Day 48 / Zubiri - Pamplona / 20.53 km

April 19, 2018

Day 48 / Zubiri - Pamplona / 20.53 km

Last night I was in the snoring refugio of hell. In Zubiri I checked into a refugio where I shared a room with 7 other people. One of them, a man, snored the complete Amazon forest away last night, after the Amazon he went for the Landes. At 5 In the morning another roommate, a young woman, decided it was time to leave and started packing her backpack,with a lot of NOISE! The evening before she explained she would be going to Pamplona, which is 20km away, and wanted to start early. Well you have early and EARLY ! What me really pixxxd of was when I woke up myself at 7.00, the girl was still sitting in the kitchen and that eventually I left the Refugio before her...I understand people want to leave early but a minimum of consideration for your roommates would be nice. A solution would be to organise the different sleeping rooms/area’s per intended wakeup time :the 6 o’clock , 7 o’clock,....room. When you opt for the 7 o’clock room you may not wake-up/make noise before that time. The people who snore should always be located In the basement, where they can all snore happily together.

Anyway. I get out of bed just before 7.00. I have breakfeast in the local bar. Start running. The distance is 20km, mainly descending. The path parallels a main road out of the valley. The scenery is nice,but you have to mentally filter the noice away of the cars in the distance. My average pace is around 10km. Including a short break I arrive around 10.15 in Pamplona which will give me the rest of the day time to discover the city and compensate for the missed sleep of last night.

Check-in time is not before 11.00. I kill the time with a coffee and a croissant in a bar. It seems I’m joining most Pamplonese (?) in their breakfeast.

Around 11 I check in. I rented a bed in a refugio in the old city centre. Compared to the night before the bed is situated in a pod which you can close (similar to some Japanese hotels) next night people can snore as much as they want. After a shower I stroll around in the city’s old centre. Pamplona is know by most for the bull runs and the fact Hemingway has spend spend some time here. It’s a nice city with a lot of bars, restaurants and shops. Contrary to most French cities I visited there are almost no shops vacant and the city centre, mainly pedestrian, is quite busy. Spain has been hit by an economic crisis as well so I’m intrigued to learn most of the shops are still open. I stroll untill I’m hungry and have some beer, tortilla and croquetas jamon. After 2 beers it’s time to compensate my lack of sleep of last night and I dive into my pod.

Around 16.30 I wake up and decide to visit the Cathedral and attached museum. Both are beautiful and interesting. It helps if you understand Spanish. An English guide is available but provides only a summary. Besides my cultural activity I have an ice cream and buy a new running socks. The ones I bought I Bourges may retire.

I continue to strole the city with once in a while a terrace break. As dinner I have some pinxtos and white wine. I’m lucky it’s “juevepinxtos” tonight which means you get in most bars a pinxto and a drink for 2.5 €. I have calamar, paprika filled with blood pudding, a kind of Spanish merges/chorizo and a hamburguesa. A great dinner for 10€. Not sure if the wine will help to run the intended 37 k tomorrow.