I was hoping to go a little further today but after a poor night’s sleep and some new suspicious itchy spots, the priority became finding good laundry facilities by the end of the day. Estella is a major stopping point and the municipal albergue is great – again, clean and efficient. I have just spent…

A leisurely start this morning. Stayed for brekko and chitchat with various people. This is a very friendly family-run place and the mother/grandmother, Ana (68) started walking today with her sister Pilar (70ish). Here is Ana on the left, multitasking at 8:30 – serving breakfast and talking on the phone while her own backpack was…

I slept like a log in my comfy bed and didn’t get out of Pamplona until noon. That was OK, though, since New Yorkers J&T and I were planning to stop in Zariquiegui, at 10 km,  saving the hard  hike up to Alto del Perdon and the harder hike down, until tomorrow morning when we’d…

After morning eviction from the albergue, I found some breakfast and wandered over to the 4-star hotel. Eventually my friends came down for coffee. A-Irish is staying a couple of days due to injury and she invited me to stay the night with her. I accepted and spent most of the day showering, washing, lying…

… and mandolin, bed roll, tent, camp stove, library, and skateboard. Those are just some of the things hanging outside a huge and heavy backpack. Reuben is a few months into an around-the-world adventure and has been  hitchhiking in Europe from his home in the Netherlands. The musical instruments are meant to be his source…