Settling In On The Camino

We are settling in to a daily routine on the Camino. Life in the albergues is pretty structured: check in at noon, take a shower, wash clothes, hang them to dry, have a cervesa or two in the court yard and talk to the other peregrinos, explore the local village a bit, maybe rest a little, more cervesas, dinner at 7:00 (always with wine), in bed at 10:00 with the lights turnedb off at 10:15. 

In the morning, the lights come on at 6:00. We pack, have a quick banana and are hiking by 6:30 or 7:00.  

Most of the hiking is done in the morning.  We stop for breakfast at a village cafe along the way. We have cafe con leche and a tortilla (Therese) or pastry (Mark). Then it's off to the next village. Hiking for the day is usually over by noon or 1:00 and then we repeat the routine again. 

Day 5: Puente La Reina to Estelle, 22K

Beautiful weather again over rolling terrain. Therese has developed a couple of blisters which has slowed her down a bit. Only six other peregrinos found the albergue we stayed in including Andrea and Mike and Herman, two Aussie brothers. The best thing about this spot was that it was only 1K from the free wine fountain at the Irache monastery. Really. Here's proof:

Last night, Therese had to use the bathroom and started to get into the wrong bed when she was done. Herman nearly had a heart attack. 

Today's good intentions are for our next younger siblings, Mary and Greg, who share the distinction of having three children. 

Day 6: 21K to Los Arcos

Not a cloud in the sky today. While it got a bit warm in the sun, with shade and breezes, it was quite pleasant. It was another gently rolling hike across beautiful farmland and vineyards. 

Los Arcos is a quaint old village with wonderful central plaza surrounded by shops and restaurants. We are staying in a municipal albergue with a couple of Flemish hospitaleros running the place. We arrived early so we enjoyed watching all of the other peregrinos checking in in so many languages.  People Fromm all over the world are here. 

Today's good intentions are for Therese's sister, Pauline, who is a kind soul and keeping alive the memories of Ollie and Rita.