Pamplona... questions !!

[bkerki]

greetings;

I'm heading for the camino next week; wednesday i'll arrive to barcelona in the afternoon, and thinking of taking the bus to pamplona where i plan to start my camino.

if i arrive @ pamplona late at night; is there a place where i can get a bed to spend the night and start my camino the other day??

another question; where in pamlona can i get a pilgrim's passport??
third question: i don't have a guide for the camino; and couldn't find any around here in lebanon. shall i buy a guide with maps in pamplona or the road signs and fellow pilgrims will do ??

i'm soo exited and nervous since i haven't met any fellow lebanese who had done the camino to ask him questions and inquiries :S

thank you all;
Lebanese pilgrim !!

 

[grayland]

Someone will probably post the albergue times for you....they need to know when you will arrive to judge if the albergues will be open...you may have to plan on a private albergue or hotel the first night.
You can get the credential at the Cathedral office which is NOT in the Cathedral. But, I do not know what time it opens. You really should try to get an early start out of Pamplona as it is a pretty long and steep climb for the first day. Not as bad as starting from St Jean..but still a challenge. It is not essential to have a guide book. You can buy a Brierley guide in English in Pamplona. I recommend it, but others will say it is not needed. I just like to be able to look and think about what is ahead.
Do not be nervous as it will all just happen. You will soon be in a group of Pilgrims all heading the same way as you. Enjoy.
Buen Camino

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The albergue, Jesus y Maria, normally will not accept pilgrims starting in Pamplona. Casa Paderborn might, but you should make a reservation. Both close at about 10 p.m.

http://www.jakobusfreunde-paderborn.eu/ ... plona.html

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 7,,0,-1.42

There are many moderately priced hostals around the main part of Pamplona. You can find recommendations in other threads on this Forum. I have stayed at:

http://www.hostalbearan.com/

Their website often does not work for reservations. Give them a phone call.

I take the Brierley book even on repeat pilgrimages.

For a shorter first day out of Pamplona, you can stop in Cizur Menor or Uterga. Cizur is only about one hour of walking; Uterga is about three, and puts the Alto de Perdon behind you. It is very nice with a bar and restaurant.

Have fun!

 

[Caminando]

Hi BK

Have a wonderful time - and you will. As for guidebooks, you may not now have time for books by post. But I think ( dont know for certain) that you will find a bookshop in Pamplona with a book in English. If not, then ask for info to the next refugio at an albergue in Pamplona, or you might find a pilgrim guidebook at the tourist office.

Keep looking till you eventually find a book. But you wont have a problem - you will get help, and when you find the trail outside of the city, you wont get lost.

My point really is - dont worry, it will all be ok.

Get back to us here and tell us how it was, when you have a chance.

Buen camino
Ultreya

 

[annakappa]

Hello Lebanese Pilgrim!
I have never bought or possessed a guide book, because living in Costa Rica, nothing is available here. I use various web sites, such as mundicamino.com , caminodesantiago.consumer.es and godesalco.com Up until last year, the most practical one, at least for me, was the caminodesantiago.consumer.es, as you can print out your version, however this year, they have greatly expanded it and it's becomming far too much to print out to be practical. This year, I will take my 2009 version with me (with all my additions that I add). Godesalco is good for the list of villages and towns you will pass through and gives distances between each place. The other two have a bit of everything, including information of the day's walk, what you should look out for as regarding interesting churches and monuments, etc. caminodesantiago.consumer.es is only in Spanish, mundicamino is in several languages (you hit on the flag of your desired language at the top the page. Added to that, you can't go very wrong: there are yellow arrows everywhere, unless you take a less used trail, which happened to us a few years ago walking from Samos to Sarria.There will also be loads of people walking by the end of June, so just follow the crowd! When you get to bigger villages and towns, you might pick up some information regarding the surroundings at the local information centre.
For your Pilgrim passport, I think that you could also go to the main albergue in Pamplona the next morning and they should be able to issue one. Buen camino, Anne

 

[bkerki]

thnx for all ur reply guys i failed to mention 1 point: my mother is spanish " y yo hablo espanol muy bien" i think this must come in handy through the camino

my major e point to stress is where shall i spend the night if i arrive after midnight @ pamplona...
any help ?? suggestions ???

another question; i don't have a sleeping bag; is bedbugs gonna be a real hussle ???

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Albergues require you to have a sleeping bag or sheets. Hotels supply the bed linen. Bed bugs become a problem starting in about June as it warms up and the number of pilgrims increases. If you treat your sheets or sleeping bag/sack with permethrin, you can fight against the bugs. Insect repellent containing DEET applied to exposed skin at bedtime also will help.

 

[fraluchi]

Can't add more than what Anne has already written, except for repeating what another "aficionado" of our Forum signs off with: "We're just sitting here stranded, though we're all doing our best to deny it....."
Ultreya

 

[annelise]

Hi bkerki, May I suggest that you contact Pension Otano, c/San Nicolas, 5 (just off the main plaza, Plaza del Castillo), phone: 948-227 036. It is associated with and administered by the restaurant Otano, situated on the first floor. Check-in is made in the restaurant.

The reason why I believe this could be an option is that I would expect the restaurant to still be open and running late. In May I stayed in an excellent room with ensuite and balcony for only 25 Euros. Buen camino!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Casa Otano is in an excellent location:

http://www.casaotano.com/index_.htm

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 48,,0,4.65

 

[bkerki]

thnx all for your replies

i tried calling the otano but no one picked up :S i just booked online the bus from bracelona to pamplona; the bus is outbound at 22.45 and is expected to reach pamplona around 3 a.m.
out of experience do u think i might encounter fellow pilgrims on the bus ?? i just hope it would make things a lot easier to break my journey into my first camino and help sort out the 1st night mess.

 

[grayland]

A little late as you have booked the bus....but if it were me I would have stayed over in Barcelona and took the first bus in the morning. Arriving at 3am is going to be a big problem. You may as well just hang out in the bus terminal until morning as it will be pretty difficult to find something in Pamplona at that time.

 

[Anniesantiago]

The bus terminal in Pamplona will be easy to hang out in. They have plenty of benches, and a nice cafe where you can get food/drink. It will be a safe and warm place to stay until daybreak, when you can find an albergue. Unfortunately, you probably will not be able to be admitted to the albergue until after 2 pm or so?

A GOOD time to tourist about!

 

[grayland]

.....or just stay overnight in Barcelona near the bus deport and take first bus in morning. Look around Pamplona after arriving and then walk to Cizur Menor and stay the first night at Albergue Roncal about 5km out of Pamplona. This will give you a excellent start up the Alto del Perdon the next day.
Like everything on the Camino...just take it easy and be flexible. No hard and fast way to do anything. :wink:

 

[bkerki]

thank you all...

i think i'll just hangout somewhere in amplona for the morning and then get my pilgrim passeport and get on my way to do as much as possible from the first stage.

i'll play it easy and no worries (hopefully) just let it roll

 

[Jochen_Schmidtke]

Re: Pamplona... answer !!

Hello.
It will not be easy at this time of the night to find a bed. The pilgrims and the hospitaleros will lie in their bunks heavy snoring.
But I have a solution for you: Accomodations in the old town of Pamplona.
Buen Camino
Jochen