Hemingway’s cafe, a lightning storm on an iron mountain, the worst lunch of my Camino, and a mystical church nobody can explain. Just another day on the French Way.
📊 Stage Quick Facts:
- Distance: ~24 km (including the scenic detour to Eunate!)
- Time: ~6-7 hours
- Difficulty: Moderate to Hard (A steady climb up to the windy pass, followed by a steep, rocky descent)
- Terrain: City pavements, gravel mountain tracks, loose rolling stones, and rural dirt paths
- Elevation: Climb to Alto del Perdon (+350m), then a sharp, steep drop into the valley (-400m)
A Hemingway Coffee and Saying Goodbye to Pamplona
After a heavenly rest day, I finally prepared to leave Pamplona around 11:00 AM-but absolutely not before having a proper morning coffee at the city’s most historic spot: Café Iruña on the Plaza del Castillo. Sitting where Ernest Hemingway used to write his masterpieces, soaking in the old-world elegance, I was sipping my coffee and desperately trying to remember which of his books I had actually read – and when exactly that was (I am a bookworm with extremely bad memory).
Honestly, I felt a wave of sadness leaving Pamplona behind. I completely fell in love with the vibe of that city and could easily imagine myself living there in another life. Pamplona, I’ll be back.
But the trail was calling. After leaving the city outskirts, the Camino transitions into a stunningly beautiful rural area. Since I am a dedicated late bird, the trail was almost entirely mine, save for a few other late-starting pilgrims scattered along the horizon.
Chasing Storms at the Peak of Forgiveness
The trail climbs steadily until it brings you to one of the most iconic landmarks on the entire French Way: the famous monument at Alto del Perdon (Mount of Forgiveness), with its life-sized iron silhouettes of medieval pilgrims. Usually, this peak is packed with people taking photos, but the moody northern weather decided to strike right at that moment.
Suddenly, it started raining, and a few dramatic flashes of lightning cracked across the sky. Standing on top of a mountain next to massive iron statues during a lightning storm felt like an extreme sport I hadn’t signed up for! Needless to say, I didn’t stay to take any pictures-those lightning bolts gave me all the motivation I needed to skip the photoshoot and keep moving as fast as possible to escape the storm. The iron pilgrims in the monument looked far more comfortable with the lightning than I felt.
Still, once I made it a bit lower, lightning or no lightning, I simply couldn’t resist snapping photos of the gorgeous wildflowers along the paths.
The descent from Alto del Perdon into the valley below was quite “decent” (pun intended!), but let me be brutally honest: it is covered in loose, rolling stones, and I wouldn’t want to tackle that slippery downhill without my trekking poles!
🚜 Agricultural Beauty: All along the valley floor, massive fields of local crops and rapeseed were blossoming in vibrant yellows and greens, creating a stunning blanket of color despite the gray storm clouds.
The Worst Lunch and a Mystical Detour to Eunate
Around 16:00, I finally rolled into the village of Uterga, where I unfortunately experienced the absolute worst lunch of my entire Camino. (Hey, it can’t all be Michelin-star tortillas!).
With my stomach questioning my life choices, I still had a chunk of kilometers left to reach Puente la Reina. But since I am clearly not the type of person who chooses the easy, boring path, I decided to take a sharp left turn through Muruzabal to see the legendary Church of Santa María de Eunate.
And oh, what a beautiful, surreal experience it was!
⛪ The Mystery of Eunate: Hidden in the middle of an open valley, this enigmatic 12th-century Romanesque church is famous for its unique octagonal (eight-sided) shape and a mysterious outer cloister. Nobody quite knows who built it-the Knights Templar or a wealthy ancient guild. For just a couple of Euros, you can step inside, and the spiritual, quiet energy in that ancient stone room is tangible.
From Eunate, feeling soaked, tired, but incredibly happy with my detour, I pushed through the final stretch. I walked into the historic town of Puente la Reina side-by-side with another wonderfully unhurried pilgrim, arriving just in time for a late check-in at albergue.
I went for a short stroll to the bridge, where I met my fellow Spanish Pilgrim from Bilbao. Let me tell you one interesting thing about me – when I know only few words and phrases in foreign language, I can convince people that I do actually speak. So we had a great conversation (from his side) and pantomime accompanied by a few words in Spanish (from mine).
Time to dry my gear, rest my feet, and fall asleep to the sound of the famous medieval bridge. Tomorrow, Navarra keeps giving.
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