Puente la Reina

On our death march into Pamplona a few days ago, we took a short rest at a small church in the middle of nowhere, mostly because they had a sign that said they had a nice sello (the stamp you get in your credencial). The priest was that lived there (at least I assume he was a priest) gave us a number of great tips about the Camino, including that, in his opinion, it was perfectly OK to take a local bus to the edge of Pamplona to bypass all of the walking down city streets. It’s tempting, as hard concrete is pretty much the worst surface to walk miles and miles on, but I’d hate to get more time in purgatory than I’m already signed up for on a technicality.

Looming in the distance is the Alto de Perdón, or Hill of Forgiveness. After crossing the Pyrenees, it isn’t really that scary, but 1,200 feet is still 1,200 feet. At the top, amongst the towering wind turbines, is a sculpture that has become one of the more iconic symbols of the camino. I read somewhere that the twelve figures represent the history of the route, from the first pilgrims to travel it, through it growth and decline over the years, and finally its “rediscovery” by modern-day travelers. I’m not sure how much of that is true, but it is a sight for sore eyes regardless as it means our day is about to get a whole lot easier.

The path down to Puente la Reina is steep but otherwise quite uneventful and we’re happy to see the church steeple appear in the distance letting us know that we’re getting close. Efe Bomba (we realized that we have been saying it incorrectly all along here in Spain, along with Arándano Joe) has posted up there for the evening already but will be making her 2022 debut tomorrow.

60 miles down, 420 to go! 👀