Day 3 - Zubiri to Cizur Menor
Distance walked today: 25.4 km (15.9 miles)
Total distance walked: 46.9 km (29.3 miles)
Happy Mother's Day to all and Happy Birthday to Adal! That's right, today is Adal's birthday, as he journeys on to Santiago. And what better gift did I get than a wonderful call from him today!
He did indeed make it to Zubiri yesterday, earlier than expected. He mentioned how it felt easier than last time, probably because he's been walking so much more here and going to the gym regularly for almost 2 years. He was careful to take a short break every two hours. His equipment is better as well, as the boots and trekking poles help. His feet are in good condition, too, only a small water blister or two. He was in good spirits and said that dinner with the Zubiri local was wonderful, in a beautiful house right on the path to Santiago.
Today's stage is Zubiri to Pamplona, about 20.4 km, but he's actually going to be passing through Pamplona since he's already seen it, twice at least. So his final destination is about 5 km past Pamplona to a small village called Cizur Menor (I've also seen it spelled Zizur), for a total today of about 25 or 26 km.
More detail on the stage here: http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/etapa-de-zubiri-a-pamplona
He told me he's been getting on the road very early, usually starting his walk around 6:15 am. Which is smart, because it avoids the hottest part of the day mostly. Food is readily available everywhere. He told me he's already met a lot of interesting people, a group of Australians, a Spanish guy who's been telling him he snores too loud (which he does!), and, wait for it, another Puerto Rican. This Puerto Rican guy from San Juan only brought one thing: his bike. He intends to bike it to Santiago, which is very doable and some choose to do it this way. But he came with no plan, no reservations, no expectations, no map, nothing. Just his bike. He arrived quite late in the night to Pamplona and ended up riding his bike around trying to find an open hostel. Just the kind of interesting story you would expect from the people who go on this journey.
This morning the hostel attendant wrote on a card to Adal to wish him Happy Birthday. I'm sure it made his day. This is his first birthday since I met him 16 years ago that we spend it separated, and definitely my first mother's day by myself. I'm just proud that he is doing what he's doing, taking one step at a time to get to where he wants.
Today N and I took it easy. We dressed up, set up the tripod, and started playing with my new camera, my mother's day gift. We pretended to be models, made funny and sad faces. I got a text that two friends were at Humlegarden, a nearby park, with an invitation to swing by and bring a mat. The day was gorgeous, about 68 F with not one cloud, so N and I changed into "normal" clothes and headed out there with a blanket, a water bottle, and the camera. Best decision all day! To kick off your shoes and lay on a blanket on a green field is pure bliss. This hasn't been possible here since early October, so it's such a treat! Stockholm is truly beautiful, green, and bright when it warms up. If you had any doubts about visiting Stockholm, just do it when it's warm, it is absolutely fabulous!
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