Day III: Viskarret -> Pamplona, 19.8mi.

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Albuergue de Peregrenos (Jesús y María) €9.

I’m in love. With a town called Pamplona, Spain. As we crossed over the bridge to enter the town, a kind old man gave us each a daffodil and it was all uphill from there (including a decent amount of literal uphill to get to where we were staying). Our hostel (‘Albeurge de Peregrenos’) is in a stunning old church (see above), I found a row of orange buildings (my favorite color) walking into town, unlimited wine with dinner for ‘pilgrims’ participating in this trek is a real thing (see 1 of my🍷below) and there’s a statue of Earnest Hemingway in front of the “La Plaza de Torres.”

The town is renowned for its annual “Running of the Bulls” festivities, which culminates at this location. I don’t know how I feel about this event as a whole, frankly I don’t know how I feel about a lot of things at this point in my life (working on that), but I do know I’ve been obsessed with Earnest Hemingway recently. Before I knew he had anything to do with anywhere we’d be passing through, I spent hours combing through his words and tearing up multiple times at the sheer beauty that is his gift of articulation. You can imagine (and see below) how elated I was to learn of his connection to this town and to walk into places he frequented during his nine lifetime visits to Pamplona. It was relevant and enthralling and the only reason I walked 1.6 more miles after a 19.8mi trail day.

Today was long. I think it marked the furthest my own two legs have carried me in one day by several miles. When we walked into the nearby restaurant for our 10€ ‘Pilgrims Dinner’ (appetizer, entree, dessert, unlimited bread, unlimited wine) tonight, I was shocked they didn’t need proof we were pilgrims .. until I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Did I mention I walked 21.4mi today?

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”

“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”

“You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintery light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen. When the cold rains kept on and killed the spring, it was as though a young person died for no reason.”

“If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.”

“And you’ll always love me won’t you? Yes. And the rain won’t make any difference? No.”

⁃ E. Hemingway (x six)

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Billy Strings: Turmoil & Tinfoil