Like most pilgrims I set off on my own in the morning. I found I really wanted to walk alone, follow my own rhythm, absorb all of this very new experience and enjoy my surroundings. Walking with someone would have distracted me from all this. Inevitably during the day you meet up with others, stop to say hello, have a brief chat, a break or a meal together, that is also part of the pleasure.
It was pretty cold and misty, with occasional rain showers and sometimes muddy and slippery underfoot, but nothing like the previous day. The ups and downs were not so steep and the path wound in and out of several villages by the river. I stopped for breakfast in Larrasoaña where I met several familiar faces from the previous night, including Mick and Yvonne. There was only one café in the village and I found it expensive, probably because he had no competition.
The scenery was very attractive, with hills and little villages, and you could hear cow bells tinkling and birds singing their hearts out. The houses were not at all what I had expected in Spain, looking very Swiss. With that and the cow bells I felt I could almost have been walking in Switzerland.
My poncho really was an excellent choice for this trip. It covered me and my ruck sack down to below my knees so only the bottoms of my trousers and my feet got a little damp. As the day wore on the weather improved and it became a little warmer, although out of the sun it was still pretty cold.
They say you should start your Camino gently and slowly build up the daily mileage, so since I was feeling tired I decided not to go all the way to Pamplona but stop before. I chose Trinidad de Arre, a former convent by the river and next to a lovely medieval stone bridge. It was closed when I arrived at about 1pm, and while I sat outside waiting on a bench quite a few familiar faces passed by on their way to Pamplona.
When the hospitaleiro arrived about an hour later quite a few pilgrims were waiting to book in. We were led to the dorm by a helper who took us through the very old church and down towards the crypt. I began to wonder where on earth I was going to be sleeping! Evidently this was just a tour of the church, though, and eventually he led us through a garden and to the dorm.
I was feeling pretty stiff, so after a shower I did some stretching exercises, walked in to town for a coffee then relaxed in the sun in the convent garden and wrote up my notes. Most of my fellow pilgrims were German, and I went out later to dinner with them, where they most politely spoke English at the table so as to include me in the conversation. The meal we had was the set pilgrim menu, which is very good value. You get a choice of first course, main course, sweet, bread and wine all for a set price, usually about 8 euros.
It was at this albergue that I first saw a French couple whom I later met almost on a daily basis for several weeks. They didn´t speak English and I only know a few words of French so communication was difficult, but we were all amused at the number of times we picked the same albergue to stay in. They were early risers and fast walkers so I never saw them during the day, but most evenings when I booked in there they were quietly sitting on their bunks sorting their things out.
It was also at this albergue that I first felt discomfort in my legs during the night. I found that every time I turned over in my sleeping bag I woke up because my hips and legs were very stiff and painful. As soon as I got up in the morning it wore off and I never felt anything during the day, luckily, but every night it was the same right up to when I reached Santiago. I was already beginning to see other pilgrims struggling with painful muscles and blisters, some very severe, and I was so grateful not to be affected like that. I never had any blisters to trouble me and up to near the very end no leg trouble either.
Very interesting Alex.
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