Gaining Confidence!

October 3, 2013

We have a lot to catch up on since our last entry!  My how time flies when you spend your days trekking the Camino.  We said our goodbyes to Miguel in Villatuerta after that wonderful paella dinner the night before.  Leaving in a light mist, we had a pleasant and quick walk into Estella.  At last, a town with a post office!  While the Mendozas enjoyed a nice breakfast, the Spiers made their way to the post office (after only asking directions 4 times), and sent a whopping 13 lbs forward to Santiago.  There were other pilgrims doing the same and the postal workers were most accommodating.   With that done, we too enjoyed a quick breakfast of snacks in the town square under the steeple of the 12^th Century  Inglesia San Pedro.  The next town, Irache, brought us to an interesting site.  We have become quite accustomed to the fonts (fountains), many remaining from long ago, serving as a water source for weary travelers.  In Irache, we found a wine font!  Unbelievable??  Actually, the wine growers of the region provide this service.  Although much too early to drink wine, it served as a great photo op for us as we each posed with the wine pouring into our scallop shell.  It is said that he who drinks from the fountain with the scallop shell, the symbol of the Camino, will have the strength to complete the voyage.

Believing that the third day on the trail is the toughest, we planned ahead to make day three a short day.  What a great idea.  The day was cool and misty and we made it with ease to Monjardin.  Well, it was with ease for me until the last 1.5 Km.  I think the person measuring that distance needs to invest in a new measuring device. It was steep, long and did I say, steep and long.  We arrived near the top of the world in a tiny village that housed only a church, two hostels, a tiny store and a tiny restaurant.  Sarah, an American volunteer at our hostel gave us the top room to ourselves!  We appreciated that as the downstairs rooms seemed to be filled with young party pilgrims.   The rain began in earnest just as we arrived so we spent much of our time sitting outside underneath the covered small café gazing above at the ancient castle.   With the exception of one rude bartender. Every person we met was kind and helpful.  The bartender yelled across the room to us that we should not be walking in with cups in our hands.  We apologized and said no problem.  Upon departure, Shelly clearly explained to him that a quiet conversation at our table was all that was needed.  She told him that he had embarrassed us when we had no idea we had broken a rule.  As expected, he didn’t take the suggestions very well.

Eventually, the rain comes and Day 4 was our day!  After a quick breakfast of breads, cheeses, and yogurts, we donned our rain gear and headed out.  George and I, paying too much attention to the rain, and not enough attention to the markings, missed the scallop marking leading us out of town so we had a bonus tour of the sleepy little town.  Several helpful villagers directed us in the right direction.  It was a beautiful morning, just enough rain to cool us off, a smooth path and downhill.  I mean, after yesterday’s hike to the top of the world I couldn’t imagine anything else.  We partook of the grapes growing in the fields and walked with ease.  We spent some time chatting with a local farmer walking along the path with his three sheep and very friendly dog, Nilla.  Los Arcos was our lunch stop and we all secretly wished we were staying there.  The plaza was pleasant and we could only imagine a night there after a day’s hike.  We took time to take a quick look in the church and chat with fellow hikers while enjoying lunch there. Our goal for the evening was Torres Del Rio.  Oh my, how quickly we forgot the wonderful morning walk as we struggled in the afternoon.  The sun was relentless and the pleasant downhills gave way to some steep climbs, followed by more steep climbs. More of the trail than usual was up a paved road with enough traffic to make us wary.  Then, too, the alberque we had chosen, proved to be a bad choice.  We could do nothing except make the best of it and decided that, in future days, we will not choose a hostel until we really take a look at them.  Descriptions can be, and this time, were deceiving.  At the hostel, we met another couple hiking from the mid-France all the way to Santiago.  Wow!  What a trek!  They were so focused on weight that they shared a bar of soap.  We watched her pass up her shower time because she had to wait until her husband came out of the shower with the soap.  To each his own but I’ll carry my own soap.  Thank you very much!

After some laundry duties, it was time to go out in search of dinner.  Lilli’s, the restaurant at the bottom of the hill; yes, the restaurant at the BOTTOM of the hill seemed to be the place to go.  I felt like I was at Smoky Mt Adventure Camp for adults.  It was a three course meal that needed to be completed in record time.  You see, they feed all of us at 7:00 before the towns folks come in for their 9:00 dinner.  It is unheard of, in Spain, to eat dinner before 9:00.  Anyway, they quieten each table, show us pictures of our choices and we were to raise our hand when we see the picture of the menu item that we want.  I guess it worked.  All of us got what we ordered despite the multitude of languages being spoken there.  Good food, yes, but not the unhurried dinner event you might imagine.  Still, we returned to Mari’s hostel and slept soundly in a room of 8, again, in a facility much like our SMAC bunkhouses.  And, yes again, the bathrooms were downstairs.

Day Five on the trail was another 20 KM day.  Opposite of the day before, the tough part came early.  It was up, and up, and up some more.  At least the elevation map had us prepared. It was probably the toughest climb yet and the downhill was rather steep also.  Much of the trail was paved.  Some find that a plus.  I prefer the dirt trails.  Thank God for trekking poles!  The rain was enough to keep us with rain gear and pack covers and the wind was fierce.  Sweating on the inside, raining on the outside.  For me, it was a constant battle of  the lesser of the two evils—take off the rain gear and be cool but wet or leave on the rain gear and be dry and hot.  Battling colds, we kept the rain gear on way longer than I would ever think right.  In time, the rain subsided and we arrived in Viana where we sat in, you got it, the town plaza underneath the church, and enjoyed our nuts, fruit, cheese, and bread from our packs.  It was even chilly enough for hot drinks and I went for the hot chocolate (Mt. Leconte style to those of you who know what I mean.)  Afterall, Shelly’s pedometer indicated that we burned over 1000 calories the day before!

After lunch, the terrain and the weather improved considerably.  We met a nice couple who offered us figs from a tree they had found along the way.  They said someone did the same thing for them the day before and they wanted to keep the tradition going.  We are surely looking for fig trees now!   Additionally, we passed by a local lady stomping something with her feet.  Shelly and Rey spoke with her and discovered she was cracking open young, fresh walnuts.  She offered some to them and they found the nuts quite tasty!  Along the way, we also passed by a gentlemen offering water, soft drinks, boiled eggs, bananas, tomatoes, and cookies.  He had up a sign saying that the bank took his house and he was trying to make some money.  We took some water and gave him a donation.  Agua fria sure beats the slightly warmed water in our water bottles.  Arriving in Lograna didn’t come a moment too soon.  If fact, for me, I ran out of steam about 3 kilometers before we arrived.  It took frequent stops and lots of water to get me to the final destination!  Logrono at last!  85 Kilometers in 5 days!  That’s a bit more than 51 miles and that completes the first leg of our journey.