PUENTA LA REINA

18/7 I made it from Pamplona to Puenta La Reina but it was so painful that I remember little of it. Only took a few pictures but at least I saw a statue that explains why Pamplone is so famous. The Running with Bull had be over for several days when I took the picture.Until now the sun and the weather has been surprisingly kind to all the walkers on the trail. These walkers come from a multitude of countries and oddly a lot from Japan and Korea. Most of these people seem to crop up time and time again as I make my way along the torturous trail. There’s a collection Spaniards who have kept me entertained on several evenings now. One of them pretends to read the Camino (trail) guide but gave himself away by forgetting which way up the book should have been. But today the sun began to make its presence felt. The walk of 23km from Puenta La Reina to Estella went though a lot of shadeless countryside. Before the sun began to burn down I was talking with a friendly German guy as we crunched our way along the gravely track, only later to realize that the hotter weather was probably on its way. Spring water fountains that occur far too seldom became a source of immense pleasure.

TO PAMPLONA

Hostel in Huarte
17/7 There is an awful lot to catch up on now. One or two reasons for the lack of posting are that I don’t seem to have found many WIFI connections and also its damned expensive to use the internet in the hostels. Added to that, I am usually too tired to do anything during the evenings. I arrived feeling desperately tired here in Huarte (Villava) and it’s a real blessing that the place was almost empty except for a couple of cyclists from Barcelona. The wifi is free so had some time to chat with some friends on skype. Tomorrow I’ll have to make up some ground and get to Puente La Reina somehow and hopefully I will. The health is pretty good except for the exhaustion. No sign of any blisters yet which I have put down to wearing one of the oldest pairs of trainers I possess. Many walkers on the Camino are affected by blisters probably simply because they have treated, if that’s the right word, to a nice new stiff pair of walking boots. I have seen some horribly sore ankles and it gets so bad that one guy I met has been walking with one flip flop and one boot. It of course helped the blister but badly strained the calf muscle on that leg. Anyway, had a good meal near the hostel and a friendly chat with the cyclists.

ZUBIRI

Looking at the map it doesn´t look far but the 20 or so km were more than enough after yesterday. Been passing through so great scenery and some pretty neat villages. Heading for Pamplona tomorrow where they have that crazy street game called Running the Bulls. I think its all over now and hopefully they will have washed away the bloodstains.
So far its been difficult to write up and upload a blog for innumerable reasons but I shall try anyway. Just one the reasons is the regime I am under.
1. Get up in the morning at 6 and start walking by 6.30
2. Short stops for eating and drinking.
3. Arrive after 4 in the afternoon at a hostel feeling totally exhausted.
4. Have shower and wash clothes at same time.
5. Find something to eat.
6. Try to upload or write something on the internet.
8. On bed by 10pm, ready to be up at 6.
As you can see it doesn't leave much time for much else.
Just to finish I have included a short movie I made on the first night in France.
Derek

NERVOUS BEGINNINGS

I suppose I should have looked into the details but of course the flight from Prague involved a an hour of bus travel from Chas De Gaulle to Orly airport. The connections were running pretty tight by them.

However, finally arrived Biarritz a bit late but a friend, Chris Hadfield who lives in Northern Spain was waiting to drive me up to the stating point of the walk. Saint Jean Pied De Port lies a thousand metres below the coll on the Pyrenees where I would have to drop down into Spain.

14^th July

At the time of writing I am still feeling as though a steam roller has rolled over my legs. The stories of this introduction to the Way of Saint James certainly live up to the reputation of this climb for 7hours and the 1.5 hours of excruciatingly painful steep descent into Roncesvalles on the Spanish side.

Anyway, alive but only just kicking and wondering what tomorrow has in store.

Derek