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Puente la Reina to Estella

We started pretty strong today; we both felt good after a night at the Jakue Albergue.

Days without injury: 2

The Jakue Albergue, by the way, was really nice and has possibly set the bar unrealistically high for other lodging. This place tonight is OK but no Jakue.

So, back to today: It started off pretty well, and overall it was very very beautiful -- it is amazingly scenic here. Flowers and flowering trees and new wheat fields and vineyards and more. Horses and one burro. Several kitties, and a few dogs.

It rained on and off, a few times quite hard, especially at the end, when the final stop, Estella, seemed to never arrive. The hills kept coming which was a big drag. You'd start up an incline and hope it would fade away, but no, you'd turn a corner and it would KEEP GOING UP. I don't remember anyone telling me there would be hills.

Gina has a faster pace than me, so I have dropped behind her both days. I am wholeheartedly embracing Joyce Rupp's advice to "walk a relaxed manner." Those who know how fast I usually walk will understand that this is a very deliberate decision on my part: I am actively thinking about slowing down. Feels OK, mostly because if I was walking at my normal DC pace, I'd be dead right now.

So, the towns continue to be quaint; some locals are friendly and say, "Buen Camino," and some ignore us. Gina and I agree that it must be super weird to live someplace where strangers -- hundreds a day -- stroll through your streets. We've had a couple of nice conversations with a guy (Jean Michel) from France and a guy from England who recommended walking tours in Cornwall and Devon. Last night at the Jakue Albergue, we bunked next to a mother and daughter from Minneapolis. We passed them a couple of times today, and we're very suprised to check into the SAME albergue tonight. (Albergue ANFAS.) We've just had a pleasant catch-up with them. This is something Gina and I were expecting to happen -- to see some of the same folks over and over and see familiar faces along the way.

We've eaten out both nights; a lot of folks seem to buy groceries and cook at the albergue, which I cannot imagine doing. I am so wiped out at the end of the day, the idea of boiling a pot of water and cooking pasta seems a bridge too far. But we'll probably have to start thinking of some alternative to eating out every night.

Today was dedicated to John O'Gorman in celebration of his 50th birthday.








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  1. TCJune 5, 2018 at 5:01 PM

    Looks awesome...thanks for the updates! Keep it up!
    Tony

    ReplyDelete

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