Day 5 - Saturday, 26th April, 2014 - 22.0 km
[ Bridge Pamplona]
[Eila - Pamplona]
We left for Pamplona in the morning, which meant a certain amount of urban walking as we were already in the outskirts. It was amazing how un-busy Pamplona was for a Saturday morning. We stopped there for coffee just after 10am. We decided just to carry on as the Cathedral was closed and we knew we had a long slog up to a ridge called the 'Alto del Perdon', which is noticeable for the line of windmills that decorate it's summit. It is a good walk because towards the end of the day you can look back in slight disbelief at the distance you have covered as Pamplona starts to fade onto the horizon. On the ridge top is one of the many Camino themed sculptures that appear throughout the Camino; this one consists of life sized steel pilgrim shapes walking in a line and it is popular for pilgrims to pose amongst them to make a fun picture! We were no different and luckily a kind Polish pilgrim took a picture of us as we did for him and his friend.
[The climb up to Alto Del Perdon]
[Alto Del Perdon - Posing with the sculptures - has to be done]
The ridge is very windy and exposed when you get there,which is presumably why windmills were placed there! Five eagles came scudding by on the wind and we wished we had been more alert to watch them as they were soon out of view.
By the time we had dropped down the other side we felt fairly exhausted and because of the rapidly approaching rain storm, made for the Albergue at Uterga, just below the summit. We went into the dormitory and saw familiar faces all around and it was good to look out of the window at the same windmills at the top of the ridge from what was the windy side of the valley.
I decided to catch up with my blogs, which I had neglected as there had been no internet access to speak of on the Camino and we had been more concerned with looking after ourselves than writing. As a result, I went into the dormitory after lights out and tried to negotiate the top deck of my bunk bed. I tried to climb up the step ladder as carefully and quietly as possible, but I was a bit stiff from walking and just as I was heaving myself up I lost my footing and fell backward and down to the floor with weighty force. This immediately startled and woke up the French man in the bed below my bunk and the German girl opposite. I apologised profusely all round and tried to make the climb again without capsizing the bunk bed. I heaved myself up and in the darkness slightly leant over the partition to the next bunk giving the Dutch lady on that side a fright! I have obviously got to perfect my top bunk climbing procedure!
Buen Camino.
[Alto Del Perdon - Sculptures and Windmills] . .
