The journey passed the one week mark.

One week in, this is why you haven't heard from me!

Where are the posts? 

Well...  I've been walking my ass off, sweating my ass off, taking care of daily chores, etc etc etc.  Couple that with the fact I have been with my good friend Charlton from Wales and I have just been having fun since Pamplona, catching up, and enjoying our friendship...  How else do you think all those drinks (listed below in the food section) got consumed. 

But first, the walking, it has been hard! 

 Great rewards, but damn hard.

  Easier every day but still a few hills every day that are there just to kick you down a few notches and keep you in line and not getting cocky.  The trail will continue to get gentler over the next week and then we will all be begging for something, anything, a small whoop, anything but Flat!

So some observations, Lynne and I were TRYING to take the river route into Pamplona, a well documented route with a solid reentry point...  Yeah, that was not too happen, see the Pamploniums, they don't let that happen!  Peregrino, Camino THAT way!  Over very nice lady explained we were off Camino and insisted in escorting us back to the Camino!  What do you do?  Si' lead the way is what you do (damn I wanted to finish that river walk).

Oh and the FRESH squeezed orange juice, one in particular, this little van, on a dirt par of the Camino on the summit of a hill before you turn and start the slog thru the suburbs to Pamplona...  Sweet sweet oranges, hand squeezed right into the cup, about 3 1/2 oranges into each cup and could from sitting in ice before being squeezed...  Oh my!  Liquid heaven!  Damn good thing that is not available on that fashion locally, I would turn and probably diabetic!

Lynne joined Charlton and I Sunday for some playing around Pamplona and having a pinchos bar crawl!  You have no idea what pinchos are, they are very small portions of food with the intention of you being able to eat several of them as you visit multiple bars. 

Lynne was enjoying some Iberian ham on pastry, Charlton was enjoying some miniature sandwiches, and I enjoyed a miniature steak kabob with mushrooms on top of a roasted potato slice. 

For a second shot, which I did not get a picture because I was too busy enjoying the moment.  Charlton enjoyed some fried chicken pieces on a piece of toast and I can't honestly remember what Lynne and I enjoyed only that it was really, really good. We each enjoyed a shot of pacharán and some mini baclavas for dessert.  Later for dinner, we found our way into the main square and enjoyed some very unique pizzas. I enjoyed a particularly interesting pasta meal. Picture. A giant plate-sized french onion soup crock. Filled with rigatoni and a delicious sauce with mushroom, sausages, and spices. In much the same way you drape a piece of cheese over a french onion soup, they had a very, very thin crust draped over the entire bowl which was then seasoned. It was extremely delicious! Yesterday, just before the summit of Alto de Perdon I stopped for an impromptu picnic and Lynne was already there so she joined me. 

French chorizo mini sausages

French sheep cheese 

Fresh bread

Chocolate bar 

Apple

And KAS Limon!

Perfecto!

And I must say, I'm very glad that I stopped before the summit for this picnic because when I got to the summit it was all blocked off part of a movie set. The iconic Pilgrim silhouettes had been vandalized so somebody could make a movie and profit off the Camino. 

Yesterday at Alto del Perdón, the monument was desecrated. Film crews blocked pilgrims from a proper visit. Enough of us were denied that we could have started a riot.

It felt like the Bible story of Jesus flipping tables in the Temple. He cleansed what was sacred from being turned into a market.

That’s what I wanted — to cleanse the Camino of that violation, to take back the silence and the wind, and leave the monument for what it was meant to be: sacred... But alas we did not, in pilgrim style we stood there, eyes burning into their souls, knowing one day they will be judged for their act...  That was enough to satisfy my pilgrim thirst for justice. 

But, while I am venting, those damn cyclists, of ALL the bikes going by, I have counted FIVE ringing their bells, FIVE!  The rules, like almost all other trails, demand a bell or loud vocal call, prohibit E-Bikes, and give foot the right of way.  Let's just say I'm not a fan of bikagrinos, but short of going nuclear of them, I'll grit my teeth and hold my own on the trail and make them slow down....    Five bells, The rest can suck gravel! 

So to kinda wrap up:

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time!

How do you talk the Camino, 500 miles/800 kilometers, approximately 1,000,000 footsteps?

One step at a time!

What is the hardest part of the whole ordeal?

Taking that first step(or bite)...  I have approximately 195,000 steps down.