Interacting with people is what this experience teaches you most, I guess. Also about your own way around choices and how you deal with what you have and what you need, also that. But seeing other humans from an angle that they deserve – it’s something I never realised I needed to learn. Everyone looks more or less the same here, especially after several days: handwashed shirt of a color, hiking shorts, dusty shoes, backpack. Are they a salesperson, a yoga guru, a teacher or “you know, a bit of this and that”? You first learn something else about them, probably. Are they friendly and want to connect or want to be left alone? Are they having good time or are miserable? Why are they here? Is their load heavy?
Today’s stage included no deep connections (not yet, at least), but it was long and difficult, so I had time to think. Okay, relatively easy, actually, but I still had time to think, that’s just what it’s like here.
Pamplona is very cute, a couple of its suburbs are clean and friendly, really fine places. They are getting ready for Sanfermin these days (that’s with the bulls running down the street and insane people trying to get impaled on the horns). In fact, apparently it was Hemmingway who made this such a big deal with the bulls, and now it’s all the tourists want to know about and see. Otherwise Sanfermin is a cherished local tradition that has to do with kettle originally, yes, but is also so much more than letting scary animals loose in a town.
In other news. Camino Frances is rather hard so far. Terrain is rather demanding (even though day one with its 1400m elevation took the main prize, others aren’t exactly flat, either). It’s a lot of distance to cover and heat is becoming relentless – around 35 by 4pm. Tomorrow is another long stage (closer to 28km), the plan is to get up at 5, hope it works, otherwise we’ll have to stop sooner or adapt faster, one of the two.
