Zabaldika – Pamplona
Today started on a high physically, mentally and spiritually. I woke up, well rested at the Albergue at Zabaldika perched high on the side of the river valley. The weather was fine and I only had a short walk planned into the city of Pamplona. I too was still enjoying the spiritual high of the love and peace of yesterday. I was able to say Morning Prayer in the porch of the church, watching dawn break over the valley. I was brought to tears by the words of Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd
therefore can I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures
and leads me beside still waters.
He shall refresh my soul
and guide me in the paths of righteousness for his names sake.
All is well on the Camino. It was good to set out again that morning, the sun began to shine and the birds were singing. Even having one walking pole wasn’t stressing me at all.
The trail was good, and fairly easy going, despite the occasional muddy patch left over from yesterday and it was good to have wonderful views over the valley. It didn’t seem long before I came to the next landmark. The bridge and church with it’s adjoining Albergue at La Trinidad de Arre. I took the opportunity to go into the church and have a moment of quiet and a short prayer.
This town was the first I had passed through and the only real signs of life on this Sunday morning were those preparing for some kind of community road race. From here it blends into the outskirts of Pamplona and it was pavement walking from now on.
The way they prune the trees along streets and in squares to provide shade in the summer makes it quite different. There were moments closer to the city centre when you were walking beside the river.
Once across the bridge the impressive city walls came into view and then just round the corner was the gate into the city proper.
I arrived in the city about 9.45 to discover it was very quiet. It was a Sunday morning I suppose.
The first thing I wanted to do was replace my broken walking pole. Whilst I was managing with just one it wasn’t ideal and I have come to rely on using my poles when walking long distances. Thankfully there was a well stocked shop catering for pilgrims which was open and I was soon sorted.
I checked out the Albergue where I planned to stay and realised people had already started queuing even though it didn’t open for another couple of hours. I thought I might as well join the queue as I had plenty of time to have a look round and it wanted to offload my backpack and get settled before exploring.
Queuing at Albergues is a great social experience. Everyone is friendly and ready to chat and share experiences. A French guy asked us to look after his pack whilst he went for coffee. On his return I did the same. It assumes a level of trust which was really refreshing. Of course I carried my passport, money and phone on me all the time. I found a nearby cafe and got a coffee and was listening to the background music when what should i hear but “I’m gonna be” (500 miles) by the Proclaimers. I thought this was a great encouragement.
When I returned the the queue I got chatting to a man from Kinloss in Scotland who was walking for charity. I admired his fitness and resilience, even if it was a little overwhelming. He had already walked other long distance trails including the Camino once before and was around the same age as me. I think I felt somewhat ‘diminished’ in comparison which looking back on it now as I write this in July after finishing my journey was quite wrong.
Once the Albergue opened I got my bunk, which unusually was a top one this time. The bunk did sway a lot when I was climbing up which was a bit disconcerting. It was just one huge space which had been subdivided inside, I decided an apt description of this would be ‘ A pilgrim storage unit’. I got my stuff sorted, left my power bank charging and wandered off for a look around the city. It was completely different now, it was packed with people, eating and drinking at the pavement bars and then in one of the squares I caught the tail end of some kind of traditional folk event.
On one level it was great but I was somewhat overwhelmed by the crowds and the noise. I think it was the contrast with the peace and tranquillity of yesterday at Zabaldika. I wasn’t sure I liked cities and I felt isolated with my poor Spanish and unfamiliarity with the culture. I ended up with a ham and cheese baguette with tomato sauce.
There were some quieter bits of the city.
When I returned to the Albergue I couldn’t find my power bank. I had a good look but came to the conclusion someone had taken it. My already fragile mood plummeted further. I wrote in my journal that I had been ” stupidly naive” to trust pilgrims. It was like yesterday and the words of Psalm 23 that morning had never happened. I moped around trying and failing to be positive about this, it was only a power bank after all! Eventually I climbed up into my precarious top bunk.
The man on the lower bunk returned and started getting ready for bed. He called out asking if this belonged to anyone. It was my power bank! My negative thinking was completely baseless. It shows that ups and downs didn’t just apply to the terrain. I did lie awake for ages though listening to the sounds of the many pilgrims surrounding me.