I’m exited to start my camino. This first leg is between Pamplona and Puente la Reina, a distance of 24 km, and I leave the hostel at 6:30. It turns out to be a beautiful day with sunshine, and I’m enjoying myself.

Before I even leave Pamplona, ​​I meet Ricardo from Mexico. I notice him because he is walking very slowly. We team up and eventually find our way out of town. He is also starting from Pamplona and will go all the way to Santiago de Compostela. We share stories and have a good time before I tell him to feel free to move on, as I suspect he really is a fast walker, because he’s just described a religious ceremony in Mexico in honour of St. John involving two days of straight walking 90 km on asphalt, which he has done not once but twice. In the distance we spot the mountain we’ll have to cross to get to Puente la Reina.

On the way at last and feeling very happy!

On the camino I often remind myself to stop and look back at the path I’ve walked. It’s a metaphor we can all apply in life, especially when it feels like a struggle, to look back at what we have accomplished to remind ourselves how far we’ve actually come. Here I’m looking back at Pamplona in the distance.

Approaching the wind turbines on Alto de Perdón.

Finally I reach the top of the mountain which has a height of 790 meters.

The iconic row of iron silhouettes of medieval pilgrims on the top of Alto de Perdón have an inscription: “Where the way of the wind crosses the way of the stars.” “Donde se cruza el camino del viento con el de las estrellas.”

The view is magnificent and I soak it in for a while before it’s time to head down the mountain.

The decline is quite rocky, but honestly, after last year’s horror down the mountain from Foncebadón which was way steeper, this is nothing. But every descent from a mountain really takes a toll on the knees and feet…

This is the reward! I meet Megan and Jocelyn from the States on the way down, and we continue together to a great restaurant in the hamlet of Uterga where I savour this delicious sallad, the very first and sadly the very last of it’s kind. I never have another one like this which is strange, as I frequently enjoyed fresh salads like this one on the camino last year.

The landscape changes as I came closer to Puente la Reine, with these beautiful rolling hills. We have also entered the wine district of Navarra and vines will become a common sight along the way.

I bought a sun hat made for hiking and it actually feels good using it. Walking the Camino is by no means a fashion statement…
It is getting really hot now and there are many hills to tackle. People pass me all the time and I lag behind. But then outside a house a young girl has a small stall. She has jewelry that she has made displayed on a table and then I see a carafe of homemade lemonade that she also sells and I swipe two glasses in a row. I don’t really know what was in that lemonade, but I suddenly filled with new energy and sail past everyone who previously passed me. “It was the lemonade huh?” observes a pilgrim I pass. It was exactly what I needed to get me over the finishing line.

Finally I reach Puente la Reina. I really like this pretty little town, and I also enjoy the luxury of having a very small but lovely private room with my very own bathroom. A hot shower has never felt so nice! I also wash my clothes before going out to explore the town. I’ve lost my sunglasses on the way here and need to replace them, but at this point I’m ravenous and in dire need of a hearty meal. Who do I meet outside a restaurant if not Ricardo, and we spend time catching up while sharing an early dinner on this very street.

Day one is over and even though I have really comfortable and well-fitting shoes, I still got my very first blisters. But it feels really good to be back on the Camino again!
This is the bridge that this town is named after, and it’s on the far side of town where you leave it to get to Estella. This is where I’ll be heading tomorrow.

Check out my earlier posts to get the full context of this pilgrimage and the one I did the year before, and sign up to be notified when the next post is released. If you enjoyed this post, please give it some love by sharing and liking it!

All photos copyright Anita Martinez Beijer © All rights reserved