The Way-My Way

Anybody who walks the Camino should defiantly stay in Pamplona old town, Its very relaxed during the day and comes to life at night, I met up with some Camino family in one of the bars (surprise) and had Pinxos (pinchos) which are small dishes in different flavors/tastes, One could be fish and the meat, They were delicious and washed down with some beer or wine-fantastic, Francis had decided to stay an extra day and i too wish that i could spend some time there but its not to be, I have one free day or 2 half days and i dont want to use it too soon so its time to part and walk on my own, You are never out of sight of a pelegrino (pilgrim) and so it proved as i left at 6.45 and made my way through Pamplona using the excellent signs, There is a shell embedded in the pavement about 20 feet part as well as road signs, It would be hard to get lost, I could see 2 more pelegrino's at distance and watched as they went into a cafe, I went in and had a cafe con leche and pastry, They were Spanish so i drank up and moved on, I had one thing on my mind and that was climbing the Alto Del Perdon, You will remember it in the movie where the Dutch guys see's some cyclist, In the guide book it shows it as a steep climb and almost pyramid in shape, I had visions of the first day so started slow to save my energy, I should have not worried as the only time i stopped was to get some bread,cheese and ham to eat at the top, The weather was fantastic as were the views, I took a couple of hundred shots along the way, I have to say the way up was nicer than the way down which was fairly steep, Lots of rocks and stones and perfect for twisting ankles or worse, After i walked down it turned into hard mud, Then pavement for miles, My poor feet!! I am glad that i did some stretches before i left as i could really feel my leg muscles tighten, I also have a slight groin strain so gently does it, At the end of the day i had walked just over 15 miles, I had got the 3 miles back that i lost by staying in Pamplona but am physically very tired, I have a bed in the Aubergue De Peregrinos ''Santiago Apostol'' I found this when i was at the top of the Alto De Perdon, As i got to the top a woman walked over and asked if y name was Tony, I said no, She said she was asked to me Tony then gave a flyer for the Aubergue, I think she does it to everybody, Either was it works, The biggest problem with the place is that its a 400m steep climb to get to, Just what you want after a long day, The town looks great and i wish i was closer to it, The walk now puts me off but i will probably go back there to get some shots in, Saying that its only 10 euros and is clean and has 100 beds, There are only about 20 people here, Lets hops it stays that way, I have been asleep by 10 but awake at 2.30/3 am so pretty tired, Yesterday i sent some gear off to Santiago so was very surprised to get an e mail today to say that it had arrived, I didnt really feel a difference in the pack but maybe thats just me, The pack is nearly 10% lighter so i guess that will help over the next 400+ miles.

Scenic bridge out of Pamplona

Camino Signs

Some are not soo obvious, This was just inches high

My target-Getting up to the wind turbines and down the other side

Sign to say time to head to the hills

Fungi growing on a bail of hay

Yours truly

House with a view

Fantastic colours , Blue sky and Rape seed

Old Monastery

Pamplona now in the distance as we head up

Only about 7 miles to go

The journey down, Treacherous in the wet, Many have fallen and got hurt

Somebody made a Peregrino out of mud, Was just a couple of inches high

Not everybody makes it, Lots of trail side monuments

Must be hundreds of years old

Camino sign in the pavement

Somebody hung their boots up

Strange Camino art that you can walk through

A splash of colour, Poppies are one of my favorite wild flowers

Steel Peregrino as you enter Puente La Reina

Off to the town now which looks very scenic
Tomorrow i head to Estella

I decided to have a shorter day today and stop in Pamplona, There were a few reasons, Firstly i hear its a great city with a good vibe and it is indeed, Very clean and quiet in the afternoons with people venturing out late, The walk was a nice 10 miler leaving me just 3 miles short of where i was heading, I can catch up in the next few days,I detoured to view a 13th Century church run by nuns and was allowed to climb up the tower and ring one of the bells which was pretty cool, I had sore feet when i arrived at Casaibarrola, The last few of miles entering the city was all pavement and really punishes your feet, which is a great Aubergue after last nights hole,Very modern with Japanese style cube beds, A locker built in as well as a light over your head, 2 power adapters(only had 3 in the building last night) and good internet wi-fi or wee-fee as they call it here sheer luxury and only 18 euros, Its well placed in the old town so easy to go walk about which i did, I am still with Francis but tomorrow i will head out alone as he is staying for an extra day there, I bought 3 pairs of rubber feet for my walking poles and have already lost half of them, Every time i look and one is missing i think well there goes $4, They are not a tight fit even though they are the brand etc, They are far too easy to loose in the mud, My back pack has shed some weight as i forwarded some gear to Santiago, Its only about 2.5 pounds but i should be able to feel the difference,
Not sure why the images have loaded out of order but still

At the top of the 13th Century Church