Day three, Akerreta to Pamplona
The city wall at Pamplona
First a reflection on last night. When I arrived at the hotel in Akerreta it was soon after 2pm. The place was completely shut (siesta time). I rang the bell and eventually the big wooden door swung open revealing a dark gloomy interior with a very lugubrious man who greeted me without fuss and gave me my key. I almost expected him to bite my neck.
Despite his serious manner, he turned out to be very friendly. My room was two floors up and I can't tell you how hard it was to lug my suitcase up there - one step at a time.
I was forced to walk all the way back down and get a beer.
I've already explained about the bath and the sleep, so next up was dinner. There are only about five houses in the village, so I chose to eat in - dinner was 8pm. I'd filled in the menu choices as directed by 5pm, so wandered downstairs at the appointed hour.
The seating was all pre-ordained and I was with a couple of young Irish men - James, who was 24 and Connor, about 34, a policeman, who was also travelling with the family group of Anna, who'd met earlier in the day.
For 19euro we had a fabulous meal. First, a large salad, with the usual lettuce and tomato as well as olives, feta and a large asparagus, shaved, cooked to within an inch of its life and looking like a slimy dog's penis. It tasted like asparagus that had been cooked for too long, but that's a small criticism as the salad was very nice and introduced some food groups I'd been going short of.
For the next course I'd chosen a small stew cooked in a red wine sauce. It was fantastic and I wiped up every bit of the sauce with some nice crusty bread.
Did I mention that on the table were two bottles of wine (included in the price)? Connor said he wouldn't have any, so James and I diligently set to. When we'd almost finished the first bottle, Connor got his second wind, poured a glass and asked the owner to open the second bottle. And so we continued through dessert, which for me was mango ice cream.
We were in good form by the end and I tumbled into bed about 10pm, taking a precautionary 100ml of Voltaren to drive off the aches and pains.
I hardly stirred all night and opened my eyes at the ungodly hour of 7.03am, my longest sleep for weeks.
We'd been warned to get our suitcases downstairs by 8am, which is when breakfast was served.
I achieved that, then faced a colossal breakfast.
The croissant was perfect, the cereal was varied, the coffee was great, the orange juice fresh and the lovely cheese and toast was exactly what I wanted - apart from the fact that by then I was fit to burst. I surreptitiously made a cheese sandwich and wrapped it in a napkin for lunch.
I stepped out into the fog and a bit of a log jam of pilgrims who'd started further back on the trail. The track was narrow, but I managed to push on through and set a cracking pace on the scenic pathway.
Among the interesting pilgrims was this French family of four, pushing a huge pushchair with their luggage, although the father also had on a large pack.
I decided to see if I could cover the first 5km in an hour, which I did, but I started having doubts about arriving too early. Would I be able to check in?
I met my friend Linda from St Jean Pied de Port, so we walked together, agreeing that since we didn't have far to go there was point in rushing.
After about 10km we found ourselves on the outskirts of Pamplona
Arrival in Pamplona.
Entering the old city over the drawbridge.
No bull (yet)
I found my hotel easily. It's in the heart of town, but very modern and flash - a far cry from the quaintness of the night before. Despite arriving before noon, I was able to check in straight away.
One welcome concession to modernity was the lift. My suitcase was produced and I wheeled it in, shooting up to the fourth floor without problems.
I had a little wander around town, lashing out on a tube of toothpaste and looking at likely spots to eat close by
That's where I've got to so far in the day. It's still only 2pm. I could have a shower, or indulge myself in another bath, then maybe a wee siesta.
If you're reading now, come back in a few hours, when I'll wrap up the day.
Now it's after 9pm. After temperatures in the high 20s, we had some thunderstorms about 6pm and the forecast for tomorrow is 14 degrees with showers - a chance to try my parka and definitely a day for waterproof tramping shoes rather than running shoes.
Had dinner with Linda in La Tagliatelle, a restaurant once frequented by Hemingway.
They seem to follow the Italian style, so I had a first course of a seafood salad, followed by a schnitzel dish and ice cream, with a bottle of Tempranillo thrown in - all for 20 euro each.
I was stuffed.
Navigation in Pamplona on the whole is by following the Camino trail, marked by discs set at about 2m intervals in the cobblestones.
Tomorrow I face a walk of 23km to Puente La Reina. Pamplona has been interesting, but I prefer the smaller towns where you have more of the pilgrim experience. I agreed with Linda that if we hadn't met up today, neither of us would have made the effort to go out. On the other hand, the pilgrim experiences in small towns give a much better chance to mingle and exchange experiences
Tomorrow I just have to get back on the trail - about 400m from here - and I'm on my way.
The full day's photos : https://photos.app.goo.gl/CxkaLUBuTqGWdtne6
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