There was one point where the Camino split and you could either take the lower path that went by the river, or a higher path that went by a church. I took the higher path and a lady greeted me as I walked up to the church. She was a Sister of the Sacred Heart, which runs the albergue next to the church. I talked with her a while and asked if any stores would be open in Pamplona, explaining about my lost underwear. She said no, but she checked the items that pilgrims leave behind and found a brand new pair of underwear that fits! She also said I could go up to the tower and ring the smaller of the two bells a couple of times, so I did that. It was fun, even though the staircase leading up was almost claustrophobically narrow and windy.
I met an Aussie girl in Arre named Leah and we walked together the next day, leaving behind someone else we'd met, Trish (from the Bronx, but who now lives in Detroit) who was having some troubles. Leah's the blonde and Trish is the one with the bandanna.
We walked through Pamplona, which took a while. At least half our walking for the day was just to get across town, not knowing where one little town ended and the next began until we got to the city. We happened to be there during the San Fermín festival but were late enough getting into town that we only saw the cleanup from the partying and running of the bulls.
I wanted to go by the cathedral and see the cloister but the cathedral was fenced off and closed, a first for me. Instead we ended up just walking through the city amongst a growing crowd of people because the festival has more going on than just the bulls. We stopped at some stands at the far side of the old town and got red scarves so that we'd feel more included and a little less out of place amongst all the red and white clad people.
Outside of town was a beautiful field of sunflowers and we had to stop and take some pictures because Leah said the sunflower is her favorite flower, all bright and happy. To me they're okay, but I also like all the wildflowers and their varying shapes and colors. And today I even walked by almond trees and grape vines just beginning their bunches of grapes.
I've also passed by several fields of wheat or some other grain that is actually very dark. I'm not sure what it is, but maybe someone can clue me in.
And today I climbed to the top of a hill lined with windmills, where they've set up a pilgrim memorial. You might recognize it if you've seen Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen's movie The Way. I was surprised how close it is to the beginning of the Camino Francés because I thought it was much farther along.
I passed a couple of churches that were closed, and a rather large snail doing his own Camino, but in the wrong direction. I was so tempted to pick him up and take him with me so I could have a snail in my classroom because he was such a beautiful specimen, but ultimately I just took a picture and left him alone to do his slow Camino.
Eventually I got to Puente la Reina, the town where the Camino Francés and the Camino Aragonés merge, and finally found a church that was open. The entrance was interesting but the inside was amazing! There were several pieces carved of wood and painted gold, and the ceiling was intricate and delicate. Sorry for the blurry pic of the inside.
A medieval bridge is at the other side of town and made a nice photo opp. I walked for a while longer and ended up in Mañeru. It wasn't as far as I'd planned to go but it started raining and I didn't feel like trudging along and getting even more wet so I stopped a little early again, but I still did about 18 km today so I think that's pretty good. And I met a lovely lady from Australia named Kathy, with whom I spent a while talking tonight.
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