long trails
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances 2012
Hello from Pamplona. It's freezing cold out and most of my clothes are wet from today's walk. I will have to go out for dinner in shorts and flip flops!
I started from St Jean but went the Valcarlos route as I'd done the Napolean before. It was not as tough but the climbs towards the end were pretty full on. There was snow on the Napolean apparently.
It was a hot day but the temperature has barely been above 10C since. Day 2 and 3 (today) were very wet. The river totally flooded today from Zubiri to Pamplona and we all had to march along the main road for most of it. I've never seen such an angry river! Back on the trail and I was splashing through big puddles and mud.
Just a few other random observations compared to two years ago.
Seems like many more pilgrims from Asia. There is a huge group of more than 30 Koreans. They were quite a sight all decked out in their matching orange ponchos as they splashed along the road today.
No bed rush as I experienced in May/June 2016 but it is early in the season of course. They had about 250 pilgrims in the St Jean office on the 5th April. Most of the albergues and gites were complet by 5pm.
I appear to be spending more. Albergues seemed to have increased their prices quite a bit and pilgrim menus are more expensive. Drinks in the bars seem more too but inflation is everywhere in the world!
More later. I must head out into the cold!
Hoping the weather improves. Forgot what it's like to have dry boots to put on in the morning.
I started from St Jean but went the Valcarlos route as I'd done the Napolean before. It was not as tough but the climbs towards the end were pretty full on. There was snow on the Napolean apparently.
It was a hot day but the temperature has barely been above 10C since. Day 2 and 3 (today) were very wet. The river totally flooded today from Zubiri to Pamplona and we all had to march along the main road for most of it. I've never seen such an angry river! Back on the trail and I was splashing through big puddles and mud.
Just a few other random observations compared to two years ago.
Seems like many more pilgrims from Asia. There is a huge group of more than 30 Koreans. They were quite a sight all decked out in their matching orange ponchos as they splashed along the road today.
No bed rush as I experienced in May/June 2016 but it is early in the season of course. They had about 250 pilgrims in the St Jean office on the 5th April. Most of the albergues and gites were complet by 5pm.
I appear to be spending more. Albergues seemed to have increased their prices quite a bit and pilgrim menus are more expensive. Drinks in the bars seem more too but inflation is everywhere in the world!
More later. I must head out into the cold!
Hoping the weather improves. Forgot what it's like to have dry boots to put on in the morning.