Around
Estella and its pilgrims’ hostel we have to add that every day in the
evenings an old man heals pilgrims’ feet. This is a free service. God
bless him.
In
the same hostel we have to mention that the person in charge was
responsible for the fact that most pilgrims went without dinner. Yesterday
the cooker did not work because it had no gas and this man not only did
not solve the problem but behaved in an improper way with the hungry
pilgrims.
They
could not fry their potatoes and eggs and other food that I do not care to
mention but even so had to be cooked all the same. God forgive him.
We
leave Estella at ten past six in the morning. We walk along the old street
that also forms part of the Camino. At dawn, in the semi-darkness the dogs
bark and the pilgrims walk as if they are not totally awake. A cock crows.
In a minute we cross the main road, like zombies, and we head for the
Monastery of Irache.
At
Irache the « source of wine » is a symbol for walkers, but we,
that love this nectar a lot, hardly kiss it with unction. We do not want
to despise it, but it is not time to drink it with pleasure.
Fuente de los
Moros, before arriving at Villamayor de Monjardín.
However,
we drink water at Azqueta’s well and, better still, we stop at
Villamayor de Monjardín so as to have breakfast in the pilgrims’ hostel.
Some polyglot Dutch manage the hostal and they, from early in the morning,
have food prepared for the pilgrims’ breakfast (coffee, milk, butter,
jam, bakery, cheese, sausage and bread). A complete breakfast costs 400
pesetas. Once again foreign people entertain pilgrims lavishly, it seems
that God has made local people rich. Paca and I, on route, breakfast
properly for the first time at this early time (it is eight o’clock).
Almost
all the pilgrims we know gather at Villamayor’s hostel, attracted by breakfast. The Five Alpines eat like horses and when they finish, they ask
for water so as to fill up their flasks. As the Dutch cannot understand
them, the one most determined, with man of the world’s face, says :
«
Agua cantimplore ? » (*Trying to sound English, amongst general
joking).
We
leave Villamayor de Monjardín and after a little while we see two
pilgrims. When we reach them we get surprised, they are the two Brazilians :
The Sumo wrestler and the small woman. How could have they arrived here ?.
Mysteries of the Camino.
A
nice track surrounded by freshly harvested cereal fields
heads pilgrims for
Los Arcos, after walking 13 kms. Some quails still sing their « Buen
pan hay » (*Spanish onomatopoeia for quail’s sound).
It
looks like Los Arcos is not as rich as the rest of Navarra, but it is a
solicitous town for pilgrims.
Paca
and I, after stamping our pilgrims’ passports at the hostel, head for
Hotel Ezequiel and then we eat at Mavi Restaurant. All OK.
Some
pilgrims, the Sevillian and the Five Alpines among them, want to continue.
Paca and I are more humble and we do not dare to tempt our good luck by
exhausting our resistance. Each day has its toil.
After
the siesta, we go to Church, then we have a glass of wine and finally we
have dinner at Ezequiel. Tomorrow is another day.
Some
pilgrims, as this one that comes from Jaca, eat at Ezequiel. We greet them.
We phone Ales from Los Arcos. He was not at home and the lady who answered
told us that she will tell him we had called.
Stage
5  Stage 6 |