Larrasoaña to Pamplona, Day 3

Before diving into today's walk, let me report on my first albergue experience. I'm happy to say it exceeded expectations. I shared a room with Diane from Ottawa, a woman in her fifties or sixties who turned out to be excellent company. The place was spotless—they even gave us sealed bags with fresh paper sheets and pillowcases. I still slept in my silk sleep sack for extra warmth.

Dinner was communal with about sixteen people gathered around big bowls of minestrone soup, roasted chicken, potatoes, and chocolate dessert. The wine flowed freely. This morning they handed us paper bags with breakfast to eat on the trail. The only downside was the pack of dogs barking all night right outside our window.

Today's walk covered manageable terrain—up and down as always, but I'm getting used to that rhythm. The trouble started when I got close to Pamplona and made a wrong turn, wandering off the trail entirely. I blame sleep deprivation from those dogs. Eventually I spotted a policeman and got directions back to where I belonged, though it cost me some unnecessary time.

The navigation mishaps continued in the city. I walked to what I thought was my hotel, but it wasn't open yet. So I settled into a big central plaza for some people watching, waiting until 2:00 for the hotel to open. After two hours of waiting, I discovered my actual hotel was right across the street.

I'm now checked into the tiniest hotel room you've ever seen, but it's clean and tidy. I've washed all my clothes in the sink, taken my shower, and now I'm heading out to find something to eat. Diane and I walked together for a couple of hours before separating. It's just how it's done on the Camino.