Zubiri to Pamplona (20.4km)

I woke up today feeling a little stiff. Despite that, I slept well. The sound of the rushing river drifting through the window next to me would lull me to sleep every time I woke up. I was actually warm enough to not use my sleeping bag last night, which felt great.

I decided to read the spiritual path reading for the day in my Camino guidebook. As if to reinforce the resolution I made last night, this reading mentioned using your spiritual eyes to see God's creation in a new light. Funny how God works in little ways such as these. Some might call it a coincidence, but I do think God works through the little things in our lives. We can't all be having huge revelations from God all the time, now can we?

Margaret, Sean, and I decided to wake up at 6:30 to get moving by 7:15. We all got up and got ready for the day, and headed out with the plan to find breakfast at a nearby town if possible. The sunrise is around 8:10, so it was only just starting to lighten up outside. I finally got to use my headlamp for once.

Upon leaving town, I saw cat number 8 by a house and cat number 9 in the forest. Yet again they were timid little fellows. Anywyas, the three of us walked in silence. I was silently marveling at the beauty of the waking world. The bridsong, the twilight, and the shadowy forest that we were passing through gave me goosebumps. The cold gave me goosebumps too. God's creation is so gorgeous.

After a little while, the sky started to really lighten up and we could see without the headlamp. We were passing parallel to a valley on a mountainside, and it was awe-inspiring to see the fog dominate the valley and the crevasses in the mountains. It looked like a big luminous river.

The silence continued, and making good on last night's commitment, I decided to be more intentional and start my daily prayer. There was a good hour and a half to two hours where the three of us decided to do our own thing. Without even discussing it, we spaced out a bit so that we were about 100-200 feet apart, which created a great atmosphere for prayer, especially in concert with the beauty of the morning landscape. Sean listened to music, Margaret listened to a podcast, and I reflected on the amazing things in my life and thanked God for them. During this time of prayer, I realized that I have everything I have ever wanted. I have a loving fiancée who can't wait to get married to me, I have amazing and supportive friends who love me for who I am yet push me to improve, I have a fantastic set of parents and brothers who I adore deeply, and I have a job lined up where I have the freedom to rely solely on God, to work for Him and to expand His kingdom. I truly couldn't ask for anything more, and no material good or worldly gain could enhance what I have. My life is absolutely blessed, and God is the one who has given this all to me. Making this realization brought me so much joy that I was beaming for probably a minute straight. God is good!

During my prayer, we passed through rolling hillsides and fields of sheep, horses, and other animals. The fog layered everything and gave a mystical cast to the land. We also passed through tiny towns, and in one of them we even happened upon a very friendly dog. We pet him for a few minutes, until he got playful and started to play fetch with us. But he really was more of a keep away lover, so he kept all the sticks we threw for him.

After the dog, we found a pony at the end of the same town. He was friendly, and walked up to us to let us pet his muzzle. He had big eyes and a huge face, very adorable.

As soon as I turned to leave from petting the pony, I happened to run into barbed wire. Who put that there? Thankfully I had my thick clothes on. But I will certainly be more observant in the future.

As soon as we left the town with the pony, we ran into another big group of horses. They seemed interested in us, and they approached the fence. Minding the barbed wire, I offered them some nuts. It didn't seem worth their time, although the boldest of them tried one. He didn't care for them.

After that, the sun started to crest the mountain we were walking next to and began burning off the fog. Once we had found the third town in a row that was too small to have a cafe, we got out our sandwiches that we had made the night before and ate them. It was a good break. The three of us also started talking about whatever our random subjects of the day were. There really isn't much rhyme or reason to the conversations that happen while walking. They always just pop up organically. Often it revolves around our personal lives or experiences, but sometimes we just muse about certain subjects or give our thoughts on a topic. It really is a great way to get to know someone! I learned plenty more Irish slang, and about the Irish education system. Sean told us about his experience in high school, and Margaret and I compared ours with his. It was a good time.

Pretty soon, it got obvious that we were nearing Pamplona. It is the first of four major cities on the Camino Frances. Little towns were becoming more frequent. We passed over a small mountain and found a more urban area on the other side. Then, we got into the outskirts of Pamplona. We finally stopped for a food break, which was great. I got a cafe con leche with a chocolate croissant for a grand total of €2.70. Spanish prices are crazy cheap!

We also happened to see Shannon walking by! Shannon is a very nice lady from New York that Margaret and I met on the first day. We hadn't seen her in any of the albergues we've stayed at, though, and have been wondering where she was. She happened to pass right by us while we were drinking our coffee. We talked for a bit, and then she was on her way again. Hopefully we'll see her again! Us Americans have to stick together.

Finally, after some walking through the city, we made it to Pamplona. It's an interesting city; the original city, which has now expanded past its original limits, is on a raised platform that used to be used for fortifications. The rest of the city sprawls out around it. We stayed at a huge albergue in the city center. It's definitely the least nice albergue we've been to so far, but it was only €11, so I'm not complaining!

After dropping our stuff off and showering, the three amigos left to explore the city. Our first stop was for a proper lunch. We found an Italian restaurant, which was fantastic. We shared a bottle of wine and each got our own plate, which all ended up being shared plates. But, of course, a full day of pilgriming works up quite the appetite, so we ate it all. I got a classic carbonara, which was immaculate. The food energized us and we were ready for more city adventures.

After lunch we of course picked up some dessert, which, yet again, was crazy cheap and fantastically good. Then we checked the Cathedral. Unfortunately it was closed, but with some mediocre Spanish skills I learned from some monks passing by that they'd be opening back up at 7:00 for Confessions and a Rosary. Content to return later, we left to check out the bull arena right outside the city walls. We talked about faith and religion a bit, and strolled around the arena. It was closed, but still cool to see.

Next, we went to find an Irish pub. I was craving a Magner's cider, and fortunately, a Magner's cider was found. The bar tender, who spoke only a little bit of English, decided that Sean should not get a Heineken and insisted on him getting a beer that was apparently a blend of three beers. Slightly peeved, Sean obliged on the bar tender's promise to get him something else if he didn't like it. Surprisingly for him, he enjoyed it! The three of us then asked each other how we wanted to grow during the Camino, and we all discussed deep Camino topics. It was a great time and very introspective. Talking about it definitely helps to express your real desires.

I realized through that discussion that, accompanied wirh a desire for a new set of spiritual eyes, I would like to really truly get my prayer life in order. If my life's goal is to get to heaven, and the means for attaining that goal is a relationship with God, then the most important thing I can do on a daily basis is pray. Everything else, as important as it may seem, cannot compare in importance with this one task. But it can't just be a task either, as surely as talking with Mikayla could never just be a daily duty. Rather, I have to love doing it, or learn to love doing it, and do it regularly to get better at it. Especially moving into such an important phase in my life, I want to get this right and be spiritually prepared. And the Camino is the perfect time to do so!

Around 7:00, the three of us headed back to the Cathedral and went inside. I had a good few minutes of great prayer in front of the tabernacle, where Jesus, under the appearance of bread, is housed between Masses. It was a beautiful time, one where I felt especially close with God. That feeling of closeness is never something I expect or feel owed by God, but it is a beautiful gift when He graces me with it. At 7:30, I prayed a rosary with the rest of the church, even though I couldn't understand the Spanish. Margaret stayed while Sean went out to get dinner supplies.

Around 8, Margaret and I headed back to the albergue. Sean arrived soon and made us some pancake/crepes, which is an Irish tradition on Fat Tuesday. They were fantastic! I made us sandwiches for our lunch tomorrow, then we all got ready for bed. I called Mikayla for a bit and told her about my day, which of course was great as always. Then, I wrote this blog post. It actually took me quite a long time, and it is well past my bedtime. I love writing, but I love sleeping too. I hope you enjoyed this, for whoever is reading it. Good night!

More pictures from my day: