The Italian fearsome foursome woke us up at 5am this morning. After the noisy commotion of getting their gear together, they donned their headlamps and went into the garden area just outside our door and started a comical pre-dawn warm-up. One guy was doing small alternate side lunges, another was working on a tricep stretch, the third had a little hip roll rotation action going on and then the last little roly poly guy was vigorously trying to do forward bends with little dynamic bounces helping him to almost reach his knees. This was all done with a non-stop chatter of overlapping advice and instruction. Then they all came into our bed area to teach the roly-poly guy how to work out the kinks in his back - down on all fours doing Yoga cat/cow poses. And for all their 5am wake up, we were out and gone before them.
It was into an early morning fog that we started out, again with Domique and Rene. We didn't manage a break until 10am atTrinidad de Arre just on the outskirts of Pamplona but it was another great meet and greet with all the pilgrims. Annoyingly that vulnerable left foot is acting up again. Aaaaaaaargh. We got into Pamplona around 11am and sadly bid adieu to our little camino troop and especially to Domique and Rene who have quickly become very dear friends. We see a trip to Sherbrooke Quebec and Quebec City in our near future. We headed off to the Oficina de Tourismo to look into transportation to San Sebastian. On our way to the bus depot, we made a random stop at a travel agency and booked a hotel room near the water for the next two nights.
We were torn between continuing to walk until Saturday and then bussing it back to Estella to begin our hospitalero gig but, in the end because of Dayton's great planning, my not so great left foot or because the alberque experience in Larrasoaña, we decided on a two day break from the Camino. After touristing at the north coastal city/resort of San Sebastian, we will return to Pamplona and walk two or three slow days to Estella.
We did absolutely no research into San Sebastian and just hoped that we had booked into a neat hotel. It is near the beach but it was over an hour's walk from the bus stop to find it. On our long hotel hunt we did get a good sense of this city, with its massive magnificent catedral, shopping boutiques, lovely beachside parks, the beaches themselves and the old city. Now it's time to try and make ourselves presentable in our cleanest dirty Camino clothes and go to the old town for food and drinks.
It was into an early morning fog that we started out, again with Domique and Rene. We didn't manage a break until 10am atTrinidad de Arre just on the outskirts of Pamplona but it was another great meet and greet with all the pilgrims. Annoyingly that vulnerable left foot is acting up again. Aaaaaaaargh. We got into Pamplona around 11am and sadly bid adieu to our little camino troop and especially to Domique and Rene who have quickly become very dear friends. We see a trip to Sherbrooke Quebec and Quebec City in our near future. We headed off to the Oficina de Tourismo to look into transportation to San Sebastian. On our way to the bus depot, we made a random stop at a travel agency and booked a hotel room near the water for the next two nights.
We were torn between continuing to walk until Saturday and then bussing it back to Estella to begin our hospitalero gig but, in the end because of Dayton's great planning, my not so great left foot or because the alberque experience in Larrasoaña, we decided on a two day break from the Camino. After touristing at the north coastal city/resort of San Sebastian, we will return to Pamplona and walk two or three slow days to Estella.
We did absolutely no research into San Sebastian and just hoped that we had booked into a neat hotel. It is near the beach but it was over an hour's walk from the bus stop to find it. On our long hotel hunt we did get a good sense of this city, with its massive magnificent catedral, shopping boutiques, lovely beachside parks, the beaches themselves and the old city. Now it's time to try and make ourselves presentable in our cleanest dirty Camino clothes and go to the old town for food and drinks.
Hy Karen, What a surprise to find this picture, I immediately recognised Dominique and Andre! I indeed walked with you from Larrasoana to Pamplona, where you unfortunately left for San Sebastian. I'll now read the rest of your blog.
ReplyDeleteI have the mirror picture of the one you posted: taken from the door of the café, looking at you and Darren, Dominique and Andre getting ready to walk further!!
Christophe (from Belgium)