Where am I? Pamplona
How far did I walk today? 9 miles on the trail, 20 miles including errands and touring the city
When I got up this morning, I had a text message from my mother saying the bag would be delivered today to “Hotel Muncho” in Pamplona by 10 AM. This got me nervous as I originally asked for the bag delivered to Hotel Ramuntxo in St. Jean-Pied-de-Port, and I felt like I had a 50/50 chance they screwed this up again.
We left Larasoña (finally figured out iPhone accents!) around 7 AM this morning for our walk to Pamplona. It was a much more scenic and leisurely stroll than yesterday and we arrived around 11 AM.
When I arrived, the bag had not arrived, and I was getting anxious. I took a quick shower and called the European office again. The struggled to follow the flow of my case, but eventually confirmed the bag was in Pamplona. I dressed and prepared for some errands, and the bag arrived just as I was about to leave.
Finally!
It was a relief to finally have all my belongings with me and have a backpack that won’t dig into my shoulders. It will be heavier than what I have now, but I’ll take it.
Next up, I successfully acquired a Spanish SIM card. The AT&T plan on my father’s borrowed phone was really a hassle, and I can call home now without visiting a loanshark.
I then spent several hours as a tourist. The best part of my bag’s arrival is I have my camera again. I know the iPhone camera is good, but I just have more confidence in the quality of the shots on my real camera.
The city of Pamplona is beautiful and surprisingly clean. (Although, the crowded streets this evening may leave me with a different impression tomorrow morning.) While best known for the Festival of San Fermin, there is more culture and history here.
Speaking of the Running of the Bulls, they were already setting up the barricades two weeks out. The bull ring itself seemed rather small. I didn’t notice it behind the trees while standing 30 yards away. Other surprises: there is a playground on site and a high school across the street. I’m sure PETA is thrilled.
Finally, I’m becoming a little more confident in my Spanish. I successfully navigated the bureaucracy of a Correos (Spanish Post Office) to send the other SIM card home and some of my stuff to Santiago to pick up after the Camino.
Today was a great day, and I’m feeling much better about the trip at this point.