Made it to Estella

After a decent sleep in Puente La Reina - despite the church bell ringing EVERY hour through the night - we started out for Estella. A mere 13.4 miles today, with just a bit of climbing but nothing too strenuous.

We passed through many orchards of olive trees and a few figs trees, and lots of vineyards with the leaves just starting to sprout. Interestingly we also saw quite a few pine trees (but none in the Pyrenees) along the hillsides. At our first coffee stop, we met up with a lovely 29-year-old woman from Boston named Molly - traveling by herself - and walked and chatted with her for the day. This is really the best part of the Camino experience… The people you meet from all over. Each with their own story and reason for walking it: loss of a loved one or a job, grappling with divorce, celebrating sobriety, or just for the challenge (or fun?) of it.

We encountered a couple of pop-up pilgrim rest stops along the route… one in the middle of an olive orchard, with picnic tables under the shade of the trees. Another was a simple folding table with a jug of water, some bits of toasted baguette and some little cakes - all free for the taking, with a donation jar there. I had heard of these “trail angels” that set out food and water for pilgrims and am so glad I was able to donate to the cause.

We passed through many more villages - mostly at the top of hills (which means an aerobic workout on the way up and then a knee-wrenching climb down). The villages seem to be getting more modern as we move on, but still with the old churches, cemeteries, monasteries and albergues (hostels) for the pilgrims, many of which have been renovated and modernized on the inside but still have the old world feel to them. The route today followed much of an old Roman road, with bits of a low stone wall still visible through the weeds and occasional wild iris and poppies. We stopped for a mid-afternoon cookie in Villatuerta where we saw an old church - still in use today - that was built in 1020! It just celebrated its millennial anniversary (milenario)! We thought about the pilgrims that passed by as it was being built. They couldn’t whip out their cell phones and take a photo for the folks back home 😊

As we left Villatuerta, I walked by a house with such a cute pup that I had to stop and say hello. I reached through the fence bars and gave her a good scratch behind the ears. She was all wags and sniffing Cocoa’s scent on my gloves. (Don’t worry, Cocoa… you’re still my favorite!)