Day 3 // Larrasoaña – Zariquigui // 28.2 km

Last night was the night when at the auberge they had the orchestra play a free concert! And by that I mean the other travelers were snoring loud as hell. I tried avoid the beautiful symphonies by using my earplugs and pulling the hood of my sleeping bag over my head, but the sound of this music was just too powerful. I can’t sleep and I’m not that tired to fall asleep right away, so I got up and went to the kitchen house where they had free wifi. On my way there I saw kids and a dog playing some kind of a game with a ball, so I thought I’d sit down and watch them play. It was so quiet and peaceful. After a while I already got the rules of the game they were playing and comparing the games I used to play this game felt foreign to me. After a while I realize I should go to bed so I feel properly rested. It’s almost midnight and nothing has changed, the concert in the room is still going so I have no other choice than to fall asleep to this beautiful symphony. 

As the morning came I came to a decision to part ways with Steph, because her speed is a little slower than mine and at times I had to wait her to catch up with me. I have my own goal. So we took our last part of the journey together until the breakfast cafe 4 kilometer away and said our goodbyes.

Steph will always be my first Santiago buddy. And as I’ve mentioned before, every ‘first’ is special. Life always brings us together with the right people. Steph is an art teacher who works with different communities/groups - kids, people with special needs, etc.  I wrote about mental health and burnout in the first post, so naturally Steph and I had a lot to talk about. There was never any small talk. At the breakfast table we exchanged our recommendations (which we did a lot), this time it was books and movies. We also wrote a goal we want to reach in five years time on a piece of paper. I wonder if we remember to ask each other about this in five years..

Final hug and it’s time to go. Kristopher from Berlin gives me his cookies and I leave. 

While I was putting the backpack on, I almost lost my sock and immediately I feel like I’ve been thrown off a ship in the water. I am alone again and it is my responsibility to not lose anything, to follow where I am going and not missing any signs. 

Walking alone for just a kilometer, Chris, a middle aged man from England living in Madrid starts up a conversation with me. Our speed matches so we decided to hike together to his finish line of the day - Pamplona. It’s a good thing I met him, because in a little while we stumble upon a 2 way path. We picked ours and later realized that you could pick either path - one takes you on quite a lonely road, the other one leads you along the highway. There is a reason for meeting every person, and I met Chris for him to explain to me that the kilometers in the book are actually shown as if it was a straight horizontal line, that’s why my distance walked did not match up with the ones shown up in the book. Now I am confused about how long the Camino actually is and how many kilometers per day should I walk to reach destination. 

We killed 10 kilometers in less than 2 hours, so we reached Pamplona pretty quickly. I took a little break and said my goodbye. 

As i was switching my pair of socks I decided to switch up my shoes as well. The sneakers were dusty, so my sandals look like I’m wearing my fanciest most expensive heels. I proudly continue my journey.

They have these beautiful signs in the cities so you know where you should be going. The little human in the traffic lights is moving and I’m thinking to myself - if he was singing, he’d probably go - ‘keep going, keep going!’ I kept singing that to myself. I leave Pamplona with the window cleaner singing me a song.

As I continue my path alone, I think about this morning. I found a bobby pin on the floor and later on I was giving it to Steph, but she said I should keep it because there will definitely come a moment in the next 30 days that I will need it. There’s so many ways to say ‘I love you’ without actually saying it. I get emotional and almost start to weep. No! Not today, not yet! This journey will definitely not end without any tears, but this was just not the day. 

I feel like my first breaking point is slowly coming. They say it shows up around day 5 to 7. I still have them to look forward to. 

After 5 kilometers I decided to take a break. I found a beautiful place for my little break time.

I took my shoes off, laid down on the bench and raised my feet up. I was looking to the sky through the leaves and I felt like the guy from Into The Wild movie when he was looking up to the sky at the bus. I successfully detach my mind from the pain in the legs and shoulders for a little while. But now I get hungry. 

Santiago teaches you to completely not to worry about what the people around you think of you. I’m sitting there, massaging my feet and trying to gather strength for my last part of a day to get to the auberge. 

When I got back up, the sun came out. The path lead me through hay fields.

Walking though the fields in this heat reminds me of working in the country side when I was little. Every now and then I got attacked by a fly. Then later we would usually end the day with a swim in the lake. In this case, if I’m lucky, I’ll get a shower. Sounds good! 

Sunflower field makes me smile for a bit. It’s hot and hard to walk.

Berries?

Time for an inspirational song! I put on one of my favorite songs - Sounds of Red Bull / Fly High - the lyrics go ‘there is no mountain you can’t climb. fly high.’ Ok, got it. I climb, because the path now takes me up the hill. 

I’m so glad I have these two water bottles with me. Each of them is within a reach on each side of my backpack so I don’t have to take it off when I’m thirsty. Instead I feel like someone from an action movie, for example Vin Diesel and just pulled them out of the backpack like they’re guns. Plus, they are also great to use for massaging my muscles at the end of the day. 

I walk into auberge with my new Italian friend Alejandro. We’re the first, so we get to choose which beds to sleep in. Alejandro and I decide to share the washing machine, since both of us only have a couple pieces to wash. This auberge is really spoiling me, they have showers you can lock, a huge mirror, a great view, a washing machine and a dryer.

Alejandro gave me some of his foot cream and I was shocked to learn how good I am at massaging them. After that my feet are starting to recover. I have learned that after the day you need at least an hour to fix your body - stretching, massage and a cold shower. 

Tonight I decide to have dinner in the auberge’s bar.

When I finish that wine I will definitely feel tipsy or I will pass out right away. And passing out is what I want the most right now. 

Goodnight!