Woke up this morning, packed and walked 4 miles to the train station. It was early so the Barcelona streets hadn’t really woken up yet. There were a shopkeepers sweeping up the cigarette butts from the night before, people walking their dogs and a few homeless people still asleep from the night prior but really it was quiet and peaceful. I passed some beautiful statues and landmarks and got to the train station early.
I had to switch trains once and would make it to Pamplona in 4.5 hours.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve taken a train and had a mini panic attack when I didn’t see my 11:00am train to Pamplona on the board. I knew I had to switch trains but the connecting location wasn’t there either. Because the website was in Spanish, I immediately assumed I had made a mistake booking it. I realized my train’s ultimate destination was Madrid and that the train number matched mine and I calmed down a bit.

The train was really big, left on time and wasn’t very full.
Me at the train station before leaving.
I shared a taxi cab with Suzie and Donna from Pamplona to St Jean Pied de Port. It was about 100 euros. We said our goodbyes but think we will probably see each other along the walk.

I got to my alburgue and was so happy! Gite Beilari Hostal was such a cute and quaint place to stay for my first night. It was clean and cute and Joseph the host was very friendly and welcoming!

The best part of the night was that I got to meet Nikki. We have been corresponding for the past 3-4 months and had an instant connection. We are very similar in our sense of humor, age and family situation. It felt like we have been friends for a long time! I have no doubt we will stay connected after this hike!

We had a tasty communal dinner on the patio and got to know everyone who was staying there. Dinner consisted of soup, salad, a dish similar to shepherds pie but with mushrooms, tiramisu and wine. It was a perfect evening and I appreciate the friends that I have made so far!

Mushroom shepherds pie.

My room was named Ura and I shared it with 2 other ladies. Stacy is a cow farmer from New Zealand and Savina was a dietician from Canada/Wisconsin.

For those curious about my sleeping arrangements, I will include pictures. They gave us paper sheets for the bed and pillows but I’m so glad I have the pillowcase that Caitlyn made me. It is my most treasured item I have with me. It’s nice to know I have a piece of her with me and paper pillowcases just aren’t appealing!

Lights went out at 10:30 and we all went to sleep, excitedly waiting for our next morning’s adventure to start.