España

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The Delirious Fandango

Lesson one of the journey did not take long to smack me directly in the forehead. Preparing for a months long hike, coordinating and fine-tuning a pack-list, and finally taking an 8 hour flight across the ocean is best done without being a shade hungover. But, it felt improper to leave Burke County without one last round of celebration. Needless to say, the morning after, with shades pulled down, shirt haphazardly buttoned, and tylenol in hand, I jumped on the plane with Linsey shuffling along right beside me.

In the infinite wisdom of the ariline companies, American Airlines had scheduled a layover in New York. Unfortunately for us, we flew into Luguardia and flew out of JFK. This airport shift in and of itself is not a great logistical hurdle. However, just as the cab pulls up to casually drive us to JFK Linsey gives me the "Oh Shit" look I have learned to fear through the years. Her wallet- passport, ID, credit cards, and other tickets- are not in her bag. Against the instinct of every brother in the world I tried my damdest to be as calm and collected as possible. Luckily the travel Gods saw fit to deliver us from brink of disaster. After another round through security and a sprint to our soon to be departing old plane Linsey´s wallet is found under her seat. Crisis averted. Lesson learned. Or so I would think.

Flying into Spain just as the sun came up over Madrid made all of the planning, waiting, and time squished in those tiny airline seats completely worth the hastle. We had 4 hours of layover to either sleep in the airport or scramble through Madrid as fast as possible. We ventured out. The narrow cobblestone streets surrounded by ancient churches, small intricate restaurants, and slow walking locals remind you that the city has existed years before a neat and tidy grid system focused on efficiency and navigability. Imagine, generations and generations of people have lived, walked and died on and around those cobblestones centuries before the United States had become a hint of a whisper. Lunch was at the Museum of Pork. Hundreds of cured and smoked pork products served at a stand up counter with fresh coffee and OJ. I was in heaven and Linsey, quite surprisingly was content. For a once vegan she did well at the Museum of Pork. We made it back to the airport, hit a quick nap and headed off to Pamplona.

Hemmingway may have been a bit eccentric and may have even become a bit crazy towards the end of his life, but the man knew a good city and Pamplona is no different. Smaller than Madrid, we found it much easier to navigate to the Hemmingway Hostel, our diggs for the night. For ten bucks a piece Linsey and I got a private room, a hot shower, and free breakfast for the morning. Once we started unpacking, however, we ran into another snag. Linsey had left her sleeping bag under the chair on the flight to Pamplona... I´m not making this up. We found an outdoor store, grabbed another bag and headed off to dinner. We tried a Tapas or two and on a gamble ordered some dish with unfamiliar spanish words. Turned out to be full prawns with some lemon. They were fantastic and, I can´t lie, it also gave me a bit of satisfaction watching Linsey pull the head off of her food before eating it.

Our original plan was to start in St. Jean Piers de Port but Pamplona all but shuts down on Sundays including the bus system. Rather than pay outrageous money for a 2 hour taxi we headed West and will wait for tomorrow to head to St Jean. Around 11:00 we set off for Puenta de la Reina, which is a short 11 mile hike over the surrounding hills. The hike was amazing. Uphill for the first 4 miles, winding out of Pamplona and through the green rolling mountains. The top peak had an old religious statue, some monuments to the hikers, and a line of wind turbines that stretched for miles. (Odd to see the monuments to the past, present, and future as unintentional neighbors.) Linsey and I made it to what we believed to be Puenta de la Reina and found a hostel. Only hours later on a walk to a winery (also closed on Sundays) did we realize we were about 3 miles shy of la Reina. At this point in the trip I am begining to see the value in a 15 € guide book. All worked out for the better, though. We are at tiny town and are staying above the only restaraunt. The meal was outrageously good and made better when Linsey accidently ordered a bottle of red wine instead of a glass. Naturally, I dumped out some water and saved half of the bottle for our hike tomorrow. Bread, fresh ham, and some wine won´t be a bad lunch.

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Photos

Big Night Out
Linsey curled up in Madrid Airport

Bull doesn´t stand a chance
Wrong time of year or the bulls would be alive and I would be in full sprint

Pamplona Albergue
bought our credentials for 1.5 €

Hemmingway
A statue describing your admiration for Pamplona´s parties? Well done, sir.

Outside bull arena
Odd Fact: Pamplona has tons of old men that look like Hemmingway.

best picture so far
small Pamplona street

Dinner with a head
Prawns in a small bar

couple of castles
don´t mind the random castles in the middle of your farmland.

Virgin Mary
first of many religious statues.