergue dorms. The comfort of a private apartment is not worth as much as being in the discomfort of shared dorms and common bathrooms :) I know many people will never understand this, but it is an experience I truly like.
In those days I was managing tendinitis with a simple logic: walk in the morning and recover as much as possible in the afternoon. In Pamplona this choice worked well and allowed me to regain energy without stopping completely.
That evening I also felt something else strongly: I prefer to live the Camino as a pilgrim, in shared dorms and simplicity. Airbnb is comfortable, but you lose part of that essential atmosphere of adaptation and adventure that, for me, is a central part of the experience.
Short recovery stage and early arrival in Pamplona, with the evening divided between new encounters and meeting again with the Orisson group.
In the last photo, from left to right: me, Carla, Danielle, Pam, Mark, Isabel, and Andrius.
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Day notes