Day 4 to Day 6 - Pamplona to Los Arcos

DAY 4 : PAMPLONA to PUENTA DE LA REINA (22 kms)

Micheal and I are walking the Camino together now, without our beloved buddies Leïf and Yaïr. Roland has stayed behind in Pamplona to purchase a donkey with which to complete the Camino, as medieval pilgrims once did. I actually think it's really cool, and perfectly fitting for Roland, who's a bit of an old soul. I hope to cross paths with him and his load-bearer one day....

Here is the massive hostel in Pamplona. Notice the see-through glass walkway I had to negotiate to get to my bed; quite the nerve-wracking thing for me.

Alto del Perdon.  Very cool wrought-iron monument to the ancient pilgrims (note the donkeys!)

Can you spot me?  Probably not, I'm trying to blend in....

The town of Puente de la Reina is somewhere down there and Micheal and I have to walk to it before day's end...

 Day 5 : PUENTE DE LA REINA to ESTELLA (22 kms)

Oh man, 5am sure does show up on my face, doesn't it?  Met Ivor from Manitoba last night, after seeing him struggle to climb onto his top bunk (he accepted to switch for my bottom bunk). Sweetest little man. Filled us with awe and admiration when he told us about his 3 different hip replacements --and he intends on finishing all 789 kms of the Camino. Perspective!

Having breakfast at 5:00 am with Marie and Micheal. Not easy to do after the previous day's physical exertion and loud snorers in the dorm at night.

Puente de la Reina -- an ancient (well, for a Canadian) construction, for which the town is named.

Really cool cities that one gets to walk through when doing the Camino...

Heading toward the pretty city of Cirauqui (note the white cliffs in background).

 Always, there are signs pointing us in the right direction. The famous seashell of St. James.

Finally arriving in Estella.

As great as my Miracle boots are, I'm still breaking them in, so small blisters are popping up on my feet. I suppose that's normal, but all those plasters are starting to get expensive! And despite the width of my boots, my small left toenail keeps rubbing up on the side and those blisters are becoming quite painful. So I bought a toe sock for it. ;-)

Day 6 - ESTELLA to LOS ARCOS (21 kms)

Wicked family who owns local vineyard decides to build a pilgrim's fountain, which not only serves fresh drinking water but also a nice, peppery red wine. Delicious, even at 6:00 am.

Vegetarians beware: your resolve might be tested in Spain. Spaniards have very little understanding of vegan or vegetarian needs. This was Micheal's plate of lamb legs (gelatinous meat) and blood pudding squares. The texture was apparently difficult to overcome.

Injuries are incredibly common along The Camino; in fact, only one person I've encountered so far has had no toe/feet/knee/hip injuries. It is part of The Way and you just suck it up. You must spend at least 30 minutes after your shower each day tending to your wounds to prevent infection, which would almost definately mean a flight back home. It becomes something to laugh about. Whenever you meet someone new, it is customary to ask, "How are your feet holding up?" One woman from Australia who regularly hikes and runs had to go home after Day 4 because one of her knees swelled up like a balloon. Another developed tendinitis in her knee on Day 2. A German woman that I met this morning, who runs marathons, has 3 of her toenails (painlessly) coming off, yet she tapes them up every day and keeps going. (Yeesh!)

Rest assured, I've got it easy. Shoes that have served me well over the past year just didn't hold up to hiking 25 kms each day with an extra 10kg on my back, in the 30-degree heat (when your feet get moist in your boots and then swell up, which causes blisters). I will never again underestimate how debilitating one blister can be. Ça fait partie du Camino! As examples, here are my (rather minor) injuries sustained so far:

• Angry blister on my left Achilles' tendon (size of twonie);
• One small blister inside my right 2nd toe;
• One kneecap with temporary ligament issues. Vitamin I (ibuprofen) helps greatly;
• Left baby toe with 2 blisters on it: one blister has now inflated itself under the toenail. I might actually lose the toenail, but thankfully it is not my favorite and so, it's not the end of the world.
• One blood blister in my right heel. 
• In an effort to keep my double-blistered baby toe from hitting the tip of my boot when going downhill, I tied my boots too tight for the heat and I now have an egg-sized lump of fluid built up on my ankle. By trying to prevent one problem, I created a new one.
• One pinched nerve in my hip from my backpack sitting tightly on my waist and hips, which doesn't hurt but which causes my left leg to go numb. This is a problem when you need to LIFT your leg in order to walk, yes?....
• Pain between shoulder blades from slouching ever so slightly while walking with backpack...

Not the best shape my feet have ever been in.... But they are clean and they take me places!

My little toe sock, covering my 2 blisters and keeping my toenail on. Yuck.

Is it all worth it?  So far, absolutely!  Anyone wanna come join me?  I'm here until the last week of September.... Biggest expense so far?  Not hostels, not food... Pharmaceutical products like plasters, medical tape and antiseptic sprays. Not kidding.

Buen camino!