We arrived in Madrid in the wee hours of the morning and set about finding our way to the train. A small office near the airport exit was happy to sell us a targeta dorada (as in senior pass) as well as tickets for the train to Pamplona. Hopping the connector to the appropriate train station was fairly simple, though it'll be a 4 hour wait until our train due to the slowdown imposed by the strike. Hey, we're just glad they are running and it gives us plenty of time for people watching and the perfect location. Summer vacation is coming to an end and folks are toting an incredible amount of luggage, appearing to travel with all their worldly possessions. By comparison we look like we are just out for a Sunday stroll. The high speed train carried us through the countryside. Harvest is in progress with big fields of straw cut, baled, and awaiting storage. Not sure of all the other crops, though I did recognize orange trees loaded with fruit and fields of sunflower heads ready for the plucking. We finally made it to Pamplona around 3 pm, after being on the road over 24 hours. We splurged and got a hotel room so we can get a good nights sleep before officially starting the Camino.