The Tasty Pilgrim

Yesterday evening I found that my left heel was painful. Could hardly stand on it. So this morning I taped my heel with some stuff called Compeed. Then I put on two socks over each other and in between some tissue paper. This way I had my feet wrapped tightly in my shoes. Slept rather well, now and then a bit of pain in a muscle that woke me up, but I drank also during the night one bottle of water. You see your mucles turn sour but long after you have stopped excercising this continuous, so you had better keep on drinking water. After breakfast I started out and the pain in my heel had almost disappeared. Made some nice progress along a newly constructed path and arrived at a place where I kew there was a bar for a coffee and a roll. However, today is Sunday and it was closed. Also the hotel further down was closed. In some parts the landscape was scenery with hundreds of yellow buttercups and dandelions. What struck me was that No Spainiard here sees there is good money to be earned. After four hours we crossed an old Roman bridge. Why does not someone put a tent there and two tables and plastic chairs and start to pour cofee ? This year is a Holy Year meaning that 25 July Saint´s Day falls on a Sunday. Over half a millions people will walk the Way. Let us assume that 100.000 pass here and half of them stop for a coffee. You will at least earn one Euro from every pilgrim pausing here. Nice income and tax free ! And you open up at ten in the morning and close at four in the afternoon. Really amazing if you realize that unemployment has risen to 20 % among the young. Then the road turned into a muddy track and you had to mind your step again. This muddy track came down to the main road and on the other side went steeply up the mountain again. I was wiser as I knew there is a beautiful path along thet stream running through the valley and ending up in Pamplona. Several times I saw someone flyfishing and had a nice chat. There seems to be lots of trout in the river. Being Sunday lots of Spanish people are out for a walk and I was greeted respectfully. Then I came to a small village of Huarte with bar where I had two coffee and an enormous roll with ommelet. I found a refugio there but it was not open yet. They usually do later in the afternoon. Toilets in Spanish bars are not recommendable, but in refugios they are kept clean. So I soldiered on and arrived in Pamplona at three in the afternoon. Next to the Cathredral is a good refugio run by the Cathredral people. I got a bed and had a shower and went out for a beer and something to eat. The only thing open was a place with Kebab. Walked back and slept a bit.

In the meantime an American lady had come in and taken a bed. Tomorrow is her first day. Then three Scandinavian ladies entered and took bed. They had started in Roncevalles and man they were tired ! The big spaceous building (formerly a palace) is devided in cubicles with six bed. Very cleverly done. And oh yes, there is so much more to be told, but I have to make room for others.

I will try to write some more in the evening.

The Tasty Pilgrim