Under the Milky Way 5: From Pamplona to Puente la Reina

6/2, from Pamplona to Puente la Reina. 23.7 km

Hostel Aloha I stayed in last night was like a unit in an apartment. A three-bed room, with one vacant, and with several people sharing a bathroom. Sam, a South African born native with British parents, was calm, kind, open-minded, and ready to help. She and I became fast friends.  Our conversations went wherever our minds could stretch. I felt quite enriched and enchanted with her thoughts, and with the stories she shared with me. Sam received her academic credentials from London, and is an accomplished certified psychologist…

Back-track a little from yesterday’s experiences from the rain and thunder-storm. I got to find ways to quickly dry up my only pair of walking shoes before another day of walking. In case of wet shoes, someone advised me to stuff old newspapers in them and wrap them up with another layer of newspaper for quick-drying, especially when no sunshine or hair-dryer was available. Repeat the process every few hours would make it even more effective. Oh, dear Lord, in a large city like Pamplona, where could I find old newspaper? I was told to go to a bar to ask for it. I used my English, alternating between English and hand gestures, etc., to communicate with the bartender. He looked so confused. Just when I was about to try another bar for more luck, wishing for someone who could understand English, in came a gentleman who could speak both Spanish and English! I returned to my room with a bundle of local papers. I took the newspaper and experimented as instructed by veterans. By midnight, my trail-runners were basically ready for the next adventure!! The wisdom from the veterans!! Live and learn…

Back to this day, in the morning, Sam went for a run, I later joined her for a free breakfast. It was already 8am!

        

Some pilgrims would take a day off to walk around the city, to tour some sites, and to rest here in Pamplona for at least a day. I planned on walking to the next stage. However, I did intend to walk around the city and to see more of its glory before my departure. I’d better hurry up and have lots of fun, right away!

Speaking of Spain and the Spanish culture, many people would be reminded of loads of its traditions and customs, one of which being Running of the Boars.  Pamplona, the Spanish northern city, the provincial capital of Navarre, is situated at the foothill of the Pyrenees, with a population of about 200,000.  It’s famous worldwide for Running of the Boars every July at the San Fermin Festival.  Hemingway wrote about it in his literary works, and Running of the Boars in Pamplona was the featured events in his works. The statue in the city vividly portrays the custom. The looks of the brave runners, and the persistent scary-looking boars! 

There was much to see, so little time. The more I wandered around, the more interesting places I’d love to know deeper.  

 

As I walked, wandered, snapped pictures here and there, and chatted with passersby now and then, I tried to follow the silver shell signs on the ground to lead me out of the city. Someone, I must have missed a few silver shells, lost track of where I was, and continued to plough forward. When I passed by a park, looked for more shell signs but failed, and still stopped to take pictures of all those that triggered my fancy, an elderly gentleman on a wheelchair called out to me, pointed the other way, gestured to me to go the opposite way, said “Camino? Follow me.” He hurried a goodbye to his friends in the park, and showed me the right way back on my track to the Camino! Thank goodness to this Camino Angel of the day, to bring me back on track! Or no one could tell how much I would have gotten lost and ended with much agony and extra walk!!

As I passed by the city and walked on the street, I happened upon a Information Center for Pilgrims. In it, there was also a small museum. I walked in, fascinated by the visual illusion, and began to play with the visual effect with my phone. It was so interesting that I, again, forgot the time, for the moment, neglected the urgency to hit the road! I should have been on the Way already at such a late hour of the day… 

 

I walked out of the Information Center/Museum, saw a grand church, couldn’t resist the temptation and walked myself in. It appeared luxurious and solemn. I sat down on the bench, tried to calm down and think for a moment. Yet all those thought came dashing by, like a horse without a rein. I couldn’t calm myself down, couldn’t let one thought come out at a time. I attempted Ujjayi breathing, counted sheep, to slow my thoughts, to pin down the wild untamable soul of mine. I prayed silently, and began a conversation with my mind, with a world beyond mine, connected only through breathing, thoughts and the media of air -- where exactly did I come from? Where exactly am I going? Why am I doing this to exhaust my physical being and deplete it? And why add suffering to my body and soul?  One always assumes that Heaven is wiser. Only the wiser might know.

By the time when I left the city proper of Pamplona, it was quite late for Camino walkers. None of them was in sight. I saw Camino bikers once in a great while, who biked that day from Rocesvillas or beyond. They quickly passed me by, and threw me a greeting “Buen Camino!” I greeted them back and chugged along. It was past 3pm, hte sun beat down, along came the heat. I had to stop multiple times to rest, for water, to reapply sunscreen, to get a fruit or a sandwich from the backpack, etc. The trail along the mountains was rough, narrow, with many ascents and descents. I began to worry, with such road condition and heat, would I be more likely to get more blisters? I imagined that the blisters, old and new starting to break and ooze in my shoes, to be infected, thus end my Camino!! Would those happen? Was I hallucinating alone in the mountains, under high heat, with a nearly-empty stomache??!!

I changed my trail-runner to the Crocs flip flops, and continued my walk, hoping to give my sweaty trail-runners a little break. The light, soft and thin soles of the flip flops felt every piece of loose rocks as I climbed uphill. The discomfort from the dull pain and the constant unevenness with unstable footholds reminded me of experiences on the massage rock paths with bare feet back in China years before. To pain oneself physically is to heighten the senses of the mind?? True?

I continued like this for more than an hour, with an 18-lb backpack, a pair of trekking poles, ascending, descending… Just picture all these! I was glad that no one was around to see all these. Thinking back now seemed funny, and I couldn’t help but to chuckle. Imagine the ignorance and the stupidity I demonstrated that day!!  Eventually I found a shade by the roadside, under a tree, and got back into my trail runners. The feet still felt slight numbness from hiking with the ultra light, ultra thin flip flops. Was that another way to maximize comfort by going through pain and discomfort?  

Up a big hill, just as I sat down under a tree by the trailside, devoured my last sandwich and enjoyed the cool in the shade, a Camino rider pushed his bike uphill and passed by. When he saw me eating the dry carb-rich sandwich, he took out his jar of dates from his bike and shared a couple with me, said that dates were calories-rich, and could provide energy for biking and hiking! He also reminded me that the next 8 or more km of trails would have the most loose rocks and drastic descending. How generous and kind for him to prepare me for the rest of the hike! Salute to my Camino angel #2! – for cheering me on, for alerting me for the next part of the hike! I, on the other hand, failed to do any research on this ahead of time, of course, got on the Way without knowing what awaited me!! Ignorance is a curse, and a blessing??!! Since I didn’t know until then, I didn’t have any fear or urgency until then. I could only kick my own a***! I’d better gather myself together, equip myself physically and mentally, and get going!  Prey: Please let ignorance rule the suffering and wing it!!!  

The windmills, dozens at a time, at the top of the mountains form a sight of their own, could be seen from miles away. Is this a demonstration of the natural progress of human civilization? Or are they indispensable for human survival? Or are they signs of mankind overcoming nature? The windmill blades moves in their course, seemingly nearly touching the clouds rushing by, breaking the rhythm of silence, disturbing the flow and formation of the clouds that should only belong to the sunny blue sky.  

(The iconic sculpture of pilgrims at Alto de Perdon. The Mount of Forgiveness in Navarre)
The sculpture of Pilgrims at Alto de Perdon, the Mount of Forgiveness in Navarre) is a must-see spot at the top of the hill between Pamplona and Puente la Reina. Erected in 1996, the art display portrayed those in their pilgrimage on foot, on horsebacks in the Middle Ages.
"A journey becomes a pilgrimage, as we discover, day by day, that the distance traveled is less important than the experience gained." -- Ernest Kurtz – It couldn’t be better said about those of us in the middle of it at the time.

As I explored the sculpture, and took pictures from different angles with my Samsung phone, I met a few Camino bikers, and became instant amigos. In the middle of the sculpture carved the words that state: Donde se cruza El Camino del viento con el de las estrellas. (Where the Path of the wind intersects with that of the stars.) Does this mean that this spot, or the Way, is where earthly elements, and we humans specially, meet with the cosmic aura and stardust under the Milky Way, and become a harmonious whole? Or is this the gateway from our Earth to the cosmic Milky Way? Who am I, I wondered? What am I, I also wondered? A speckle of dust to the wind? Or part of a landing surface for the stardust? Hmmm…

Steps away from the Iron Sculpture of the Mount of Forgiveness, is another stone sculpture group in the form of a circle, standing on the other side of the hill. At the sight of the monument, we amigos circled around the monument a few times, took a few pictures here, under the high heat and some welcoming breeze, and parted for our next section of the journey on our own. When we saw each other again along the Way, they would always call out to me, “Amiga, Buen Camino!” Heart-warming moments!

(Memorial to Civil War Victims, Spain, Image Origin Google Images) https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/camino-photos/memorial-to-civil-war-victims-april-17-2018.7880/

A blogger online shared that the stone column in the center of the memorial was to commemorate the 92 soldiers who became martyrs in the Spanish Civil War at Sierra del Perdon during 1936-39, and the small stone columns surrounding the big one indicated the cities, town and villages where the 92 soldiers had once lived. Salute to the soldiers and their families!

The road conditions could easily be knee/ankle killers. How rough they were! How challenging the slopes were, with drastic changes ascending and descending! Thank God that the gentleman reminded me earlier, at least I was mentally prepared. I did fear, though, that it was getting darker. I prayed and prayed that I wouldn’t be still walking when it turned all dark… How I got scared at the thought of it!! I ran and nearly rolled down the hills, my trekking poles stabilizing myself in slippery sections of the hills. What a dangerous, reckless and embarrassing  way to finish up today’s walk!! So glad no one was around to see any of these.

 

5pm or so, poppies dotted the fields, delighted the exhausted walkers.  A discovery two days back – these little cuties are like sunflowers, in a way that the blossoms face the sun throughout the day. How fascinating! Daylight time is super long this time of the year here. By 5pm, the sun still hung high up in the sky. The unbearable heat beat down the earth, and made it so difficult to breathe. How could the tender vulnerable-looking flowers like poppies stay so fresh and blooming in such heat? Tender tough poppies!

I arrived at a beautiful small town. It was 5:45pm. I wish I had not reserved a hostel ahead of time that day! How I wished that I stopped my walk right there, right then! I didn’t want to walk one more step – I was exhausted, and it was super late!

I fell in love with this little town. I wanted to know more about this place, linger for a bit longer? That might mean that I must walk longer distance the next day. It was about 6pm, walking in snail speed, taking pictures. Hopeless me! What had become of me, I wondered！

Keep pushing along, somewhat reluctantly.

Continued down a long slope.  

I rested for a few minutes in a small park. I read online that the albergue I had reserved would close at 6pm. I was still about two hours away in normal speed. Should I be worried? Why was I still wandering around, taking pictures, smelling the flowers, admiring architectures and murals?? I worked myself into this situation, didn’t I? Got myself to blame for sure… I started to laugh. How funny that I worried and pained myself so, meanwhile enjoyed so much of my whole experiences! What an oxymoron!  

I saw two young girls sit on a park stone bench, chatting. They appeared to be high schoolers. I asked them to do me a favor – to use my phone to call the albergue hostess for me, and to ask/convince her (in Spanish) to save the bed for me, and to open the door for me when I show up. They were my Camino angels #3 and #4 for the day!! 

Knowing that I would have a bed and a shelter that night was mighty comforting. I sped up my pace, felt a breeze passing by, focused on walking, and walking only! 

Sometime past 7:30 that evening, I arrived at my albergue. Yeah, finally!!

Puente la Reina: according to Wikipedia, the name of the town means, in Spanish, the Bridge of the Queen. The town is well known for  an ancient Romanesque style bridge – the Queen’s Bridge. Its population in 2021: about 3,000.

From the time I left my hostel in Pamplona to the moment I arrived at this albergue in Puente la Reina, I was on the Way and on my feet for about 12 hours!  My steps registered on my phone App: 44,488，20.69 miles, about 36.5 km. A new record today. Here was a pat on my shoulder! 

The albergue hostess kindly waited for me and opened the door for me. She assigned me an upper bunk in a room of 5 people (men and women). I placed my sleeping blanket on the bed, went for a shower, hand-washed my laundry, and hung them outside on the clothesline. A brother and sister were enjoying their dinner outside – a bottle of wine, homemade food. How creative! A gentleman in the house alerted me that the nearby grocery store, Dia, would close in less than 10 minutes – should I need any food.

Of course! I responded.I dropped what I was doing, ran in my flip flops to the grocery store 2 minutes before it closed. The store clerks reminded me that they were closing. I took a few things and checked them out. In and out in 5 minutes! I was overjoyed at the thought of having so much food for dinner, and laughed at myself for shopping so fast for once. What a change!
That night’s dinner: a chilled beer, apples (including extras for the next day on the road), pre-cooked pasta, and potato chips! That moment, my sense of contentment and happiness more than doubled – got food, got shelter, got a bed, what else would I wish for??!! Nothing! Life was good! 

After my dinner, the majority of the pilgrims were in bed. I felt my way in the dark to my room next to my assigned bed, and realized that the hostess made a mistake. My assigned bed was taken, and taken by someone I met a couple of days ago. And the bed was double booked! Awkward!! Now what should I do? It was close to midnight. I messaged the hostess via WhatsApp, but heard no response. I shouldn’t blame her. It was really late. 

Wait, I got an idea! I removed my backpack and other belongings from that room, and quietly walked to the living room. I set my sleeping gears on the sofa. Haha, my bed, and my feet could touch the floor (No upper bunk that night!) That night, I enjoyed the luxury of the large space in the quiet living room and a private bathroom all to myself, and heard no snores, no other noises. I had the best sleep since the first day of the walk. What an unexpected treat! I felt so blessed! I was mighty happy!

A Mad Monk song came to my mind –
......
Wandering around in the world，
How blessed I felt.
I walked and laughed, laughed and walked,
Where there was a way, there was me.  

The stamps I earned today：

Key word for the day:
Flexible