Distance traveled: 21.1 km

Having spent most of the previous day walking alone and not enjoying it, I made sure to leave Zubiri with the group that was becoming my “Camino family”. Here they are below, including my friend Alma from day 1, who somehow got herself from Orisson to Zubiri in only one day! All of these people, except Jenny (the other woman below, who was only walking as far as Pamplona), will appear in many future posts.

As would become typical, we set off as a group and then broke into smaller groups or pairs according to people’s pace or just desire for diversity of conversation.

There wasn’t much in the way of towns between Zubiri and Pamplona. We took a mid-morning break, along with everyone else, at a cute cafe with ample outdoor seating. As a longtime fan of tortilla española (a Spanish staple; think of a quiche but firmer and filled with potatoes and onions), I was delighted by its availability at just about every establishment pilgrims might stop at along the way, and I ate it just about every morning.

We saw two notable things on the way to Pamplona. First, we passed a REAL pilgrim: a man on his way back from Santiago, walking with a donkey!

Next, Adam made sure to lead us on a tiny detour off the path in order to see one of the oldest bells in Spain, at the top of a tiny and ancient church. We were allowed to ring it, which of course I did.

My feet were tired and hurting by the time we finally got to Pamplona. As would often be the case on the Camino, the last hour or so into town was the most difficult, both because of the condition of your body at the end of a day of walking and because you could often see the town well before you actually arrived – and it always took longer to get there than you would have expected!

We wound our way into the center of town and to the largest albergue, housed in what was once a church. I didn’t take a ton of pictures of the albergues, but this one was pretty special.

Adam and I went for some tapas and beer on one of the main plazas, and then I went to take a look at the famous bullfighting arena. I was pleased to find a marker for Ernest Hemingway in front of it; I’ve of course read The Sun Also Rises, which takes place in Pamplona, and it was cool to see it in real life!

Back at the albergue, having lost a battle with a washing machine, I hung up some of my still-wet clothes above me in my bottom bunk. This would become a trend – if you do the Camino, you should definitely bring enough laundry cord to be able to do the same!

Coming up next: I say adiós to my Camino family and venture forth alone. And finally, the blisters arrive…