Day 4 Pamplona/ Cizur Menor – Lorca Just a little too far

What a day.  Slept really well irrespective of the lady in the next bed snoring like a freight train. At midnight her husband leant down from the top bunk and nudged her which kind of helped but 30 mins later she left the station again…… Argh.

Left the most beautiful albergue and started to wander down the road. It was still quite dark, everyone following the pack in front. It lead us to a tiny town called Zariquiegui where there was a tiny little church up the hill overlooking Pamplona. Gregorian chant and candles. Peaceful.

Walked up to Alto del Perdon. You might recognize it. I took this with a bloody selfie stick which Ben G gave me. So Ben this one’s for you mate.

You go through changes in the first couple of days. Firstly physical and then emotional and then others…. My body first hurt in my feet on day 1 & 2. Then in my shoulders carrying my pack but today I have been struggling with pain in my left knee. Walking down the hill from after taking this photo over loose rocks damn near killed me. I almost had to straight left leg it down about 2km. Then walked onto Puenta la Reina. I had actually planned to stay there in a new albergue but ran into some fellow pilgrims who convinced me to walk onto Cirauqui. A beautiful little medieval town on a hill. But when we got there it was full so they told us to move to to the next town. They booked beds for us in Lorca. And we moved on, so a long day in all, a bit too far.

It’s busy at the moment. The busiest it’s been all season. Bugger really….it shouldn’t be this hard to find a bed.

There a many things you learn on the way. One of the things which cemented itself over the last couple of days was that it’s better to give than get. I was standing at the bar in Larrasaona and overhear these 2 young guys ask if they could pay for dinner with their credit card. The lady says they don’t take credit cards and the had to pay cash. Long story short I offered them some cash. They were very grateful and promised to give it back yesterday. I never expected to see it again. They left it at the albergue I stayed at but left more. So unnecessary…. It’s always better to give. There are givers and takers in this world. I know which one I am…..and want to be…..

The other thing that slapped me was that everyone has some sort of reason to be here. One guy lost his wife at the start of the year, another has beaten cancer and going to throw the disease into the water at Finnisterre. Others have left relationships and looking to find something else. Everyone has a story, and you can’t expect anything or judge. Just be open to everything, accept everything, go with the flow, show respect and faith and the universe will look after the rest.

And stop crying. Or keep crying…..let it go. It’s ok. Really.

PW – 45k steps