24th April 2024 Los Arcos to Estella

Turns out our Eastern European floor mates really have no idea.  I got up at 0600H to go to the bathroom and barged in on one of them.  I quickly averted my eyes but realised that she was using the toilet as a seat and was putting Vaseline on her feet!  I must have given her a funny look (as there are seats in the hallway and in all of the rooms) but it made no difference at all.  While I was standing there she just continued until her feet were greased up and her socks were on!  I couldn’t believe it – plain rude considering it was first thing in the morning and it is a shared bathroom!

We considered walking back into town to get some coffee and maybe some breakfast as it was very cold (only one of the places we have stayed so far has had coffee in your room) but we decided it was only 7km to Sansol and we would have something there.  It is always a bit of a battle in the morning as you never really know what to wear as you always get warm as you tend to pace it out a bit to get warm after the initial shock on cold days so we dressed appropriately and headed out the door.

It is also hard to get the legs working in the morning so we just took it easy for the first kilometre or so and then started to increase our pace to get to the coffee! We met a lovely, very chatty lady from Auckland, Rachael, and she said she was only going to Sansol due to a programme devised by her physiotherapist for Achilles tendonitis – “but you will get rid of me there!”  She was quite a funny lady, and I enjoyed the chat (for about 5km) but it is very different having a conversation for all that time when I really prefer time on my own or time with Steve.

The little tienda was very busy and it was hard to get a place at one of the little tables in the lean-to attached to the shop but we finally grabbed one when some other pilgrims moved on.  The sun came out a couple of times and that was a blessing as it was still very cold.  We were introduced to another Adelaide person, Janette (who lives in Medindie) and she was very happy as we were the first Adelaide people she had met on the way.

Only another 1km to Torres del Rio but after pounding up a few steep streets we came to another coffee shop.  The coffee shop/restaurant was large and very clean – a complete contrast to our stop in Sansol.  We decided to stop once again as it was a relatively easy day of only 19km so we weren’t under any time pressure.  Breakfast - an egg bocadillo to share, a coffee for Steve and a hot chocolate for me (mucho caliente por favor) as it was still very cold even though the sun was shining.

Pia from Melbourne also stopped and we chatted for quite a while before we saw Janette come into view video chatting on her phone to her husband back in Adelaide.  We yelled out “Hey Adelaide” and we all laughed and her husband laughed too.  The simple things that amuse you when you are on the Camino.  She was only going to Torres del Rio so she joined us all for a while before we headed off.

I dropped into the Church of Santo Sepulcro which, like Eunate, is octagonal in shape and also a bit of a mystery.  It dates from the 12th century and has Romanesque architecture but the mystery is due to it having a domed roof supported by stone beams forming at their intersection an 8-pointed star with what they call “Mozarabic” influences.  Some also think it may have been a funeral chapel as there is space on the roof for a beacon light.

The gentleman inside, on paying my €1 entry fee, stamped my pilgrims credencial and gave me a bay leaf – a symbol of wisdom in some cultures.

We wandered through the town admiring the Templar influences from the depictions of knights in windows to the Templar crosses on buildings.  There is even an Albergue there that has links to the Order of the Knights Templar from many years ago.

 The weather remained fine and it was just the final 11km to Viana. I found last time the distances on the signs are to be taken with a large grain of salt so we just continued on. 

I found a lovely sign handwritten on a rock in an area of cairns in a pine forest that said “Never forget the love” and this was a sign for me that this was to be another place to deposit some of Mum and Dad’s ashes – the last place was on top of the Pyrenees Mountains on that horribly foggy and cold day.  The last of these will be scattered when we get to Santiago de Compostela.  Dad was very thrilled when I had done my first Camino and had said that he would have loved to have been able to do it – hence them both coming with me on this journey.

It was then on to Viana often along the side of the road but with Elm, Hawthorn and Acer trees – very pretty and the smell of the Hawthorn was delicious.  Steve’s foot was playing up so he hobbled the last kilometre until we arrived at our hotel and headed upstairs where I ran a cold bath.  I learned this little trick last time – soak your feet in the freezing water and throw your laundry in at the same time.  Wash the laundry while sitting there then fill up the bath with hot water and have a soak.  This was wonderful.

I stayed in the room doing the blog while Steve headed downstairs to sort out his videos.  Dinner was at 2000H so there was plenty of time.  Pia is also staying here and joined us for a pilgrims’ dinner.  I wanted to try the local dried beans and they were on the menu so I was well catered for.  Steve had the pasta and we both had the roast chicken for mains and a delicious cheesecake for dessert that actually tasted like the egg custard from a custard tart but more smooth and delicious.

We only have about 10km tomorrow (to Logrono) so no alarms tonight!