DATE
2019.04.20–21
START
Zubiri, Navarra, España
Random local gym building
END
Villava, Navarra, España
La Trinidad de Arre
DISTANCE TRAVELED
~ 20 miles
TRAVELED BY
Foot
PLACES VISITED
Zubiri > Ostériz > Ilárraz > Larrasoaña > Akerreta > Zuriain > Irotz > Zabaldika > Arleta > Villava > Burlada > Pamplona > Burlada > Villava
PEOPLE
María José Zaragoza, Spain
Andreana Zaragoza, Spain
Antonio Murcia, Spain
HIGHLIGHTS
Easier hike, with plenty of beautiful views. I wish I had pics/vids to share. There was a ton of water (we crossed bridge after bridge after bridge over what I assumed to be the same river for most of the morning, with several waterfalls and a natural dam towards the end of the walk, near where I ended up for the night).
It got really sunny for the first time on the trip.
We received plenty of support from other pilgrims (emotional and financial (about 150 euros)). So grateful.
I met some really great Spaniards at my albergue who had been doing a different route of the Camino together for the past week. I shared a room with one of them, Antonio, and it was a relief to meet them when I finally arrived and feel secure in where I was staying. They were so talkative and hospitable. They invited me out for dinner, which included wine, which turned into dessert, which extended to breakfast this morning. They didn't speak much English at all, so it was helpful with my Spanish—if not exhausting in its own way after an already incredibly exhaustively exhausting day. I'm incredibly grateful for their friendliness.
Also super grateful for Sara and Sanna. We've gotten along really well, before and after the robbery. Hiking with them is nice, because we all seem to understand the importance of silence. Not too much talking. They both quit their jobs before coming to start the Camino, so we all are in transitional phases. So that's also cool. Plenty for all of us to think about.
We've eaten well while in Pamplona, for pretty reasonable if not great prices. Found a vegetarian/vegan restaurant yesterday (Sanna is vegetarian/pescatarian; Sara is lactose-intolerant) and split 2 "menus" (2 courses with dessert), and today we split a variety of pintxos (with a modernized version of one of my all-time favorite dishes, Pulpo a la Gallega (Galician octopus, slivers of octopus tentacles served over steamed potatoes, with olive oil and smoked paprika (this place's version served the octopus over more of a spiced potato puree))). You would love the culture of sharing and splitting everything. We actually talked about that this afternoon.
Blisters are still there, but are less bothersome. Haven't had the knee tendon tightness since the first day. Feeling good, and looking forward to continuing.
The police here have been super cordial and helpful. Incredibly grateful.
Bought some Teva's! They had some at a Camino store we went to today so Sara could get a new Credencial for the Camino, and they seemed reasonably priced (55 euros, unlike earlier when I saw them for 90 and up), so I tried them and took the plunge. Will report back, but I'm looking forward to testing them out soon.
Got a great night's sleep (mostly due to exhaustion and comfort of feeling safe with the people I was with), and will likely get another one tonight in the hotel (full disclosure: Sara and I will sharing one bed, but it's a big bed; also, for what it’s worth, it's really warm in the room, so I doubt I'll even be under the covers the whole night. (Having the experience in San Sebastián with Emma, and being able to talk to you about it, was really helpful, and I feel like that was very informative for this situation as well.))
Another thing I thought about while walking, in the wake of the recent connections with females while traveling, was that I want to make more effort to connect with my sister moving forward. Thinking about the connections has made me think it has a lot to do with being a big brother, and while channeling that same mentality\energy towards new friends is good, it made me think about how much I channel towards Jenna, and that's an area I think I can definitely work on.
Had a really nice shower and shaved again.
CHALLENGES
Got robbed.
Don't have a phone, and I've been realizing little by little while walking of all the things that were tethered to the phone, like:
clock/alarm clock
music/podcasts
all the music I've been working on using that app (including "Sad Lion" (maybe "Sad Lion" was a bit foreshadowing))
all the voice memos full of journal-type musings, crude musical ideas (that I would eventually transcribe into the app to further develop), etc.
all my photos (I checked today to see if maybe everything had uploaded to Google Photos last time I had WiFi, but I found out the last time things were uploaded was back in Madrid) and—at least for the time being—any other photos of the current marvelous views I encounter
access to WhatsApp (the computer version is tethered to and dependent on a phone)
probably more that I haven't realized yet
Had to double back and walk an extra few miles for a place to sleep last night. On the bright side, I chose to walk because I was still feeling pretty tense and upset about the previous night's events (as well as the hotel not letting me sleep on the floor in the room), so physical exertion was a helpful outlet.
Probably forgetting some smaller things, but that's fine.
SOME THINGS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO TOMORROW
Getting back on the trail
Hopefully finding a cheap phone soon that I can use for WhatsApp, photos, clock/alarm, and probably not much else
More time to think while walking
More communication with K8, hearing more about her trip when we find the time