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Published: October 1st 2014
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We left Estella after having a caffe con leche at a modern bar which was once part of a grand railway station and headed west ( where else) along good paths leading to the Monasterio Irache . This was about 3 kms of walking from Estella and is famous for having a double drinking fountain, one with water and one with red wine, promising health and happiness to all pilgrims who drink from it. It was still early but health and happiness are too good to pass up on so we filled a water bottle with wine, had a sip and moved on.
We continued on gravel tracks bordered by ancient stone walls on one side and beautiful country side on the other. In the distance the light coloured cliffs separating the Basque Country from Spain are very prominent and stretch for many kilometres. The internal politics of the Spanish and Basque factions is alive and well in Spain and an attempt to hold a referendum in Spain to determine independence was defeated last week. You could be sure the result would be very different to the recent one in Scotland as the passions around this issue are hotter than
The Map
This is the type of marker, sometimes just the painted arrow, that we follow to find our way. Some are obscure so you need to be alert! GPS? HA !
chorizo sausage .
The walk today was up and down with no major incidents and we came to Azqueta, had a short break, had a look at Fuente de Los Moros, the Fountain of the Moors, built in the 13th century, and moved on to Villamayor de Montjardin, passing through lovely scented pine and holly oak forests. Here we had a light lunch before continuing through fertile farmlands.
There were quite a few pilgrims walking today and you always see familiar faces coming and going as you stagger your breaks. Some you may not have seen for a day or two because they had a break for injuries, walked more or less than us depending on how they feel or what interests them, or simply stayed at different Alburgues than us so our paths haven't crossed.
About 6 kms from Los Arcos a man had a food van and tables and chairs so we had a break and chatted with Chris, an English guy walking alone who we spent an enlightening evening with the night before, then continued along the Rio Caudiel, crossed the bridge and making the final climb and decline into Los Arcos.
Walking
the Camino often seems to be within earshot of running water. I suppose if you are living off the land as you travel your path will follow rivers and lakes. There are still quite a few opportunities to eat berries, nuts and figs along the Way, even legally sometimes, but we have resisted the urge so far for personal safety reasons.
The first sight Los Arcos is a little disappointing as it appeared not as well maintained as other villages but this soon changed as we settled into our hostel, ( bunks, only 2 toilets and showers and not on our floor), showered , gave the owner our washing ( euros 4.50 washed and dried) and headed to the square for coffee and a look around. The church in this town, Church of St. Mary of The Arches, is a Romanesque church, further embellished with Gothic, Baroque and Classic touches in later centuries. We had dinner in the square and made arrangements to meet Agnes and Aisha, a Tunisian lady, the next morning as we are skipping a rather long, and I'm told dull, stage in order to give Sue's feet a chance. We were in bed by about
9.30 but it took a while to get to sleep as stragglers rolled in. There's not much personal space in a room of 14 people. Pictures will follow but the internet is so poor that I can't say when. Sorry.
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Ian and Anne
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Love your work/walk
Onya Steve and Sue. Gee, Steve you make this writing mullarkey look easy! The walk, scenery and people all sound fascinating. We look forward to your updates every day. They arrive early morning our time so it's part of our breakfast routine.