April 28, 2023

People have a lot of romantic ideas about walking the Camino.  Strange, but no one I have talked with, that is on their first Camino, had any idea about the hills outside of the first day crossing into Spain.  Another notion is that the Camino will provide.  I have given that one some thought today as I left Lorca and walked towards Azqueta, my original goal for the day.  My friend Malcolm called just as I was walking out of my hotel at 8:00 am.  We talked for awhile while I gave him my update on the Camino and my physical challenges.  As we talked I wished a few people a buen camino, which is the international way of greeting any other pilgrim on the Way, even the non-walkers use it to greet those that they know are pilgrims. I have noticed that I have been saying "bon Camino" which is actually the Italian version.  Anyway, I heard someone coming up behind me, as I looked back it was Stan, the young man from Taiwan that I wrote about on the 26th. I had not talked directly with Stan that night, but I knew his name, he didn’t know mine.  I was surprised that an early 20’s person would have not been farther down the road.  He told me that he decided on an easy day and to only walk to Estella.  And with that the Camino provided for me; I didn’t need to do 10 miles to Azqueta, it would be just fine to walk 5.5 miles to Estella, after all, if that works for  25 year old, it should work for me. The Camino does not need to provide a thing, sometimes it is a different mindset that is provided.

I left Lorca without breakfast, so Malcolm found a pastry shop for me in Villatuerta. Modern day pilgrims have it very east compared to the pilgrims during the middle ages. Here I am, taking with a friend on the phone and he is able to give me turn by turn directions to the cafe he found online.

While enjoying my breakfast, Janet from yesterday walked by and stopped for a snack herself. The local birds are all about the pilgrims and food left behind. We walked together for much of that day.  I past this little church out on its own. I should have taken a detour and walked to the front of the church, it looks like it has an impressive view of the valley floor that opens up in front of it. At about this point Janet realized that she left her trekking poles in a church back in Villatuerta, it wasn't too far back so she took off to retrieve them. She told me how they were her 3rd set so far and that she has a problem with forgetting them. This set was given to her by another pilgrim, who was much younger, when he found out she had lost hers, he felt that she needed his set more than he did.

While approaching Estella, the path led to a climb uphill before walking down into town.  A couple of older locals that spoke no English were able to communicate to me to take another path off the Camino that went to Estella, but without the climb and decent. I was very thankful and the Camino had provided one more time. This path was like a recreational walking path like I would find at home, there were lots of older locals out for their morning walk.

I arrived in Estella, Janet had fallen behind because of the lost trekking poles, so I sat on a stone bench that was part of a drinking fountain.  When she arrived we sat and talked about our walks.  Around that time a high school teacher with his class came to look at a Camino marker, and some of them began to drink from the drinking fountain.  This sign was part of the fountain, I asked a group of girls if any spoke English.  I then asked one to translate the sign. I could tell she was proud to help a pilgrim.

The translation is “good bread, excellent water and wine, meat and fish, full of happiness”.  Early billboard for pilgrims, but when I think of how old this fountain is parker is, I realized that the people that live here are proud to be part of the Camino.

Janet and I went our own ways, she prefers small albergues, but I preferred to find a private room. Without a reservation for the night, Friday night, I looked without success to find a single room.  So tonight is my first night in a municipal albergue, just me and 95 other people in 3 rooms.

Here it is, my dorm was on the 3rd floor, my top bunk was just inside the window on the far left. My bunkmate wasn't the most friendly person and I could not tell which country he was from. When I told him this was my first albergue experience, his reply was "you mean you never stay in the big room", I said no and he turned and walked away.

I took a shower, which was also conveniently located 5 feet from the bunkbed, so there was a constant stream of pilgrims going by to use the bathroom. For about 30 people in the dorm room, there were 2 showers, 2 toilets and 2 sinks. Next up was the washing of my clothes, it was a madhouse as at least 30 people were trying to do the same thing in a limited space. I went back upstairs to my bed to take a nap as my clothes dried on the line. I noticed one pilgrim in his bunk crying from the day's exhaustion. I could have been his first day walking, as I said after getting to Roncesvalles, I was a hot mess myself. After gathering my clothes from the communal clothesline, I went our to explore the surroundings. Estella is a very old city, the architecture is part Roman, part medieval and probably a little renaissance with a city wall for extra protection. The bottom picture is from the internal courtyard of a Roman home.

There is a restaurant across the street from the albergue, so I ate a marginal dinner with 2 other table mates.  One unfriendly and Spanish only kind guy, like not speaking French in Paris, the other, much more friendly but all his conversation is taken up by Mr. Personality.  After Mr. Personality left, I had an interesting conversation with the man from Barcelona.  His wife went to Manhattan with her brother and sister/in-law, he opted to go walk part of the Camino as he had done before.

I walked around a little after dinner, I am now back at the albergue and I will determine tomorrow’s goal.  Lights were out but people were noisy, snoring, coughing, sneezing and farting. But, it is part of the Camino experience.