Pamplona & Puente La Reine
We have just finished day 3 and it was tough. This morning our packs seemed heavier and our stride shorter as we struggled out of Pamplona ! We stayed at Jesus and Mary Hostal in Pamplona and it was brilliant ! Had tea at a pizzaria and watched the local football team - Osasuna beat Real Madrid 2-1 and in the process stave off relegation ! needless to say the town was humming that night ! After the weary start today we played find the breakfast cafe in Cezur Minor and were eventually rewarded with a thoroughly upmarket cafe with reasonable prices - we celebrated by having 2 cafes con leche ! Afterwards we had a long ascent to our first camino landmark - the iron sculptures by the windmills. After a quick photo we then played race the day trippers down the hill. Thereafter the terrain changed to the wide expanses of wheat fields flecked with the red of tall poppies. After an iceblock stop at Obanos we trudged the last few kms to Puente La Reine expecting to enter via the famous bridge - however it is situated at the other end of town ! Yesterday seems a vague memory now but we did find the last few kms into Pamplona to be endless - however we were eventually rewarded with the sight of the city´s impressive town walls - and we only overshot the hostal by 500 metres !
It´s amazing to note the different walking gaits of our family - Kathleen´s is straight and correct, Rick is all bandy legs, Mads is knock kneed and pigeon toed and Gabes and easy, rolling gait !
Despite this we have all arrived together !
The hostal at Puente is again a good one with a nice back yard and washing lines - all a pilgrim needs ! Hopefully we can score a good meal tonite !
About Me
- thekiwiclan
- We are 4 from a family of 6, from quiet Palmerston North NZ, determined to experience the life of pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. Of our 4 children the 2 younger ones aged 17 and 14 are accompanying us. They are lukewarm about the idea of walking but interested in the sights of Europe !
I am sure you will soon be finding those breakfast cafes like homing pigeons! I loved those wheat-with-poppies landscapes- beautiful. You have reached the part of the Camino where villages are 'nicely' spaced, and if you feel like a 'shorter' day you can opt for one. Enjoy! Am loving reading your accounts.
ReplyDeletei hope gab was in the middle of the mini cop at the pizzaria with his shirt off! would have been cranking with that huge result! origin game one tomorrow = massive day! going to have to get the VB out! landscape sounds beautiful, like my favourite scene from gladiator when Russel Crowa aka maximus desimus maridious is passing away and walking to heaven via the spanish wheat fields. glorious! Matt
ReplyDeleteHey kiwinomad,
ReplyDeleteyour comments are always helpful and encouraging! Keep them coming. We found a couple of Aussies today - one couple from Brisbane. But no-one else from NZ so we feel we are a bit of a novelty amongst the masses!
Oh good.... I thought I might have been overdoing it!!! You will be a novelty as Kiwis the whole way...and as a family, even more so!!
ReplyDelete