12 April -- Larrasoaña - Pamplona

I remembered that Istvan often drove from Bizkarreta to Pamplona to pick pilgrims up at the train station. So, on the chance that he may be driving through here, I decided to call to see if I could catch a ride. He said that he wasn't scheduled to pick anyone up today, but when he heard that I was injured he offered to pick me up and drive me to Pamplona!! He had to take some pilgrims to SJPDP first thing in the morning and he wouldn't be back until 11:00am, but if I wanted to wait he would come and get me.  I told him I would pay for his fuel and I would meet him in the town square.

Everyone else was leaving, they patted me on the shoulder and wished me luck as they took off for the Camino trail.  I was left sitting alone in the town square with my pack and my poles. It was a sad moment.

I decided that if I didn't snap out of it, I was going to cry again. So I got up and, using my poles for support, I set off to find some coffee and breakfast. I limped across the square into the village toward the market. On the way, I saw a sign that read "Casa Elita, Open all year, Cafe American."  So I turned and walked to the end of the road where there was a two story building with a cafe on the ground floor. The lights were on, but the door was locked. I thought, boy my bad luck is holding up. Then I read a note taped to the door that read "Para la campana del anillo servicio." I whipped out the Google translator app that I had loaded onto my iPhone and saw "Ring bell for service." So I rang the bell. A woman poked her head out of the upstairs window and shouted what I hoped was "I'll be right there!"  She came downstairs and opened up for me. I ordered cafe con leche and a chocolate croissant. Boy was that tasty!!

She noted my limp and asked if I was ok. I explained that I had injured my knee (thanks to Google translator) and she was very sympathetic. There were photos of her posing with Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen on the wall behind her. I pointed and asked "The Way?" She smiled and said "Yes!" Apparently, they filmed the part where Martin Sheen dropped his backpack into the water right there in Larrasoana.  She said that they came into her cafe for coffee, American, while they were filming the movie.

Then a large group of Japanese pilgrims came into the cafe. There were about six of them with backpacks and pilgrim shells and another six or seven people carrying large film-crew style video cameras, boom microphones, tripods, light reflectors, and battery packs. They spoke to the proprietress in Spanish and before I knew it, they had set up to interview her! They were filming a Japanese documentary about the Camino de Santiago.  It was pretty cool!  When they finished, they ordered coffee and breakfast items.

After a while, the owner asked me if I was going to catch the bus. I said "BUS??"  She said that it stopped at the town square on its way to Pamplona. I quickly thanked her and took off as fast as I could limp towards the square.  When I turned the corner, I saw the bus..... leaving. It had dropped off  one female pilgrim and took off before I could get there. The pilgrim saw me and introduced herself as Helen from Canada. She said she had injured her knee (seriously?) and caught the bus in Roncesvalles so she could rest one day in Larrasoana. We laughed at the coincidence, but then realized that knee injuries are very common on this part of the Camino.  She then asked where she could get some coffee. I pointed her to the cafe, but decided not to go again because my knee was really hurting.

Istvan pulled into the square soon after 11:00 and I was so happy to see him I almost teared up. He helped me into his car, loaded my gear, and we took off for Pamplona. When he picked up my pack to load it he said "Here's your problem, this pack is too heavy." As we arrived in Pamplona, we couldn't drive to the hotel because they had the downtown streets blocked for a festival. So Istvan parked about a kilometer from the hotel and carried my pack for me. He said we needed to make one stop on the way to the hotel. We stopped at a pilgrim supply store where he suggested that I purchase a knee brace, sports cream, and a day pack. That way, he explained, I can send the heavy pack by transfer service along the route. This made perfect sense to me.

At the hotel, Istvan helped me check in, ordered a bucket of ice, and carted my gear to the elevator and then to my room on the fourth floor.  He was absolutely my guardian angel!! I was sad to see him leave for home, but so grateful for his help.

After icing and elevating my knee for several hours, I decided to go out to find some dinner.  I collapsed one of my hiking poles to make it small enough to use as a cane. As I walked around, I noticed many people heading in the same direction so I followed. The crowd flowed into the Plaza del Castillo where a festival was going on. I literally stumbled onto a group of folk dancers, as my makeshift cane got stuck in the cobblestone and I almost fell.  There were folk performers everywhere. I enjoyed a bocaldillo and a beer at an outside cafe while watching the festivities. A perfect end to my day.