Day 6 – Zubiri to Run with the Bulls
21k – 68k to date
Ok, wrong time of year to run with the bulls, plus I am a little slow to probably do that but I did end up with Pamplona as my home away from home tonight. Pamplona is an absolutely great town, you reach the suburbs about 8k out. The suburbs are large, new and fairly clean. As you reach the old city center, you cross a small river and see the old architectural structures as compared to all the modern buildings you had been walking by.
Before you reach city center, you come upon an old massive church, where they have taken a wing, gutted it and filled the huge space with three floors of bunk beds, showers and related rooms to house the municipal hostel that houses about 140 and it was full the night I was there. For those that want to know, yes, almost everything is unisex here, but most people are respectfully modest. A few of the European men might run around in their briefs, but that is about the extent of exhibitionism.
The trek today was better than the last few days, but still very testing. The trek was still mainly coming out of the mountain foothills to what is supposed to be the start of agricultural country. The views are still fabulous. The small towns are just a joy to walk through.
Back to Pamplona, as I walked around the city center, old town, there was such a dichotomy as one side of the street would have a modern office building and the other would have a hundreds year old structures that are usable and maintained. I did see where the bull running ends in the old bull fighting arena. I do not know if they still have bull fights as it looks a little fatigued. As night approached the city center came alive with activity and most of it was higher class type people, mostly young. This part of the city has been revitalized. I would love to come here some time and just a spend a couple of days. It is a beautiful and thriving city.
Till tomorrow
Psalm 68:35