We all set out together today – Nance and Mac and M & R and I. There is a small bed of herbs at the front of the albergue where we pose for a quick selfie.
And then stop for another selfie under a window box bursting with flowers. Almost every house has these stunning window boxes lining the entire front of the facade and what with these vibrant colours and the vines laden with thick fat green juicy grapes and apple orchards with more fruit than leaves and shiny plums – polished and plump – it’s like walking through the garden of Eden.
We are barely 5 minutes away from the albergue when we spot Barbara – waiting by a bus-stop. Our feet collectively slow down a little as we wonder how to sound welcoming but not so much that she is encouraged to accompany us. The hardest task is M & R’s since they are the ones she is most friendly with. We ask her how she’s feeling and she says she’s still feeling very weak from the day before so she’s planning on taking a bus to Pamplona. R & M school their expressions enough to convey just the concern without the (evident) relief this news brings them. She asks Nance whether she should reserve a room for us in Pamplona since she’d be getting there within a couple of hours and Nance minces out of the awkwardness by saying “I don’t make decisions – I only follow where the rest lead” or words to that effect. That response deftly tosses the ball into the remaining court and we all quickly shuffle our feet and make unintelligible noises intended to convey that we are going to wait until we get into Pamplona for who knows haha if we’ll even make it that far given what slow walkers we are etc. Poor Barbara – she has no choice but to take the hint – gigantic as it is. We finally manage to peel away and I’m sure that the small pangs of guilt jabbing at me are also making its rounds with the others. We assuage the jabs by nodding vigorously and agreeing amongst ourselves how prudent it is of her to take the bus and how a day (or two) of rest is imperative at this point and no one mentions the soothing solace her absence brings.
It is about 22 kms to Pamplona and though the temperature is a modest 80
