Camino a Santiago Day 3: Zubiri to Pamplona

Distance: 23.64km (14.69mi)
Elevation Gain: 398m (1,309ft)
Duration: 5h 45m
Steps: 32,482
Calories: 1,596

Yesterday was such a glorious day. One that I enjoyed fully from the moment I woke up in my lovely casa rural, till I checked in to my hotel in Pamplona, ready for a rest day.

I won’t bury the lead here, but shortly after checking in I received the news that my Tía Vicky had just passed away in Mexico City. She was 95 and her passing was not just expected, but one that brought a great sense of relief. The last couple of years have been tough. My Aunt was in a nursing home when Covid hit, and she was cut off from family for two years. The last few months, have been hell. I in fact, rushed home to see her one last time back in March when It seemed the end was imminent. Instead, machines kept her alive for the last 12 weeks, prolonguing an incredibly painful process on her and on the family. So when I got the news yesterday, I was sad, but also thankful her suffering was finally over. It also reminded me exactly why I’m on this walk. Life is short. Life is beautiful. But you can’t expect it to just be so. You have to work for it. You have to seek that beauty and that happiness out. And so I walk on.

The walk itself was truly beautiful, following the Argo River for nearly the entire route. I once again left a bit late in the morning, which I’ve discovered allows me to miss the initial crowd of folks leaving town on any given day. Today, I walked mostly alone, chatting here and there with some folks from San Diego and two men from Galicia in Spain, who did the second half of the Camino a few years ago, and are now back to complete the first half. They were super friendly and offered up a bunch of suggestions for when I get to Burgos in a couple of weeks time.

This was also one of those days where someone was definitely looking over me. Nothing awful happened, just a couple of those episodes that could have ruined the day. Leave it to me, but after briefly stopping at a cafe to use the facilities, order a coffee and eat lunch, I got up to leave. It was half a mile later when I realized I’d left my walking poles behind. Of course! I’d forget my head it it weren’t attached to my body. I duly turned back and was grateful to find them exactly where I’d left them. But that wasn’t the end of it. Not 20 minutes later I’m happily walking along the side of a road, when a motorist stops, and having recognized me as a pilgrim, tells me I’ve taken the wrong split and points me in the right direction. Darn. Well that would have sucked.

Most of the Camino a Santiago is pretty well marked. There are yellow arrows and seashells everywhere, whether in official markers or just painted on the road or on walls. When I got to this split however, I didn’t pay much notice to it. What turned out to be the real route was not marked anywhere obvious and it looked like a dead end or alley of some sort. Shows what I know.

I guess there are good and bad parts to walking during the quiet times. The good is you have a peaceful trail where pilgrims are spaced out probably by a few minutes, rather than a continual stream of folks who naturally point you in the right direction. I’ll take the first option. And after all, I got lost in the Himalayas and figured it out in the end. Getting lost in Spain can’t be quite as bad right?

Accommodation: Hotel Tres Reyes Pamplona. Yes this is a chain hotel. There is no history or charm here, but Tres Reyes is a very well done business hotel located right on the outside of the Old Town, next to the main park in Pamplona. I absolutely loved it. It was perfect for two nights. It was pricey, but I basically took the attitude of splurging everywhere I was to spend a rest day. Double room €112/night.

Favorite Restaurants: Bar Gaucho and Bar Fitero. When in Pamplona Pinxtos are the thing to eat. So I basically bar hopped sampling a couple of things at each place. These two were really good. The first one is seriously lacking in the service department and they don’t care because they know their food is that good. The second had both good, friendly service and very good food. €20 at Bar Gaucho for three tapas and two glasses of wine. I must have paid in cash at Bar Fitero, since it’s not on my CC bill. I would estimate a bit lower for three tapas and one glass of wine.

Least favorite Restaurant: Cafe Iruña. Also known as the Hemingway restaurant because this is where Ernest Hemingway used to hang out back in the day, this place is a tourist trap that couldn’t care less about you and totally rests on its laurels. The space inside is beautiful, as is the plaza it rests on. But that’s about all I can say. I walked in for coffee and churros after dinner mostly out of curiosity. The churros were good, but the service was completely non-existent, as was the ambiance. This is a definite hard pass.