Camino Day 3: Zubiri to Pamplona

Date: April 3rd, 2022

Distance: 13.7 miles/ 22km

Time: 7 hours (9:00am-4:00pm)

This was absolutely one of my favorite days so far! Because… NO SNOW!!! Still cold, but wow, it felt great to start off without snow, hail, or wind. Most of the snow had melted, so we could take the trails. At times it was stony, other times muddy, between trees, along the river, across bridges, past green fields & old, quaint houses with animals. Blue skies. Blissful.

We were ready to stop for lunch around noon, but the only cafe in the small town was closed. We still sat down for a bit, made some cat friends, and ate the last of our leftover fruit and bread from breakfast.

We look super happy in this picture for being on the wrong path! haha Luckily we didn’t detour too far. The pilgrims (behind us in the picture) let us know, and we were soon back to being guided by blue signs and yellow arrows.

We were starving and dragging our feet when we finally arrive to the suburbs of Pamplona, but after a lemon beer and Spanish potato tortilla (like a giant omlette), we were ready to tackle the last 2 miles.

Finally, Pamplona! The city famed for the running of the bulls. The 4 of us gals had decided to do a rest day in Pamplona tomorrow, so we checked into our Airbnb! We mustered up the energy to go up 4 flights of stairs, and we were rewarded with a spacious, clean place.. all to ourselves! A washing machine for all our Camino clothes! A T.V.! A bathroom just for the 4 of us that we didn’t have to share! All the little things.

We celebrated with pintxos (a Spanish style snack served at bars) and vermouth (also a very classic Spanish aperitif). The pintxos I savored were Bacalao (cod) with egg (right) and toasted bread with goat cheese, carmelized onions, and nuts (left).

We met up with pilgrims/friends for beers after dinner. It was like a family reunion when we walked into the bar…. pilgrims we had seen and met along the way, some we had walked with on day 1. I’m astounded by the sense of Camino community. It’s unreal.. The camaraderie. The companionship. High spirits. Intentional Conversations. The shared experience. The way everyone looks out for one another.

This is only day 3, but my fellow pilgrims feel like old friends. & This feels like one of the most important things I’ve ever done.