Puente la Reina

After a restful stop over in a beautiful Pamplona, I was up early and on the road by 7:30AM for the next 22 k.  The rains of course accompanied me as I left the cobbled stoned streets of Pamplona.   Maybe it is because the city is so associated with Ernest Hemingway that I could not resist thinking that maybe the rains will accompany me on this journey as did the fish keep the old man company in “The Old Man and the Sea.”  But I digress.

Plaque commemorating Hemingway's favorite bar for cognac
before and after the bullfights. 

After about an hour or so the rains stopped.   They stopped just in time to climb the “Alto del Perdon” which could be loosely translated “Mount Forgiveness.”  For the pilgrims past and present it is just a harsh reality that reformation only comes with some discomfort and true forgiveness realized.  But by climbing such heights (1,200 feet) there can be wonderful vistas as well as hindsight.  It was actually so beautiful as the clouds were moving out that I forgot to take a picture.  The area is filled with modern wind turbines as the winds that whip around the region contribute to powering the Navarre region.

La Puenta la Reina looking to the hills on the far side of the city.

The village of Puente la Reina gets its name from a bridge that the Queen (the wife of Sancho III) had built for me.  Honestly.   She had the bridge built for the pilgrims to Santiago so that they could cross the Arga River more safely and easily.  Sine then it and the whole village have been called basically Queen’s Bridge.  Puente la Reina is like a six street wide 12 street long pristine ode to the Middle Ages.  Surrounded by a more modern set up of 21st century Spain it is spared from the Pamplonan suburbs by “Mount of Forgiveness.”

Much of the town, like the others on the Camino route, is supported by pilgrim commerce.  The albergues, hotels, restaurants are all for us.   Scattered on every Camino route are loads of grocery stores for us to pick at or some type of store for every pilgrim’s needs:   boots, rain gear, hats and of course walking sticks and shells.

The elaborate statute of St. James, the Pilgrim, greeting visitors .

Central to the village and beautiful in it's simplicity is the 12th century Church of Santiago greeting pilgrims as they pass or stop on the way.  There was a religious sister who helped me out to say Mass there.   Usually I like to concelebrate the parish Mass but tonight's Mass was replaced by a funeral at which I would have felt awkward so I was able to celebrate Mass while most were having there siesta.  It's not something we do in New York a 7PM Funeral Mass.  But then again we also don't have daily Mass each night at 7:30PM.  Say a little prayer for Rosa Jimenez Fernandez (the announcement was on the church door) when you have the chance.

12th century portal to the church of Santiago, Puente la Reina.
(Notice funeral announcement on door)