Day 7
Sansol –> Logroño (about 21km/13 miles)
Today was a short(er) day going into Logroño. I had wanted to sleep until 7 and have an easy day, but alas, we were kicked out of the albergue before 7:30 AM. Thanks. I wish I had gone the extra 10 minutes to Torres del Río yesterday, but I thought it was farther than it was.
Day 6
Estella –> Sansol (about 16 miles/26 km)
At least it wasn’t raining when I left the albergue this morning. The weather was actually quite agreeable. Yet, today was a rough day. I hiked longer than the recommended stop of Los Arcos. At the end of my walk, I felt exhausted. I could barely speak English let alone Spanish.
Day 5
Puente la Reina –> Estella
While everyone else was scrambling around in the dark trying to get ready to go, I continued sleeping until my alarm went off at 7 AM. I was one of the last people in the albergue, but it was a great choice. The past few days, I’ve felt super tired within the first hour of walking, like I could curl up in a ball and fall asleep on the side of the road. After waking up at 7, I felt more refreshed. Things were even open in town, so I was able to grab a tortilla and a café con leche before hitting the road.
Day 4
Pamplona –> Puente la Reina (23.1 km/14 miles)
My day started off a little different today. Instead of setting off early, I decided to go to the Plaza de Toros to see the Running with the Bulls.
For €5, I was given a ticket to enter the historic bullring. Bands were playing, people were singing and dancing, the atmosphere was incredible. It sure didn’t feel like 7 AM.
Day 3
Zubiri –> Pamplona (20.9 km/13 miles)
Last night was extremely frustrating. Zubiri was a small town. There wasn’t much in terms of food. Many of us went to a restaurant that offered a “pilgrim menu” (usually a three-course, hearty meal). Well, I had gotten there a little later than some of the others who had ordered. I sat there for 20 minutes before going up to the guy working the bar and got angry with him in Spanish. He was turning people away and was very rude. Even the people who ordered their food way before me got their second courses the same time as me.
Day 2
Roncenvalles –> Zubiri (about 21 km)
3:15 AM: Woken up by snoring
5:50 AM: Woken up by monks singing
I had hoped to sleep until 6:30 today since today’s distance was shorter than yesterday and I made it in less than six hours yesterday. I knew the albergue turned the lights on at 6 AM, but I was prepared with my sleep mask. However, I was not prepared for the choir songs at 5:50.
Camino de Santiago
Day 1: St. Jean Pied-de-Port –> Roncenvalles
It’s been a whirlwind few weeks. My parents came to visit me in Spain just two weeks ago, and last week, I spent a week in France, dividing my time between Lyon and Nice to watch the Women’s World Cup. Yay USA! Yesterday afternoon, I took a (horrible) flight to Biarritz and then took a shuttle from there to St. Jean Pied-de-Port.