This was the day that we would walk five miles on El Camino, beginning at the Alto de Perdón (Peak of Forgiveness). We began with a group photo, and we noticed that at our starting point, there was a memorial that reminded us of Stonehenge.

Each of us walked at our own pace. The other walkers we encountered  ranged in age from eighteen to eighty. Those who were planning to do the entire route had huge backpacks filled with everything they might need for the next thirty days or so. They seemed to have been born in every continent except Antartica. Each wished us “Buen Camino”, meaning “Good walk.”

The pathway consisted of a variety of types of ground, including paved roadways, gravel, dirt, and mud. Some of it was level. There were hills and valleys, but  they weren’t excessively steep. Nick was  ahead of me, focusing on photography.

The symbol of Saint James is a scallop shell,  as in Coquilles St. Jacques.  The original pilgrims picked up a scallop shell at the end of their walk to prove that they had completed the journey.   Now, walkers receive their shells at the start. Our pathway was marked with scallop shells and yellow arrows that  indicated the direction we needed to follow. Somehow, five members of our group who were walking together  missed the very first arrow. After walking quite awhile without seeing any arrows or scallop shells, they called Todd by cell phone,  who doubled back and rescued them.

It was another very hot, sunny day. Nick was quite a bit ahead of me. He had the sun block and water in his backpack, but he was focused on sights that he might want to photograph. I continued along, and as I had no problems after the first  forty-five minutes, I decided to do the whole five miles. As I said earlier, I have no trouble going uphill, but  I’m far less confident going downhill. We reached a downhill section of the road. One of the members of our group saw my discomfort. He very kindly offered me his arm until we successfully reached level ground. After awhile, I passed Nick.

The meeting point for the group after the five mile trek was at the Hotel Jakue near the town of Puente La Reina. It was a joy to watch each member of our group as he or she reached our destination. When Nick arrived, we could see that the heat had gotten the better of him. A woman in our group gave him chocolate, and our bus driver gave him a bottle of water. We could tell that he had recovered when he began taking pictures again. I was  very relieved!

We did some exploring in the town, and soon  it was time for a midday meal at a local winery. The first course was gazpacho, which is not something I  typically enjoy, but this was creamy and delicious. Our next course was tuna, and after that, bull’s tail topped with risotto topped with roasted peppers, scrumptious! Dessert was a shell filled with a kind of pudding that had been seasoned with cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. That was followed by coffee, a chocolate truffle, and an after dinner drink. Those seated at our table shared stories about our favorite childhood television shows  and entertainers.

The bus trip from  Pamplona  to San Sebastián was long. I haves neglected to say that Todd had prepared information for us to read during each bus trip, including Spanish’s history, architecture, gastronomy, and wine, and also additional information about the Camino, Pamplona, and San Sebastián.  Before we reached San Sebastián, we stopped at the Monte Igueldo viewpoint. When we reached our hotel, it was time for an orientation walk. During the walk we stopped off for pintxos, as did others in our group. We ordered  roasted pepper over tuna salad, marinated mushrooms, and a  sliced hard boiled egg topped with anchovies, each served on slices of baguette.

In our hotel room I checked my phone and saw that we had walked 22,361 steps that day, a record. It had been a day filled with a sense of accomplishment and a sense of exhaustion!