A Golden Day and Disharmonious Night

After our wonderful evening in Pamplona, Kyle, Kevin, Ally and I slept in.  We had book our hostel for two nights so we would have time to enjoy the city more. It was nice to be able to lay around and relax for the day.

The cafe we ate at

The four of us had lunch at a cafe that Ernest Hemingway used to frequent.  Then, Kyle and I left to explore the city more while Kevin and Ally read the books they’d brought along.  The main square of the city was much emptier than it had been the day before. I stretched out on a bench in the sun. One of the more frivolous things I’d brought with me was a black and grey skirt.  I could wear it with on of my walking shirts and feel like a girl instead of a dirty hiker. That day was warm and perfect.

Kyle and I whiled away the afternoon talking about deep things and shallow things. While people watching, he commented on how great it was that women wear tights as pants these days (men!). We also talked about our dreams for the future and troubling things from the past.

That afternoon in the square was full of golden moments I would dwell on the next day when things started to look down for our quartet. 

The square of Pamplona

At nightfall, we fell asleep with a room full of new pilgrims who had wandered in throughout the day. We planned to get an early start in the morning and use our renewed vigor after a day of rest. 

Little did we know, around 2 AM, the whole hostel would be woken unexpectedly. A very drunk man had stumbled into the room and he was not content to fall into bed and sleep it off.  He was shouting loudly and knocking into things. When people started to shush him, things only went downhill. Now he began shouting insults; “Wankers. You, your wife, your children. You’re all wankers! Shut up, the lot of you bastards.” His insults focused in on one man in particular who he seemed to know. Soon came the off-key singing and the declaration, “I’m taking all my clothes off now.” 

Finally, when it seemed he would never be quiet, Ally and another woman rebuked him sternly. He’d been ready to fight the men, but somehow in his drunken state he seemed to fall back into the patterns of childhood at the sound of a motherly scolding.  The women told him to go bed and let us pilgrims sleep. They spoke firmly, but softly and miraculously he followed their commands. 

The event left me shaking a bit and I lay awake as other drifted back into snoring slumbers. Eventually, even I relaxed and fell asleep for the few more hours we had until morning.