Day 3 – Zubiri to Pamplona


Oh boy, were we knackered last night! We went to sleep with Liverpool winning 1-0; and woke up amazed to see that they had prevailed over the 2 legs. Well done Jurgen!

Today was the 14 mile walk across to Pamplona, mainly along the Rio Arga. No huge ascents or descents to worry about. Frankly, thank the lord for that; as after 2 long hard days of walking we woke up still aching and stiff (behave – you boys at the back!) from the previous day’s excursions.

For most of the first hour we went past the huge Magna factory near Zubiri – not pretty; but obviously still much nicer than Swindon 😉. The weather was very cloudy, overcast and distinctly humid – but the breeze made it okay for walking. After about an hour we encountered our first Spanish deluge – cue pack covers and our particularly stylish poncho’s! After picking up numerous gongs for sartorial elegance we got to Zuriain for a very welcome coffee and bocadillo – nice, but not M & S!

Onwards – and at Arre we took the more scenic (and slightly longer) route along the Rio Arga in much drier conditions all the way to the Puente Magdalena – the entrance to Pamplona. Great views of the Cathedral looming over the city as we approached. The Camino took us along the city walls and in through a gate over a draw bridge into the lovely old town of Pamplona. No bull’s running thankfully; but a plenty of bull being spoken by yours truly (as always).

So, we’ve achieved our initial ambition, to get to Pamplona. And we’re as pleased as punch! We knew it would be tough, but we’ve started the last 2 days already aching – we’re just not used to doing c15 miles day after day; with at least 1000 feet of ascent thrown in. 45 miles achieved so far and plenty more to do.

So is it spiritual, have we found god etc etc?  Far too early to say. Just being out in the fresh air in the beautiful Basque countryside is refreshing, cleansing and liberating. Loving it so far.

Day off in Pamplona tomorrow.




Straight from the catwalks of Paris and Milan



Bridge over the Arga at Arre



Catedral de Pamplona



On the Puente Magdalena - crossing into Pamplona



Quick, lift the bridge - don't let him in



Her next pilgrimage?


Pamplona Cathedral

Comments

  1. Karen Stevens8 May 2019 at 14:06

    You’re doing fantastically well guys! So glad nothing is as bad as Swindon 😉 and it sounds like you got the ponchos out as soon as you possibly could 😀Onward and upwards! Xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nodge Camino 20199 May 2019 at 08:57

      we look like honey monsters in the damn things!

      Delete
  2. Unknown8 May 2019 at 15:06

    Well done guys, Cate is looking rather fetching in her poncho! Xx

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Caucasus again

Image
Twelve months on from my first visit to the Caucasus region I’m heading that way again. Last time it was Azerbaijan and Georgia. This time it’s Georgia, and the perceived bad boy of the region, Armenia.     The one on the left is particularly popular with some of our thickest flags flyers! Why? You may ask. Well, the main reason is that I’m continuing my quest to have visited as many countries as I am years old. Current score on that front is 65, albeit by the dubious counting method of including countries that no longer exist. There are 3 of those; West Germany, Yugoslavia and Hong Kong. A more dubious methodology would include 2 more – Guernsey (could it count as a country?), and Kazakhstan, which I have skirted into on a vehicle, but have never actually set foot there. Anyway, for the sake of argument I’ll include the 3 “ex-countries”. So, the score sits at 65 which means I’m bang on target. Nevertheless, with another Birthday later in the year, I’ve got the chance to...
Read more

7th and 8th May – Getting to Georgia and a walk around Tbilisi

Image
Let’s start with a positive. The joy of a late afternoon flight leaving Heathrow meant that it was a breeze checking in and getting through security. The good people at Lufthansa weren’t striking this week (unlike 2 weeks ago when they nearly wrecked a boy’s football weekend in Bavaria) so, excuse the pun, I was off to a flyer! Ever since my truncated trip to Turkmenistan, I’ve become very wary about lack of sleep. As my onward flight to Tbilisi was effectively overnight, I took the opportunity of a very reasonably priced upgrade to Business Class for the flight from Munich. After about 17 free bottles of Franzischaner Weissbier, and several plates of free food in the Business Lounge I staggered onto the plane and slept like a baby until our 4am touchdown in Tbilisi. Alright, alright just 2 beers and a bowl of soup! And I didn’t sleep like a baby either. However, I did manage a couple of hours kip which undoubtedly helped. Obviously, in my less than deep slumber I dreamt longingly of...
Read more

Monday 11 May – Return to Tbilisi via Stalin’s birthplace

Image
I was awoken at 5.30 by the sound of heavy rain outside. By the time I eventually got out of bed an hour later it was still hammering down. Hardly ideal conditions for the challenging drive through the mountains and back down to Tbilisi. Also a timely reminder as to how lucky we had been with the excellent weather yesterday.   I was genuinely concerned about the journey back to Gudauri. Will there have been more snow and avalanches? Will there be hordes of HGV’s stuck on the perilous roads? Could the police have simply closed the roads? Well, I’ve no idea how they manage the traffic on this essential route but our journey up to, and over Jvari Pass (c7,000feet) was trouble free. Yes, it was a bit slow due to snow and ice, but we barely saw any vehicles coming in the opposite direction. We did pass a few queues of lorry's parked on the side of the road each stretching over a mile.     A few hundred metres past the peak of the pass we stopped at the Georgia/Russia Frien...
Read more