Pamploma to Puente del Reina …

60 miles down --
440 to go!

Our two nights in Pamplona allowed us one full day of R&R – sleeping in, getting our laundry done, meeting Camino friend Laura for a leisurely lunch on the main plaza, writing blogs.

Our new friend, Laura.  We met
via the Camino Forum



There’s a huge difference between a walk like this and a vacation -- museums, palaces, cathedrals, Hemingway will be there for us on another visit. 

The paths are
surprisingly steep...note
hikers in the
background..

Pamplona is in the distance

Well rested, we step into walking day number five from Pamplona to Puente del Reina (Queen’s Bridge). It’s our longest yet at 14 miles. Calculating in the 500-meter ascent it’s a 15.5-mile day.

From 8:00 am to 3:30 pm we worked our way through Pamplona streets and university campuses, ascended into the countryside for two hours to cross the Alto del Perdon (Hill of Forgiveness), slipped and slid back down a steep path full of loose stones, and then traversed miles of quiet paths with endless vistas of colorful farm fields and mountains.



Ning says hello to her
friend, Mary...

We gave one of our Miraculous Medal pins to a man from Mexico (many pilgrims have their country's flags on their backpacks).  Later in the day, he specifically came to thank us, nearly in tears.  “You gave me this at the perfect time…”



The sun shines on John...



We try to be careful about preparing our day packs for expected weather. What we’re learning is that the mountains can throw anything at us in April.  Today we went from steamy heat and bright sunshine to howling cold winds on the pass to occasional rain showers in the afternoon.



As on previous days, our pace was reduced to an exhausted pilgrim shuffle for the final 2-3 miles. The only consolation is that looking ahead and behind us, even the young pilgrims were doing the same tired shuffle.



This evening we’ll meet Toronto pilgrims Fred and Arlene for dinner. There are plenty of Camino stories to share.

Alto de Perdon --
Mount of Forgiveness -- part of the Pyrenees we hiked today. 



Cafes along the Camino cater to
walking Pilgrims

Following the Camino is like a
treasure hunt.  These scallop
shells were embedded in the
sidewalk of a small villiage.