Day 3 Larrasoana to Pamplona

Got to bed at 2100 last night,Jeremy was watching the football,I fell asleep immediately ,not sure whether it was the football or being completely exhausted or a bit of both that aided my slumber, I awoke at 0300 to a rain storm of biblical proportions , I awoke again at 0600 and I have to confess I cannot remember feeling so tired and I had a moment of doubting myself,thankfully when I awoke again at 0700 I was back to my normal confident self.Maria gave us a lovely breakfast, we gave her a heartfelt cuddle and thank you,then we were on our way at 0830.

We knew rain was coming and we had put all our kit in bin liners inside our rucksacks to ensure everything staid dry, We had only gone 20 yards when Jeremy said "I would kill for a brolly"remembering how we looked enviously at our Scouser friend yesterday, I replied not a chance in this remote tiny village,then The Lord provided again.

As tempted as we were, we could not bring ourselves to take it.We left Larrasoana,well slept and fed,and thankful to be on our way,we noticed how the river was in full flood, last nights rain was taking its toll.

We met up with our fellow pilgrims within 10 minutes and I have to say that they were staying in a stunning hotel,but we were happy to have been staying with our adopted mother Maria.

Those that know me well will not be surprised,I just could not help myself.

Happy to be back as a team we moved on through beautiful woodland following the river and passing through lovely villages to Zabaidika where a welcomed break awaited us.Needless to say it was absolutely chucking it down,but it did not dampen our spirits.

This really was a great watering hole and we had a chance to mix with our fellow walkers, it was also my first taste of Tapas since we had arrived in Spain.Our host was a real character and as always we were made most welcome.

Our journey continued on through stunning Spanish countryside.

As we went over this bridge,we realised that we were not aware of what was going on in the world and we came across this chap with what must have been a flat screen TV on his back, we did not have the heart to ask him to uncover it and turn it on so we could catch up with world events.

It was not long until we had a climb again,when we got to the top I celebrated with a bit of air guitar as I was listening to some rather lively music.

Soon we began to see signs of city life as we approached Pamplona  I had a religious moment ," Follow  me my children" I was heard to utter as we walked on.Could the The PIlgrimage be getting the better of me!!!!

As we entered the outskirts of Pamplona,I could not help but think I was missing the beautiful serenity of the last 2 days.

Was not long until we found a bar and a much needed beer. 30 minutes later we entered the old city of Pamplona, we were always guided by the The Way shells on the pavement.

It was now lunch time and we found a super restaurant with the menu in Spanish, with my wonderful grasp of the Spanish language I ordered  sausages to start with and ended up with mushroom risotto!!

I have really got to grips with the lingo,we all had a laugh at my expense,sadly I had orderd sausages for everyone.

We saw Anne to her hotel and by major coincidence Richie and Sharon are staying at the same hotel us as.A hot bath awaited me,my aching trotters sighed with relief.

Feeling much refreshed we all met up and went into Pamplona for drinks and dinner.

I just had to go and check this guy out,everyone was giving him a wide berth,I cannot think why!!! 

Much relieved he did not run me through I returned to the safety of our table and left him to it.We had a really lovely evening and we laughed the night away, we lurched back to our hotel and as my head hit the pillow I fell asleep.

We are having a day off today to do a bit of rubber necking ,back on the road tomorrow ,sorry for the delay with the blog wifi problems

As for me it is hard to descibe how I feel about the previous 3 days,I am clearly not a scribe as I have proved, but I will try to put it into words,the thought of another 440 miles is so daunting, I have been rained on constantly experienced weather conditions that I cannot describe,climbed hills that have nearly broken me, I have felt exhausted had pain in my trotters got blisters  but above all else I have loved every moment of it,the people I have met have been wonderful the sense of caring comradeship and looking after each other is an experience I will never forget,I have laughed played the fool and listened to other people about their lives. If I can make the next 440 miles I will be in great company with 1000s of others who I suspect feel the same.

Statistics

Walked 10 miles

Walking time 3 hours 30mins

Speed 2.8 

Distance to go 436 miles