Love at Spain's Iron Cross

20 - Pamplona

20

Pamplona

Wednesday, June 2

Makena, Bayou, and Delta stayed in Zubiri, a town with only 420 inhabitants, more than Roncesvalles, but still just a village. Although they had walked nearly fourteen miles with small climbs, the gain measured in the hundreds of feet rather than the thousands ascended the day before when walking over the Pyrenees. They were tired, but nowhere near as exhausted as they had been the day before after crossing the mountain pass.

In Zubiri, they had dinner in a local tavern downstairs inside their lodge, where the woman who waited on them was the owner. When Ximena started speaking to her in Basque rather than Spanish, she lit up. Many Basques still wanted their own independent country, while others were fine with some autonomy while remaining part of Spain, but the Basque connection united the two of them. The owner said that she could trace the history of her family's ancestors in Zubiri for nearly 1000 years. "That's how far back we know for sure."

Delta asked, "Are you related to many others who live here?"

"Almost everyone," the owner said. "To get a husband, we recruit men from other places. But once they fall in love with a Basque woman, they are satisfied forever."

"Yes," said Arrosa. "We know how to please a man. Then afterward we must train them carefully so they know how to please us." All laughed.

Makena continued promoting the movie idea and explained this to the owner. "Penelope and Javier do not stay in albergues, nor do they pay for hotel rooms. Instead, they choose to camp in the fields."

Bayou got into the spirit. "And inside her huge pack, Penelope has only cosmetics. From his tiny knapsack, Javier pulls out a tent, air mattresses, sleeping bags, chairs, a table, and more!"

"All this is understandable," said the owner, smiling. "I must rent rooms to high-class people such as yourselves. Javier and Penelope could never afford to stay here with me."

Thursday, June 3

Today, as the group had done late yesterday, they continued to descend. The trail undulated along a valley. There were some occasional uphills, but overall they dropped down. It was pretty, following the Rio Arga, the path meandering above the river. Ximena said, "In the movie, Javier will be afraid to ford the stream, so Penelope will lift him and carry him across in her arms!"

Many miles of their trek passed through forests and near farms, where their companions were birds and butterflies, with an occasional dog barking from a local's yard. At the end of the day's walk, as they entered the outskirts of Pamplona, the yellow arrows guiding them were painted on sidewalks or building walls. In a few areas, there were even cement imprints or metal shells embedded in the path, showing them where to go.

By the time they reached central Pamplona, a large city of around 150,000 people, they were 3000 feet below the elevation of the pass over the Pyrenees. This day's segment was another thirteen miles, but they moved much slower than before. There had been a mishap at their albergue that morning.

Before dawn, Delta had asked Bayou, "Did you grab my boots by mistake, sis?"

"No. I have mine. Is your pair missing?"

"I don't know. I have the right brand, but it felt way too small when I tried them on, so I checked. I found that these are size seven but I wear a nine."

"Weird. No, I don't have yours. Mine are size six. I don't understand."

Makena asked, "Do you remember the girls from Germany? Maybe one took your boots by mistake?"