Day 7 – Estella to Los Arcos

May 13th – Not even a twinge in my right ankle today. Yesterday on the path I used my poles like two extra legs, hardly placing my right foot on the ground which I think gave it the rest it needed.  Fourteen more miles today in what looks like on and off rain storms.  I bid farewell to the lovely medieval town of Estella, head over the bridge and onto the path.

The first highlight of today’s walk is at the famous wine fountain, Bodegas Irache.  While it’s only 8 am, I have to follow tradition and drink from my shell thanking the generosity of the Bodegas Winery.

At 3.4k I stop at a cafe in Azquete for a cafe con leche (coffee with milk) as there will be no more stops until I reach Los Arcos.

The last few days I could hear the cuckoos  singing in the woods but could not see them.  Today the swallows swoop and glide on the winds over the fields and across the path.  This is working wine country and there is activity as I walk.

While I walk alone there are other pilgrims in front of me and behind.  Sometimes I am passing fellow pilgrims with a greeting of Hola or Buen Camino.  Sometimes they are sitting on the side of the path taking a break which where I found Cindy and Sandra who I first met at Orisson Refuge but had not seen since.  There is a comraderie here on the Camino that is hard to explain – a common experience being shared that becomes a bonding agent.

Walking through the narrow section I breathe in the musky earth and shrub smells.  My senses are heightened here on the Camino and I feel so alive!

Tomorrow I’m headed for Logrono which will be a little over 17 miles.  A restful evening is in order.  I pass through the Portal de Castilla of Los Arcos to my lodging for the night.

13.93 miles from Estella to Los Arcos