17/05/2024 – Walking the walk 2

brown variety), but both still frequent. Our overnight stay was Akerreta. That was the primary location for the 2009 film “The Way” with Michael Sheen, which is (apparently), how most Americans (including Carey) first learnt about the Camino. It’s a tiny hamlet with 6 inhabitants, 1 inn and a very tasty pilgrims’ menu, which we shared with an American youth group (12 including chaperones, one a fully-frocked priest whose quick-dry sports-vestments decidedly impressed us. Who knew?) and 4 Australian “ladies of a certain age”, as they put it. It was a good evening after a great day.

The distance and the constant up-down-up-down made it a demanding day. This whole stretch is just a gorgeous, glowing green. Everything is growing greedily with constant rain and lengthening days. Everything looks “healthy”, even (especially?) the slugs. I saw a firecrest, one of the smallest and most environmentally sensitive birds (the size and shape of a squash ball with an incredible red/orange blaze). As we walked into Akerreta, a (European) goldfinch flew up, which felt special (very sensitive, also a Renaissance symbol of Christ’s passion and our redemption). As plague ravaged Europe in the 14th Century, the goldfinch became an augur of healing.

Day 3 was “an easy day”, about 23km all in, including walking Pamplona after arriving early in the afternoon. Easy on the legs, easy on the eye: another day of beautiful views, made more “romantic” by a persistent light rain (they call it “Green Spain” because the plants love its high rainfall).

Pamplona is where they “run the bulls” – annually in the second week of July. It is also an extraordinary walled citadel. We walked across an actual working drawbridge to enter. It has crenelations and narrow, cobbled streets in which skinny, coloured houses rise up 5 or 6 stories with balconies, ironwork, shutters, geraniums, laundry hanging off them. They are also covered with graffiti, some amazing street art, most basic, ugly tagging.

Like we do every afternoon, we washed our clothes (and ourselves) in the shower – ready for tomorrow, strewing them around our room to dry. Pamplona is large enough to support plenty of restaurants, bars, grocery stores. So, we enjoyed a picnic of local sheep’s cheese, peppered salami (Carey), fresh crusty bread and a punnet of fragrant strawberries, with a cheeky beer.

When the bells rang for evening mass, we strolled to a couple of churches, just to share the ambiance. We walked along the walls, to be transfixed by the birds in Taconera park: crowing roosters, strutting turkeys, eatin’ ducks and layin’ geese, even a flock of peafowl – a positive medieval banquet in the plain between the inner and outer walls. The 2 grown male peacocks were shimmering in competitive display, mesmerizing, and deafening! As I write, a good 0.5km away in our 4th floor room, their cries are still muscling through the open window.