A young group of five overtakes us almost immediately. All of them trot very happily along, knocking the ground rhythmically with their pilgrim’s staffs. Paca and I call them "The Five Alpines". After a while, after the tunnel that crosses below the road beside Monte Miravalles, we find two more pilgrims. They are elderly and walk with the aid of very high staffs. They sit down on a big stone healing their blisters. We ask them if they need any help. They shake their heads. We go on.

At quarter past nine in the morning we are having our breakfasts in a Burlada’s bar with some Pamplonicas (people from Pamplona) who try to kill their hangovers and put their ideas in order by drinking red wine and eating fried cod.

The entrance to Pamplona is beautiful. Of course it is decorated with thousands of visitors who are sprawled everywhere, some of them are sleeping it off and some of them recovering for the new day. Many people are sleeping in cars and others are generally just flopped about everywhere.

The walls of Pamplona open gently to us, and on a gate or a wall you can read: "ETA* WISHES YOU A HAPPY FIESTA".

The gate of Zumalacarregui opens up to Pamplona’s old center. Once in the city’s main streets the different crowds, the hustle and bustle, the punks, the police, the mimics, the drunks, the people throwing up, the cleaning services, the spontaneous choirs... and God know how many other mixtures of people and things.

• GORA* SAN FERMIN! VIVA! VIVA SAN FERMIN! GORA!

• THAT IS NOT THE RIGHT WAY TO SANTIAGO! YOU’RE GOING TO LOURDES!

• IF YOU DON’T WEAR THE SHELL* YOUR SINS AREN’T FORGIVEN, AND BESIDES YOU’LL GET LOST!

• O.K. guys, I’ll tell my father what’s up!

We arrive at Zizur El Menor at noon and the boss of the bar Kaioba, who is also the hostel manager of the pilgrims, has a booked room for us. Paca and I are pleased.

At least no pilgrim will point at me the next morning, and instead of wishing me a good morning with a smile, say accusingly, that guy snores!!

We have lunch at a restaurant called "El Tremendo" and we have dinner at "La Sidrería" both of them are good but expensive.

The 19 year-old Andalucian young woman goes by on a bus with her father, Miguel, the 52 year-old Sevillian. She is taking medicines. The woman says she is going on anyway. We will see what happens. Her father is trying to dissuade her but the young woman stands her ground firmly.

We also find two foreign women in Zizur. The women walk with two boys, one boy is black and he must be five years old, and the other is a baby they carry in a pram. They do not enter in the pilgrims’ hostel and find shelter under a tree next to the route on the outskirts of the village. Can you understand this?

In the evening we see a teacher from Guadalajara, Santiago. He is surprised when he sees us. Santiago lives in our very suburbs. He is with one of his sons that is doing the Camino on bike, with a helping car.

*ETA.- Basque terrorist organisation.

*GORA.- Long live... !, in Basque language.

*The SHELL.- It is a symbol of Camino de Santiago that pilgrims usually wear like a pendant round her necks.

Stage 2 Stage 3