Day 2
Roncasvalles to Trinidad de Arre-40Km
Woken up by rain beating the roof at 4 am. By 5 am pencil torches were beginning to stab the darkness and within another 30 mins the place was a hive of activity. We were on the road just after 6- no breakfast. Felt a little tenderness in one foot, then the other. Not too pleased to be feeling pain on only the second day.
We were soon off the road and ankle deep in mud- should have worn boots rather than walking shoes. We were still not totally clear of the hills and the combination of slippery stone and mud made for some hairy descents. Encountered very few walkers on early part of journey but were continuosly passed by 2 wheeled pilgrims. Had a number of encounters with a German walker who was singing every time our paths crossed.
The plan was to stop at Larasoana, but finding a town with every street dug up and neither the albergue or any cafe open made the idea of stopping here less than inviting. After a lot of tooing and froing we decided to move on to Trinidad de Arre. By this stage it had become quite hot and I found that I needed to take on a bottle of water at every fountain. Reached Trinidad (outskirts of Pamplona) at 4pm. Qiute sore feet by that time. The albergue was a marvellous ancient building set in the rear garden of the church. This particular site has provided shelter to pilgrims since 11th centuary. After my shower realised thatI was being fast tracked to membership of Cripples United.
Hobbled into town for my daily dose of Pilgrims fare, at least the bottle of wine that comes with it ensures its quick passage through the body.
Doors were locked at 9, so that saved me the trouble of indulging in riotous behaviour. The singing German slept in the bunk above me- thankfully quietly