I entered Pamplona today through the medieval stone gate that still had its drawbridge mechanism. A fellow peregrino took a photo for me.

It was one of the “easier” hiking days, with only a few steep climbs over 5 or 6 hours. The countryside was beautiful in the foothills outside of Roncesvalles.

I’m staying on the Plaza de Castillo in the center of the old town. It is beautiful and packed with people on a nice Saturday afternoon. (I later learned that many would stay up in the Plaza until 4 or 5 in the morning, noisily.

As a treat, I reserved a room at La Perla, where Hemingway stayed and wrote about in The Sun Also Rises (under a different name). There is a bust of him in the lobby and a few artifacts.

Also in the lobby is a switchboard that operated here from 1920 until the 1990s. This was one of the first electrified buildings in the region.

Peregrinos arrive hungry, as our daily routine does not mesh well with Spanish meal schedules. We generally arrive during siesta, when everything is closed, and have to wait until dinner to get food. I was the first one in the restaurant at 9:00 PM for dinner!