And On it Goes

Days seven and eight have had some similarities.  Day seven - Los Arcos to Logrono.  Day eight - Logrono to Najera.  Both days were a bit cooler, and on both days I got an early start.  Out of Los Arcos, on my own, I must have missed a yellow arrow as I somehow came to a fork in the middle of the fields and my prairie girl senses told me that I ought to be heading down the "less traveled one" so I did a Robert Frost.  About a km of this grass-growing-in-the-middle cow path I came to a highway.  By now it was light enough that I could see a village in the west-by-north-west.  I crossed my fingers that it was Sansol - the next place I was supposed to pass through, and walked about 1.5 km to it.  Lo and behold, it was the right place!  Head uphill towards the church, I knew I would find the Camino again.  And so I did.

You can see "Sansol" on the sign.  I was not taking one step backwards for a better shot.

Aim for the church.

This is getting to be very serious wine country.  Passed a lot of vineyards in these two days.

There are mountains all around, and continuous up and down.  There are more flat parts than at the beginning - which helps the speed a bit.

What is most seriously slowing me down is my left achilles.  The first hour in the morning I am doing a serious hobble.  Then it warms up and I can trot along for a while - until about 10:30 ... then it's back to hobble for a bit.  Have an ibuprofen, find a place for lunch, consider stopping for the day - but then dismiss that as a bad idea.  Ibuprofen kicks in, things ease up a bit, and, the best magic I have discovered, put in the ear buds and turn on some lively music.  It is an addictive opiate that can positively get me skipping down the trail.  Who knew?  By the time I reach my destination, I feel as though I can keep on going ... but 30 km days (times 2) are probably enough.  Besides, "the gang" (whom I'll attempt to introduce you to in the next blog) are staying here.  A merry little band of mixed breed pilgrims.

Here's a few sights of days 7 & 8:

This little boy was throwing rocks in this ruined castle (?) and being chastised by his dad.  Reminded me of Brock.

Another part of the same ruins.

A bit of a gypsy district on the edge of Logrono.  Notice the little dog house.  Yes, there was a dog inside.

A pilgrim and his dog.  Only saw him one day, one time.

The courtyard in Logrono. 

This little ? hut? was outside of Najera.  A mattress of very questionable cleanliness was on the floor inside.

It is time to start out - much later today than usual, but needed to catch up on blogging.  Wifi is outside this little bar/restaurant that opened at 6 a.m. - so have been able to have a coffee first thing - usually no cafe con leche until 10 or 11.  So ... ibuprofen is helping a bit, time to start the first hour of hobble ... but the scenery will be worth it.  

Buen camino to me.

A Day in the Life of a Peregrino

So ... it's 3:30 a.m. and people are rustling about.  And every 20 minutes, or less, you will hear more rustling.  Zippers opening, packs moving, the early risers trying to get out on the trail ahead of the heat.  Or something.  

There is almost always someone snoring.  Sometimes a gentle snore in the distance, sometimes something much more intense ... 

By 5:30 or 6:00 you are definitely aware of people packing.  If you're tired enough, or aren't one of the ones already packing, you might be able just to turn over for another 20 minutes to try and tune out the chaos.

Once up and out of the sleeping bag, it's time to decide what of your extensive wardrobe you might be wearing for the day.  If you were really thinking ahead, you may have worn to bed what you were going to wear on the road for the day.  Then stuff up the sleeping bag, grab a sink that might be free (sometimes co-ed, sometimes not), and wash up, brush your teeth.  Get all of the bits stuffed into your pack, hope that you haven't misplaced anything.  

Your boots will be in a separate room - usually - all the stink in once place.  Well that's the idea.  There's a lot more stink than just boots.   Get your boots laced up, head for the cocina (kitchen) and see what breakfast delicacy you have stashed for yourself.  Maybe some yogurt, a peach, or a pastry.  Or nothing - you're just holding out hope that a cafe will be open along the way - not too distant.

Between leaving the albergue and getting to the next one - you know what happens in there.  So we skip ahead to the afternoon and you amble into your destination town ... and figure out which albergue (because there are usually a few) you will stay at.  There is usually a 'main' one, often managed by the municipality.  Some are smaller and private, some run by a religious order.

Once registered - and you've shown your official passport and had your Camino passport stamped, you then pay the outrageous fee - often as much as 10 Euros(!) but frequently 5-7 Euros.  (The one I am staying at tonight, in Najera, is a donation.)  Your bunk will have been assigned to you, sometimes you get to decide top or bottom - sometimes not.  Sometimes pilgrims that you know or at least recognize will be near you - sometimes not.

Four bunks to a doorless room - Los Arcos.

A sea of bunks, perhaps 90 or so - Najera.

So off comes the pack - you may have been given a disposable gauzy sheet and pillow cover to put on your mattress.  You set up your sleeping bag, find your cleanest, and if a hot day, coolest clothes, your towel and soap and head for the ducha (shower).  Sometimes they are co-ed ... that's sort of interesting although the stalls themselves are private of course.  We all, every culture and sensibility, respect one another's space requirements and modesty as much as is possible given the circumstances.

Now, you've washed up and are feeling a bit refreshed - no relaxing yet.  It's time to do some laundry!  All of the albergues have a laundry area, often outside.  Sinks, some with built in scrub boards (that one was great - sorry I didn't get a pic of it.  There is usually an automatic washer and dryer too for use - usually 3 Euros/load - but unless you are sharing a machine load with someone it seems quite a waste as you don't really have too many things to wash.  Once clothes are washed, rinsed and wrung out (using your bar of Sunlight soap - more on that later), you find your trusty clothes pins and hang them on a line or drying rack.  Sometimes these are under a cover - so your laundry doesn't get 're-wetted if it should sprinkle); and the racks are moved about the courtyard area following the setting hot afternoon sun to maximize the drying speed. 

A couple of fellow pilgrims were sure there was someone with an underwear fetish at Cizur Manor; turns out some kind soul was simply moving the drying rack on them to ensure dry laundry before dark.  

This handy wringer was in the laundry area at Los Arcos albergue.  That helped the clothes to dry a bit quicker - that and the 30 degree heat.

Laundry done - check.  Now's time to consider a little walk - after all, you need to stretch your legs ... perhaps you need to find a farmacia for your pains and blisters.  Or a supermercado to buy some groceries for your supper - maybe you are cooking with some other pilgrims.  Don't forget to pick up a bottle of local wine - costs maybe 2 Euros for a bottle.  

B. and L. from jolly old England - we were getting ready to cook some penne with tomatoes, onions, olives, corn, tuna ... what the Harder's would call "slumgullion".

And a few minutes later, it's all elbows out to hold your place at the stove or counter.  Chopping a big onion with your cheap pocket knife is a slow go.

The end result was fantastic - too ravenous to remember to take a pic - sorry!  Shared our bit of leftovers with N. from San Diego - he has his own blog - lifeisacamino.com.

Now, before you get too mellow from that wine, check and see if your laundry is dry, get it sorted and ready for packing.  Say your goodnights, take your antihistiminico, brush your teeth and go to bed.  

Repeat as necessary ... with minor variations.

And on the Sixth Day

Another hot and beautiful day in sunny northern Spain.  Reports of cooler weather in the fall have been greatly exaggerated, or have been influenced by climate change.  

I was out of the Albergue by about 6:45 and had a bit of a slowish start as my feet settled back into their routine.  I had quickly laced my boots tight over my swollen, wasp stung foot before it could swell.  It was looking a bit better when I woke up, and, more importantly, it hadn't kept me awake all night.  

Estella is a city of some size and it took awhile to get out of it.  And the whole way out was 'up' ... a small river runs through town so we were climbing up and up away from the Rio.

Here were some of the early morning sights.

Near the outer edge of Estella, a basket of figs for the pilgrims.  If I'd been more awake, I'd have shown you all what a fig is like - a fresh one that is.  But there may be more chances.

Vino on the left, agua on the right.  It was so early, that the vino hadn't been refilled inside the building. I did get one drop.  This is not the famous fountain of wine - it is apparently still some days away.  Good marketing for this winery.

It was a steady long day and another hot one.  Seems that's the only temperature Spain has ... although I know that 10 days in Spain hardly qualifies me as a long range forecast expert.  The word in peregrino (pilgrim) land is that it is to be a bit cloudy and perhaps a shower tomorrow.

Meanwhile - on to Los Arcos!

Walked past what is apparently the ruins of a Roman castle.  I didn't hunt for the way up, although apparently there was one.  I stopped for a bit of a picnic just past it, and a fellow came out of "nowhere" - we exchanged Holas! ... until we figured out that English was both his and my first language.  Bit of a laugh over that.  He has been backpacking all over Europe - with his tent, and decided to try the Camino.  From Chicago originally - and apparently doesn't need to go back there any time soon.  He had camped the previous night up at the ruins and reported that they were very interesting.  

Made it to my destination in record time.  If I wasn't worried about further aggravating my slowly improving foot, I would be tempted to keep going.  That, and if it were about 10 degrees cooler.  (I can't believe I just said that!)  It really is the perfect temperature for walking about - just not with a pack.

Entering Los Arcos ... about 1500 people live here.  Who knows what the population may have been when this amazing cathedral was constructed.

Inside this place.  Unbelievable ...

And looking straight up ... awe inspiring - as it was meant to be.

Off the the albergue - they are generally a little less breathtaking, but quite adequate.

Many Faces of the Way

 Every day brings a variety of surfaces upon which to trod.  Or hobble, dance, strut, shuffle, stumble  Whatever the flavour of the day happens to be.  One of the most interesting was a stretch of an old Roman road.  Now there's something that was built to last.

I really ought to have taken some more shots of this, as it went on for quite some ways and had an actual "centre line" which isn't seen in this photo.  I do hope it was smoother when Caesar was moving his legions and chariots across it or it would have shaken the brains of a lot of chariot drivers.  Not that nice to walk on, truth be told.  But does stand up to more than one millennia of use ... 

Certainly the majority of the trek from Pamplona, when I haven't been walking through a town or city, is just very ordinary, dusty gravel roads.  Not very romantic.

Of course, there are parts up and down the altos (mountains) that are a little more 'authentic' in terms of a hiking trail.

Poor photography skills, oh, shadow thrower.  But a road alongside a vineyard is never a bad thing.

I was feeling rather chipper when I came to this bit.  A slight downhill and i waltzed down like on a balance beam, Just another Camino kook.

Whoo hoo! A bit of a shortcut worn through the stubble.

A bit like walking from Camrose to Bawlf??

Well, you get the idea.  This and that.  A trail so ancient isn't always just a 'trail'.

Some Things Speak for Themselves

After a shower and laundry and a bit of a rest, at least until it cooled off, I was ready to check out Estella - but I admit to feeling a bit discouraged.  My foot has swelled significantly since I removed my boot, the toe that was stung has a line of water blisters all along it.  And it darn well hurts.  I might use stronger language but I'm supposed to be a pilgrim.

A hobble to the Farmacia has resulted in some antihistaminicos ... we'lll see what tomorrow brings.  I may have an extra day in Estella.  With my foot up.

It's every bit as bad as it looks.  Big baba ankle.  The works.  Uggh.

Buenos naches, mes amigos.

Scenes From a Hot Afternoon

The temperature really went up after my tortilla de patata break.   It was, in most all ways, quite surreal.  Just what you'd expect Spain to be - brilliant sunshine and hot, hot, hot.  I am loving the heat - even the sweating is better than being cold.  Noreen Harder, you would love it here.

Some photos - seriously, I could take a photo every 30 seconds of something spectacular.  It's tough to know what to shoot and what not to.

Alongside the hot highway to Estella.

Pilgrim's rest.

Across a little river in Villatuerta.

Inside the church at Villatuerta.  Words fail me.

Looking straight up at the cathedral ceiling.

Outside, Chaco wanted to share my granola bar.  He was very attentive!

Chaco's friend reminded me of Max.  

The Ermitage de San Miguel.  Very austere compared to the cathedral.

On the far side of San Miguel church, is the door and an olive grove.  A backpack in the open doorway and a pilgrim on the shady floor at the back of the church in a state of meditation.   Inside, stark contrast to the cathedral - a plain stone altar and a wooden cross on the wall with a bird's nest on one arm.  I'd have photographed but I didn't wish to disturb the pilgrim.

The style of architecture is changing as I approach Estella.  At least some of it.

A welcome site at the end of the day.  The walls of the church at Estella.  The albergue should not be far ...

And, in fact it was just on the other side.  Price went up from last night, 6 Euros.  The budget is being tested ;)

Have had a shower, washed some laundry, am getting my iPad charged, my Spanish senor has given me some aloe (actual aloe) that I plastered all over my poor toe and foot.  It's time to stretch on my walking shoes and explore Estella a  little bit.

All that and it's only 4:15.

Ole!