Camino Day 7: Estella to Los Arcos
“When you see someone putting on their Big Boots, you can be pretty sure an adventure is going to happen”
Day 7: 21.4 kilometres - 31,870 Steps
We are not expecting a lot of towns along the way today so we opt to take supplies for lunch. This way we can picnic at will, not dependent on stopping to eat at an odd hour, or missing out on food if we take too many photos. Leaving town I discover there is no way Donna is going to hike up the stairs to the old church today either, lesson learnt! Instead we go in search of pan (bread) and jamon. We then track across to the marked path but in doing so we miss a vital section of The Way. The famous Wine Fountain – Bodegas. Fuente del vino. By the time we realize we have missed this its too late to turn around, neither of us want to add and extra 5kms to our walk. All the pilgrims we meet say it was pretty rough wine, not everyone partook (and you need a cup - which we are not carrying) but I am still sad we missed this crazy bit of Camino legend.
Everything is stunning and we are both captivated by how INCREDIBLE this Camino pilgrimage is. I can’t believe how everything here has exceeded my expectations. The villages are so picturesque, time capsules from the ancient past, with their architectural heritage largely intact. The weather is perfect, mostly cool with clear blue skies. The history is intriguing and the towns so clean, with peaceful churches. Peacefulness is an overriding quality of Camino. The fields of grape, wheat, vines etc are so intensely green, gold with wildflowers clustered everywhere.
Poppies splash red in the fields and along the edge of the path. It is Anzac day and we wear poppies on our backpacks. We notice a couple of other Aussies doing the same. Our picnic by the side of the path is idyllic, so yummy, chunks of fresh crusty bread and jamon. I can’t believe I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy walking here, my concerns were all unfounded. The paths have been amazing, only a small portion on roadsides, and although it’s not wilderness its undeniably beautiful and varied. The crowds of the first morning quickly dissipated, as each pilgrim takes their own pace. Looking forward or back you may see small groups of pilgrims marking the path, and certainly if you stop it’s never long before someone will walk past. However, this can be both comforting and entertaining and pilgrim clusters are easy to avoid if you are not in the mood for a group.
We spend the evening at a hotel in Mues, 5kms off the path, but we call from Los Arcos and they come and collect us in the car. It is so strange to be driven, the trip seems lightning fast as we speed past the fields and farms we have been meandering along for days. When we arrive at this beautiful 17th Century renovated inn, we meet two other Aussies we have noticed along the trail, Philip and Rob from Melbourne, and another couple from Sydney. Before dinner we sit around the fire with drinks and then the six of us head downstairs into the ancient stone cellar where the host has set our table for dinner. We all feel so fortunate to be having this experience. It’s a fabulous spot and a truly great night.
POSTCARDS FROM ESTELLA TO LOS ARCOS
