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July 11 (Fri.) Cattle driving in Pamplona, and 24 km from Pamplona to Puenta La Reina.
Got up at 6:30 AM. Many people are getting up at this time.
4 km from here to Pamplona; one hour's walk.
Cattle driving will begin at 8 AM on the street.
Some pilgrims go by bus, but I persist on walking.
Walking on the up-hill road to Pamplona,
a city on the top of a hill is trying fro, the morning.
I arrived in Pamplona at 7:50 AM,
when the cattle driving was about to be held in few minutes.
The street was plenty of people that I couldn't even peep it.
Many people sit up all the night drinking wine.
or sleeping in the park... From where comes this energy?
And the festival lasts one week... I was indeed astonished with this.
I cannot see it as there are too many people.
Great shouts of joy arose from the windows on each floor of houses facing the street exactly at 8 AM, when a young man ran through the street.
Consequently, a cow came with a voice shouting "Daa Daa Daa
." Several ten seconds? Or maybe several seconds only.
It went pass in a moment. Coming here was not in vain,
as I could see the cow though only a little.
I bought a red neckerchief (1000 pts), and wore it around my neck in order to enjoy the atmosphere of the festival, but I'm afraid it does not fit me well.
Let's begin walking for the next destination after looking at the Cathedral and the bull ring.
I searched the map of the road beyond Pamplona, but I couldn't find one.
I should also find the road to Puenta La Reina, since this is a big city.
Big dolls of the festival go by on the street in the city.
The road after Pamplona is a straight road with low hills continuing one after another.
Bought water (70 pts) and chocolate (100 pts) at a gas station.
Up-hill road lasted about 3 km, and then down-hill road follows.
This road is hard to walk for me, since far distance ahead is seen as the road is straight.
I had nothing but to walk along the national road N111
since I couldn't find the sign indicating the pilgrimage road
(Later I found in the guidebook I bought afterwards that I should have turned left before the exit of Pamplona to enter the pilgrimage road).
I see several ten big windmills rotating on the top of hill to produce electricity.
Crossing over this mountain, I concentrated myself on walking ahead.
I hear strong sounds of the fliers.
As I looked back, I saw the windmills far away in the backward.
I was surprised weather I really walked so long. Still remaining five kilometers.
Yes, I arrived at last.
There is Crucifijo Church at the entrance of this town, Puenta La Reina,
and I heard someone clapping his hands in applause in front of the fountain near the church.
They were Mr.Raulロー and his son from Sweden whom I met in Pamplona yesterday. They were clapping their hands to congratulate my arrival in safe.
They said they had arrived from Pamplona by bus at around 3 PM. I shall never forget the taste of tap water in the square in front of this church.
Next to Crucifijo Church was the Albergue (pilgrims' inn).
First of all I had my notebook stamped, and went to the room.
There were about 30 beds in the room.
Went to have dinner with Raul and his son and other pilgrims in the evening.
I do not speak foreign language well,
but they nor I mind it. Now I am writing this note while they are still eating.
I want to study Spanish during this trip, but I am too tired everyday.
This town Puenta La Reina is an important place where four different pilgrim roads from France meet one another here and lead to Santiago de Compostella.
They kindly paid for cafe. Sandwich 395 pts, bread, cake, and yogurt 300 pts.
34600 steps (24.2 km) today.
July 12 (Sat.) 18 km from Puenta La Reina to Estella
8:30 AM Depart from Puenta La Reina. This town that has a beautiful name Puenta La Reina "Queen's bridge" still conserves an old bridge from the Middle Ages over Arga river. This bridge is the origin of the town's name.
I crossed the worn bridge thinking of the pilgrims who crossed this bridge more than 1000 years ago. After crossing Queen's bridge, I turned left and entered the pilgrimage road from the beginning. Other pilgrims including ロー and son began walking on the National road saying that the pilgrimage road would be bad due to yesterday's rain. But I dared to walk on the pilgrimage road as I wanted to walk on a road where on cars are seen, because I walked 20 km on the National road all the day yesterday as I overlooked the entrance for the pilgrimage road.
The road was not as bad as I had anticipated. However, the road is narrow and steep. This road is apart from the National road by a small distance as the National road can be seen from here. Walking on this road might be harder than walking on the pavement of the National road, since other pilgrims who were walking on the National road now went far ahead that I cannot see them. On the way I met one pilgrim; he was a little fat Spanish and was walking with the help of a walking stick.
Yellow big arrows are drawn everywhere on the pilgrimage road, such as on a big rock, on the trunk of big trees, on the wall, on the surface of telegraph poles, etc. You need not be worried if you keep your eyes on these signs. Maps are not necessary if you look at these yellow arrows on the 900 km long way.
I recommend you to go back your way a little, if you don't find any yellow arrows at a branch after walking more than 200 meters. Sometimes you see gates that block the road, but this does not matter.
Please open that gate and make your way. Pilgrims are allowed to do so! To tell the truth, I went back when I met this gate for the first time.
Four km per hour is a good pace judging from the experience until now. The pace will soon decrease to three km per hour if I walk on a slope or I walk having a rest. This is a pace of walking 25 km in eight hours. Even this is not easy as I had to walk with a backpack of nearly 10 kg.
A village was seen on the top of a hill over wheat field extending in front of me. Two old men was talking at a corner in that village. One of them spoke to me. I said to them "I came from Japan, and going to Santiago on foot." The old man said to me "Muy bueno! (Very good!)."
When I was taking a rest sitting in the church at the top of the village, I met a young man named Javiel, whom I saw yesterday also at a cafeteria in Puenta La Reina.
He works at a mercado (market) in Barcelona. Taking one month's vacation, he is going to Logrono on foot, and after that, goes to see many friends. This 21 years old young was a nice person. I walked with him until today's residence Estella. He spoke to me in easy Spanish and easy English in order that I, a bad speaker of foreign languages, understand as easily as possible. I also taught him some basic Japanese words such as "Ohayou", "Konnichiwa", "Sayonara", etc., which he writes down into his notebook in earnest.
He took a fruit similar to a pomegranate on the way, and passed it to me, saying "Try this. It's delicious." Wmm...yes, surely delicious! After this, I often bought the same fruit at supermarkets. Arrived at Estella.
Albergue Peregrinos is a newly built three-story building facing to Ega river flowing through the old city in Estella. Reception is on the ground floor, kitchen is on the first floor (open to the pilgrims to cook here, and tableware are of course available), and two rooms are on the second floor. Each room has eight double deck beds, i.e. sixteen persons room. The rooms are clean. 500 pts.
Estella is the first big city on the pilgrimage road merged into one at Puenta La Reina. The name of the city Estella means a Star. The city remains a lot of vestige of its glory in the Middle Ages such as cathedrals, churches (Santo Domingo Church, Saint-Miguel Church, first aid station、Albergues which stand along the Ega river.
Javiel invited me to go to a supermarket in the city. We bought fish, potato, vegetables, wine and so on. He cooked dinner for us in the kitchen of our Albergue. He fried trout in a pan. He also made fried potatoes and salad (Most of the Albergues had a wide dinning kitchen and the pilgrims enjoyed cooking their meals using materials they purchased at supermarkets near the albergue).
His dishes were a warm-hearted and very tasty meal for me. After that Pau and his son gave me a cut of chilled watermelon. This watermelon was also very delicious. There might be about forty pilgrims staying in this albergue. Some of them enjoy themselves in a pleasant chat at the big table in the dinning room.
Now I am writing this diary at the riverside near albergue. The time is 9:40 PM. The night is still early.
More than ten days have passed since I left Japan. I am really tired both physically and mentally. I feel difficulty in walking ahead from fatigue; walking several ten kilometers everyday. And also due to difficulties in language. Recently I used to stay in a dormitory room of more than ten persons. I cannot relax enough. Shall I look for a single room? ...Maybe I'm tired. I want to return Japan and make myself at ease...this is one of my present feeling, I confess!
25977 steps (18.18 km) today.
I lost my hat for sun shading in Puenta La Reina. But I couldn't buy one though Estella is a big city, since it is Saturday today. I also want to buy map, but this also seems impossible.
July 13 (Sun.) 20 km from Estella to Los Arcos.
I hear sounds everywhere in the room from early morning.
I found only three (including me) of twenty persons are remaining in the room when I got up at 7:30 AM. Everyone seems to have departed in early morning in order to avoid strong sunlight in the afternoon. Today's plan is to walk 20 km to Los Arcos. It will be a hot day. Javiel left his hat in the upper deck of the bed. Though I went down to search for him immediately, it seems that he has already gone. OK, I will put his hat on and walk, as his tonight's accommodation shall also be in Los Arcos. Departure at 8 AM. Leaving the city of Estella, I turned right and entered the pilgrimage road. I found a Fuente del Vino (wine drinking fountain!) along the road. It is written on the wall of a wine factory that the wine is freely served for the pilgrims. Red wine comes out from the right tap, and pure water from the left tap. Cups are also prepared. This is nice! (I found many Fuentes del Agua, water drinking fountains over the 900 km road, but this was the only wine drinking fountain.)
First 10 km of today's pilgrimage road was an up-and-down mountain path. Small villages are located every several kilometers on the way, a typical scenery in Spain. Villages on the top of small hills. Sunflowers (Yellow), lavenders (purple), grape trees (green) can be seen in the extending wheat field (ripe gold), which pleased me very much by its changes in color. Birds are singing everywhere. Always I was moved by the beautiful landscapes throughout the journey! I am happy to be here! I am happy to walk on this road! I laid myself for a while with my backpack as a pillow when I find a small shade of a tree. Pleasant winds blow through under the tree. Three young girls I met yesterday at the albergue go by, singing songs cheerfully. They greeted to me, lifting their hands and saying to me "Holla" in a smile.
I began walking again. I passed Azuqueta Village at 10:30 AM. I felt like having a rest again when I saw a shade of a tree. This time, three women went by. They also lifted their hands and said to me "Hasta luego(See you later!)" in a smile. ...They might be the last pilgrims today. I was surprised to hear later that they were 69 years old. Those 69 years old women caught up with and got ahead of me, who were having a rest!
I didn't feel tired when I was walking along the mountain path, as the landscape showed many changes. After that, I walked on a straight pilgrimage road in a changeless landscape of wheat field in 10 km. The strong sun in the afternoon, and this straight road...the heavy backpack cuts into my shoulders. The up-hill slope extending straight was especially hard to walk. Taking a rest after advancing 100 m, taking another rest after walking a little...I feel aches in my feet when I began walking again after having a rest. Having a rest is also a problem.
A person in Urbiora, the third village today, called me and said to me kindly "I will fill up your canteen with water." Chilly water is very delicious under this hot weather.
12 AM. I was walking on a hill from where small villages are seen within several kilometers. And I here the sounds of the bells in all those villages. ..ding-dong...from this village, from that village...as if a landscape in dream.
Now I am walking in a wheat field all over. Extending wheat field after wheat field. The sun is strong. I can take but a small step width as the blister aches on my leg.
Blue sky. And a straight red brown road extends itself in the ripe gold wheat field.
2 PM. Arrived at an Albergue near Saint Maria Church in Los Arcos.
The girls I met on the way also stay here in Los Arcos. I knew, after beginning this pilgrimage travel, that accommodation for pilgrims are well prepared where one can stay if he or she has a pilgrimage card regardless of his or her means of transportation such as on foot, on bicycle, or by bus. And these charge 200 to 500 pts only.
I have already got a brochure for albergues between Roncesvalles and Viana in Roncesvalles abbey. I understood what this brochure means now. There are as many as ten albergues in 140 km. But the room is shared by males and females with more than ten several beds, and you should use a sleeping bag. Tonight's albergue, however, has a four bed room. Three young Spanish girls and me. I didn't use much money after entering Spain; 15000 pts still remains in my hand now after changing 200 US dollars (28500 pts) in Burguete on 9th July. This means that I used about 13000 pts in five days, i.e. about 2000 yen per day.
I seldom smoke. I don't feel like smoking when I am walking, probably due to fatigue.
But sometimes I smoke after taking a shower after arrival. Two weeks has passed after leaving Japan. I have many impressions on these two weeks, but it is difficult for me to write down all of them as I am too much tired. I hope the photos, the video tapes and the cassette tapes I took would tell you my impressions instead of me, but even as for those, I'm afraid I have missed very many shutter chances due to fatigue. This is not avoidable. But now I only hope I can bring back these safely to Japan.
It's 8:30 PM now. Many young pilgrims arrived at the albergue. They ride on a bicycle rather than walk on the pilgrimage road. They sleep on the corridor or in other vacant space in their sleeping bag as the beds are full today.
You will never be refused to stay here how full it is. Arriving before 4 o'clock would be better if you want a bed. The capacity of this Albergue Los Arcos is 40 persons, but there are more people here now.
Everyone can use such accommodating places if you have a pilgrimage card.
You should have your card stamped at each pilgrimage point, but means of transportation is for your own choice.
So it's possible to walk in some interval while moving by bus in another interval. ロー and his son, whom I met before, also travel in such a way. They walk if the interval is short enough for his son Daniel (9 years old) can walk, and get on bus if the distance is long. They can stay in 200 yen per night.
If you can speak Spanish a little, you can soon make friends with many European young regardless of your ability in Spanish. Because everyone is traveling for the same purpose --- pilgrimage.
I think I have walked no less than 180 km. 180 km... How far is it from Kyoto if I compare it in Japan? Maybe beyond Nagoya. I have many corns on my feet. I cannot break them. European pilgrims pick the corns by a needle with a string of thread, and leave the thread as it goes through the blister. But I shall leave them as they are. Still remains 700 kilometers. Am I really going to walk until Santiago ?
I do now know what I am doing now. Until when shall I continue such a trying journey? Though I can stop it even tomorrow if I want. But I don't want to stop my journey now.
28157 steps (20 km) today.
I do not want to have supper, because I had a late and quantitative lunch around 4 PM (A bottle of wine, bean soup, a large piece of meat, ice-cream, and coffee 1100 pts) with other pilgrims. I shall go to bed after writing this diary. It's not yet dark enough now at 9:40 PM. I hear children playing.