4 Zubiri to Trinidad de Arre - 11 miles

 Why did the chicken cross the Camino?

Unfortunately, I don’t really know the answer to that question. However chickens had a role to play in the Camino today. If this has sparked your interest then read on.

After yesterday‘s slog of a hike, we all slept in just a little bit today. We also knew that today’s walk would be a little easier because it would be a little shorter. We were hoping to make it to Pamplona today. However, news on the Camino is that Pamplona is all booked. There are no rooms available this weekend because of a few conferences that are in town. So we decided to stop at a town just before Pamplona where we were able to make a reservation for some beds. And fortunately today’s hike was a little easier. There was still a lot of up and down but it was much shorter ups and shorter downs and less steep ups and downs. It also became obvious that we were doing much less hiking in the mountains and for the most part stayed in a valley area.

Along the way, today, we met some interesting folks. There was the slug. At the rate he was going I’m not sure he will ever make it to Santiago.

Then, there was John who was along the side of the Camino handing out free coffee and free lemonade. He runs a nonprofit called Espiritu Pellegrino which means the pilgrim spirit. Evidently his mission is to take the spirit of the Camino and help others to experience it in daily life. He offers a series of podcasts and reflections and meditations online. He was a very interesting individual to talk to and I hope to follow up with this group.

No here’s where the chickens come in. We found a little Creekside bar (don’t worry mom a bar is what they call a café over here) for a midday snack. There are some resident chickens in a rooster that keep the clients entertained.

And then there is the Doctora Gallina. She is being escorted by Sarah, a fellow pilgrim who has joined our little group. Sarah is a Spanish teacher from Tennessee and is posting pictures of - yes it’s a rubber chicken - along the Camino for her students to follow on social media. 

We finally made it to our destination for the day, a little village called Trinidad de Arre. We stayed in and “albergue de peregrino” (which means pilgrims hotel) which some think is the oldest surviving such hotel. The building dates from the 13th century and may or may not have been built by the Knights Templar. There is a disagreement among the two hosts who were there.) because of its age the water pressure was horrible, but after a long day hiking anything will do. 

We were also able to attend mass at the parish church that is connected to it. 

Afterwords we shared in a pilgrims dinner where the other guests all came together and we shared a meal that was prepared by one of the hosts. It was probably the best meal I’ve had so far, and it was a lot of fun to meet new people and hear about their stories in Spanish, French, Flemish, English, and Italian. It’s pretty amazing what you can pick up even when you don’t understand the language.

That’s all for now. Tomorrow we walk again.

Buen Camino.