Pamplona to Puente la Reine

Day four, Sunday Pamplona to Puente la Reine.
It was already warm when I left Pamplona just after 8, probably later than most Pilgrims who sensibly endeavour to avoid the intense heat of the afternoon. The first three miles took us out of the city, through the Campus of the University and towards the the highest point today Alto del Perdón at 750m.
I stopped for coffee early, an opportunistic manoeuvre which I am learning is the way to do things on the Camino. I was joined by Paul from Plymouth who had done the Camino several times before and Lena from Denmark. I walked intermittently with them most of the morning.
By eleven the temperature was really rising and the strong wind at the summit was welcome. The main blip is the wrought iron representation of medieval pilgrims and features in film The Way with Martin Sheen, directed by his son. I had my lunch there, and prepared for the arduous descent into Uterga, very rocky and most probably a river bed. It was only a couple of miles but it felt much longer and my progress was slow. At the bottom an Irishman caught up with me and the next couple of miles went so much faster. I 
One of the extras is the fountain in Uterga where I sat with my feet in the very cold water chatting to a Columbia lady who was wearing a dress (and walking boots), she looked cool and comfortable.
The final 5 miles into Puente la Reine was strenuous, it was 30 degrees and no wind. I remembered an old trick from my running days which is to speed up when you are really tired. It sounds counterintuitive but the change in pace uses different muscles and shakes up your mindset. It worked and started noticing things again, the honeysuckle was everywhere and poppies lined the perimeter of the fields of alfalfa, peas and wheat.
Just as I was finally approaching my destination flagging again I saw the Puente la Reine storks nesting high up in the Templar church. My tiredness was gone in an instance. The photo isn’t great but I’m including it because it was so thrilling.
An early supper paella and a small beer, more stork watching and a short walk around the quiet town. Tomorrow looks a little less demanding although the distance is similar.