May 24

          We woke up at 6:00 and got our breakfast out of a vending machine. I had a ham croissant (the reminants of which are still in my bag. I should do something about that). There was a small cafe down the path a few km and we stopped there for a few minutes. Several of the pilgrims were already there eating. At this point in the trail we all know each other and so the trail has a friendly feeling. It was hot today and although we were mostly in the shade, I think I may have gotten a sunburn. We decided to stop a few km early so we could spend some time in Pamplona.
          We arrived in the city around 10:30, but the Albergue didn't open until 1:00, so we had some time to kill. We went to a restaurant for tea and sandwiches for about an hour, then we went to a pharmacy to find a knee brace for Caleb since he has an old snowboarding injury acting up on him. Next we spent some time just walking around Pamplona (and using the free internet) until the Albergue opened. The city was a really beautiful place and the buildings were very cool to see.
          Once the Albergue was open, we got our stamps and our beds. Then I took a shower before heading back out in search of laundry detergent. We found a small shop close to the Albergue where there was laundry soap and then decided to walk around some more. We ran into Doug, another pilgrim, as he was deciding which restaraunt to visit for a snack. He invited us to join him and we all ventured in for tapas. I don't really know what I ate. I think it was two slices of breaded tomato with cheese and pepper in between like a sandwich. Then we went back to do our laundry. We had bought a bar of soap, so we had to do everything by hand. My pants took a long time to clean because of all of the mud that had been worked into the fabric, but eventually we finished. I spent some time resting and reading while we waited for the dryer to finish with our things. Once done, we went out for dinner. We ended up at a restaurant about a half an hour before it opened, but the waiter seated us and gave us some bread anyway. Dinner was good, but there wasn't anything that seemed particularly Spanish, though I did have some good cold tomato soup.
          After dinner we walked some more (this seems like a lot of walking for people who should be tired, doesn't it?). At one point we walked down a street and were suddenly surrounded by about 20 middle aged rollerskaters. I am not sure exactly what was happening, but it looked funny. I just wish they had all been snapping and singing show tunes as they went.  We bought a baguette at a nearby store before heading back for the night. 
          And now for the segment you have all been waiting for... Awkward bathroom situations with Owl! This was the first Albergue we visited that had a unisex bathroom. Not just a one room unisex bathroom, but a full one with showers and everything. I checked the bathroom several times to see if it was clear of guys and I finally got to shower after the 3rd try. While I was brushing my teeth two different guys came in, stared at me with shocked expressions and ran back to the door to check the sign again. I left as soon as I could. For the rest of our stay I only used the one room handicap bathroom. I don't like getting weird looks while I am flossing.
(Written May 24)