Miles Total: 42.6
Pamplona! The running of the bulls! Hemingway! Tapas bars!
We are here in the hostel called Jesus y Maria, a stone's throw from the cathedral inside the walls of the famous old city. The main square is the epicenter of activity with a Sunday crowd of all ages, toddlers running free from carriages, and old men in khakis and sweaters tied over their shoulders. It's car free streets were perfect for the girls to freely explore, which they did soon after a quick nap at the end of the hiking day. One might get the perception that all we do is walk all day and sleep, but there are many of things the kids are responsible for before they can go out into he streets of Pamplona for that ice cream shop they saw on the way in.
First thing we tend to do after checking in is dump our gear near our beds and get ready for a shower. Every place is different, but if we get there early enough we don't have to wait too long for a turn. After that, we check in with our daily laundry needs. Most hostels have some sort of handwashing stations or large sinks to handwash clothes. It's best to do this early to make sure clothes will dry on the line. Anything that doesn't dry can be tied to your pack during the hike for the next day. After that, we have to go through the plan for the next day's hike as that will determine what kinds of food we need to shop for that night. For instance tonight, the girls had to plan their meals for breakfast and lunch tomorrow before arriving at the next destination. Any other time is used for napping, journaling, blog writing, and further exploring of the villages, towns, and cities we happen to stay in. The girls are just getting used to this rhythm of life, but they will soon be pros.
What is hard to get used to is the hiking itself. It's just plain tough. There is no other way around it. In addition to the families strolling the streets here in Pamplona is the occasional pilgrim, easy to spot for his/her tender limp. By the end of today, which had us ascending and descending rolling hills under the threats of rain from dark clouds, we had a nearly 90 minute walk on asphalt into the city. This might not seems like such a big deal, but after 40+ miles of hiking over three days, our feet are a little tender and we were anxious to put them up for the day. The good thing is that the girls have shown a great deal of fortitude and have continued on each day and for that, I'm immensely proud of them. Sure, they might not have taken every step with a cheery smile and sunshine attitude, but they did make it. Over time, the physical side of this journey will subside, leaving room to see the journey as something more than just a long, hard walk. We just have to be patient and trust our little feet to take us to a place where despite the aches, we feel at peace.
As a teacher, I couldn't be happier with our adventure so far and the progress made by everyone, and I mean that in more ways than one. In the most basic sense, we have walked about 10% of the Camino. It may not seem like much progress when you look at a map, but it goes by quicker than you think. We will be in Santiago before we know it so let us enjoy every step we get.
Buen Camino,
James
Special thanks for the day go to:
Adriel and Heidi Gaines, Stacey Giles, and Ron Harmon
Thanks to our mile sponsors as well!
Toni and Joseph Connole, James Oasha, Linda Knotts, Eldon and Jimmie, and Doug Harmon
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