Fields and fields of rapeseed plants spanned across my vision for most of the day.
From Alto de Perdón, the Mount of Forgiveness, they could be seen for miles.
The day was hot, with a high of 80. There was little shade along the way but there was also less mud to slog through.
Most of the day was spent following the Arga River.
I found it quite scenic.
I entered the city through the portal of Zumalacarregui.
Most famous for its running of the bulls, Pamplona does have a few other sites.
Hanging with new friends in the plaza and wrapping up the day at Bar Gaucho for pintxos made for a long but enjoyable day.
What a bright beautiful morning! The picture didn’t quite capture the frost… it was 37 degrees. You also can’t see the bells on the horses. I haven’t figured out why one would bell a horse.
Only 787 kilometers to go! Not the most inspiring message at the start of the day, which started far too early as the folks at the monastery began playing Gregorian chants at… 6am. I hope my first stay at an official albergue is not representative of those to come.
Most pilgrims opt to stay in Zubiri after leaving Roncesvalles but I read some reviews applauding the pilgrims’ meal at Acá y Allá so I went the extra mile (technically, 2.5 kilometers). Along the way I spotted this beautiful jacaranda tree.
There was rain in the forecast for about 5pm so I was relieved to see Urdániz up ahead as the sky grayed.
Dinner was both delicious and entertaining as we tried to determine the what and why to the picture on the Vina Igara wine label. I thought maybe it depicted a walker at the end of another 16 mile day.
I’m not going to lie, today was rough.
It wasn’t the nearly 16 miles nor was it the number of steps.
It was the elevation.
It was the rain and the fog. It was seeing just enough to know that the road continued up.
It was the creepy things.
It was the gloomy things.
It was the constant damp.
The highlights included random spots of color, crossing the border and the Pyrenees Mountains, and a lovely lunch of veg soup, Spanish tortilla, and fresh squeezed orange juice at Orisson.
Today was another challenging travel day. The plan was to get to Saint Jean Pied de Port (SJPdP) early enough to pickup a Pilgrim’s passport, a water bottle (forgot to replace my hydration bladder after washing the backpack), locate and check into a hostel, wander a bit, then relax before the first big day. Instead, a one hour delay at Dax made me miss the connecting train at Bayonne. A 2 1/2 hour layover there did allow enough time to discover a charming cafe that served up this quesadilla platter. It was basically a ham and cheese crepe made with a tortilla instead and topped off with an egg. It worked.
After obtaining the passport and a water bottle, I found the hostel I had booked. I’m in a 4-bed women’s dorm but luckily, Beaux is my only roommate.
I even had a little time to stroll along the city walls and the citadel.
It is an endearing little town. I’d be more annoyed about being delayed but a lot of the shops are closed due to the holiday.
On July 18th, I arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
I found my students engaging,
the country enchanting,
transportation inviting,
the bordering nations captivating,
and somewhat more distant ones, fairly easy traveling.
Life in Thailand is quite appealing and it’s easy to understand why so many expats reside here. To view posts of my first five months in Thailand, go to https://pgonsights.wordpress.com/
On July 18th, I left China to move to Thailand. While I certainly would not miss the air pollution, cold, and crowds, I wasn’t as ecstatic as one might expect. I was fortunate to have had a rather positive initial experience living abroad and wasn’t so eager to leave. Life in China made me…
laugh,
reflect,
explore,
and travel.
China is an amazing country and I look forward to returning to visit more of her national treasures. To view some of my life in China, go to https://pjgonsights.wordpress.com/
On August 16th, I left the US bound for China. My adventures living abroad were to begin in Qingdao. While I didn’t travel outside China those first few months, there were still some memorable moments. My first day as a teacher, celebrating
Halloween with my students, finding Qingdao’s most iconic sculpture on my Trek,
and freezing in Harbin to name a few. It was an auspicious beginning to… well, life as I now know it.
Not being very tech savvy nor interested in spending many more hours redesigning my blog, I’ve decided to clean it up by migrating prior years to another location. The archives are located at: https://pjgonsights.wordpress.com/ Very original, I know.
Texas 