Day 6 – Puente La Reina, Iron Men, Stage 4 Cancer and Dog Poo Soup

So today we have a big hike which includes one my favorite spots. The iron men statues are calling!

DISTANCE – 14.5 miles, 34k steps.

Walking out of Pamplona is boring!

The walk out of Pamplona is a long and laborious one.  It seems to go on forever.  We are lucky as we were joined by Jaume (we called him Jamie) from Catalonia.  He had been walking with a guy called Pete since St Jean but it was Pete’s last day in Pamplona so he was walking on his own today.  He kept a good pace and although we didn’t realise immediately, but Jaume was about to become part of our Camino family.  He and Lou got on extremely well and I was happy to leave them discussing all sorts of topics from Politics to the ins and outs of Air Traffic Control with Spanish Airlines.

We arrived in Zariquiegui and stopped for an unusually long coffee break.  A great cafe, but I was disappointed to see that the church and the gift shop were closed for the season.  In the cafe, we caught up with Sanju & Kamal, Michel (who had the three alsatians – see photo below) as well as Taha (my Lebanon friend who saved me from the zombies on that 2nd day).  Eventually, we found our mojo and grabbed our packs and headed up the hill towards the Iron Men statues.

The Iron Men Statues – Alto del Perdon

For me, there is something very special about the Alto del Perdon.  It is not just the amazing views, but there is something about knowing that 1000’s if not millions of Pilgrims have stood in the very same spot and looked over the mountains. I got quite emotional as it dawned on me that I had actually walked over the ridge of those very mountains in the distance.

The metal sculptures were placed there in 1994 by the electricity board as a way of pacifying the locals.  Apparently, the local people were outraged about the ugly windmills that the electric board had built, so the sculptures were a gift.  The Spanish people love the Pilgrims and this is apparent in every village and church you visit along the Camino.  I understand, from other pilgrims, that you do not get the same warmth from the French, German, Norway or Portugal Caminos (but I may be wrong).

The walk in and walk out of the Alto de Pardon is a bit challenging, but the views are worth it! If you stepped behind the sculptures and look to the right you will see the ruins of a medieval pilgrims hospital.  I completed missed this on my last visit, so I’m glad I knew about it this time around.

I fell over!

Lou and Jaume went on ahead as I spent a good 30 mins at the Iron Men Statues.  I had some lunch and then started on my descent.  I had forgotten how steep it was going down and the stones were really slippy.  Before I knew it, I had fallen arse over tit and grazed my arm and knee.  I also jarred my toes (my big toe-nail is now back).  I was thankful for my walking poles otherwise I am sure that I would have repeated the embarrassing fall.  When I walked this path last year we had met an Amercian guy called Scott.  I don’t remember much about him, except that he moaned constantly about the stones.  In a strong Amercian accent you could hear him saying “More F**ing stones” – this was going around in my head and making me chuckle as I descended down the path towardsUterga, where Lou was waiting patiently for me under a shaded tree.

Pizza, Dog Poo Soup and a Cute Cocker!

We stopped (for way too long!), at a fabulous Cafe/Albergue in Uterga.  The row of sun loungers was certainly inviting as was the menu.  Lou, Taha, Sanju & Kamal all had the lentil soup.  Apparently it was absolutely gorgeous, however, it looked like a bowl of dog poo to me.  It was really thick and much more like a broth than a soup.  I scrunched my nose up and ordered Pizza.

I chucked as the landlady/waitress was wearing a t-shirt that said “Puerta La Reina – 7km that way (with a yellow arrow)”.  At least we were well over halfway.  The sun was not out in full force and it took ages to get motivated again.  A cute, cocker spaniel appeared from under the table and put his head on my lap.  Those cute eyes looking up at me saying “please give me some Pizza”.

Did you know that mistletoe grows in trees?

As Lou and I headed off down the road, the sun was beating down.  I had no suncream with me.  I know!  How stupid.  I can bring a mini printer on the Camino but forget my suncream.  I can hear my friend Alison saying in my head “all the gear and no idea” – she was right!  As the sun got hotter and hotter, Lou decided that it was time to get her trekking umbrella out.  What a brilliant bit of kit and why had I not thought about getting one before?  The umbrella is not just good for rain, but it has a silver top that reflects the heat… genius!  I want one and immediately add it to my Christmas list!

We are walking along the open fields and Lou (a keen gardener) is pointing out the various flowers, herbs and other gardeney (is that a word?), type things on the trail.  Most of it went over my head, but I was intrigued when she pointed out the mistletoe in the trees.  I’m not sure if mistletoe is a weed (must google that one), but sort of grows into a birds nest type of form in random trees.  I was totally fascinated.  Well, I was until I could hear a man singing or praying in the distance.  I was a bit of an “oh squirrel” type of moment – see the video below.

I Lost Lou

I walk quicker up hills than Lou does, so after a while, I had broken away and spent the last 2-3 miles on my own.  Some of you may think that this is rude.  Perhaps I should have waited for her, but the Camino does not work like that.  It is important to build relationships with friends, but it is also important to spend time on your own.  During those long stretches of “me time” I sorted quite a lot out in my head.  Things that I didn’t even realise were an issue.  I knew that we would meet up at Puerta La Reina so life was good.

As I was on my own I had to provide my own entertainment.  The Camino provides – as you can see from the video below.

A bang on the head

We stayed in the Albergue called Hotel Jacque.  The albergue part was closed for the season, but the hotel was open (at Albergue rates!).  So we had nice clean sheets, no bunk beds, and soft woolen blankets.  It was probably one of the comfiest beds I had during the whole walk.  In our room were 5 beds (all one level).  Mr. Yun (cigarette non-speaking English / very attractive Korean guy), Taha (Lebanon guy), Lou (yey!), and Sun (She has stage 4 breast cancer and her story is amazing – see the bottom of this blog under the luxury items section).

The room was spacious, however, it did have a sloping roof which was dangerous.  We had a bathroom that serviced all five of us and the door did not lock, so you had to sing very loudly to stop any embarrassing moments.  The shower was over the bath and the loo was right next to the window which had no frosting or curtains.  Peering out of the window whilst having a wee was a weird experience.  Even though we were three floors up, I could still count the chickens in the garden next door!

After returning from a long shower, Sun came up to me to tell me that Lou had had an accident.  She had tried to retrieve something from her pack and when she stood up she bashed her head on the concrete roof.  Apparently, it floored her.  Sun went to get some ice whilst I gave Lou a huge hug as tears trickled down her face.  I think it was the shock more than anything else.  She was certainly going to have a bit of a bump on her head in the morning.  Funnily enough, I also bashed my head on exactly the same spot whilst Face-timing Rachel to show her the room (although I didn’t clunk it very hard, it was hard enough to say a swear word!).

The Pilgrim Meal was blurgh

I was disappointed with tonights evening meal.  The meal was rather pants. Pasta to start, then chicken wings and another one of those flan things.  The whole meal was rushed and the waitress didn’t smile.  We ate with Taha, Lou, two Korean girls and the Canadians (Paul & Laura).  After the fabulous time, I had last year in this very place, it was a bit of an anti-climax.  We didn’t even eat in the main restaurant, we had a table in the main bar.  I suppose it really does make a difference to the time of year that you walk the Camino.

Summary

WEATHER – it started out at 8 degrees and ended up at 24 degrees. I forgot how hot it can get, especially walking with a big pack on your back. Give me the hot sun over cold rain any day!

MY MOOD AND FEELINGS – I’m missing my family. I broke my necklace a few months ago, but I carry Rachel’s trinkets in my journal to keep them safe. In Pamplona, I bought a new chain and her trinkets now hang near my heart. I feel closer to her now.

HEALTH – I have sore toes (from going downhill a lot today), and my hips are also a bit painful. Ibuprofen helps! You should see others peoples feet! It’s not nice!

(Awful WiFi here)