Today was a good day.
I had planned passage from Estella to Los Arcos, but the weather was kind(ish) so I ploughed on another 6.9km to Sansol, 27.4km in all (though the Danish mum/daughter combo have GPS with them and said it was actually 32km…). I wanted to reduce the trek tomorrow as it is still long and there are apparently elevation changes that make it much more difficult than the maps suggest. So, instead of 27.8km tomorrow, it should be about 21km.
I rose 0545 after a less than satisfactory kip in my €30 single room. I left at 0615 and arrived here at Sansol at 1400, with two stops along the way for water, orange juice, frittata and coffee. As segments go, it’s a bit linear and grey though the landscape is punctuated by swathes of dark red clay soil and more and more grape vines.
About 0.7km outside Estella, you arrive at Iratxe, where there is a Bodegas (owned by the church). There is a wine fountain for pilgrims (and cheap drunks) – apparently very well-known in the guide books.
As the photo of the sign shows, the monks originally made provision for pilgrims to have a swig (or “swing” ???, per the sign) and the tradition carries on to this day. Swigging at least. I saw that. I can’t attest to the other. For the record, I didn’t partake. It was red wine and it gushed. I thought about the fuss it would make for my laundry for the day so I strode on. Virtuous and unstained.
Remember the Italian chap whose phone I found yesterday? Well, I was sitting, socks off at my first break of the day at a mobile canteen (Cafe Eduardo) about 6km from Los Arcos. He (I still don’t know his name) bounds up to me, grinning ear to ear. “I heave geeft !” He proceeds to give me pin with the yellow arrow that helps pilgrims find their way. I was tickled. Unnecessary but captures the essence of what’s going on here. We shook hands…and it was then I realized for the third time that as he hikes, he has a Rosary in his hand. He shakes hands with it in place. Something for everyone. Anyway, that was the highlight of my day. Simple things.
Most of my day was solo, although I met Chi-Nu, from South Korea. He was walking wth Josefina from Germany (medical biology student converting to medicine). Chi-Nu is a graduate mechanical engineer who had just interned with Porsche in South Korea for the last 6 months. He turned down a full-time position there so he could do the Camino, figuring there would be other opportunities. Sounds ballsy. He has to be back on 26th August to graduate. I saw a number of familiar faces – Danish mum/daughter combo (tomorrow is their last day), trendy Japanese chap who wears his white Oakleys on the back of his head, NYU professor and Spanish friend, bald Italian chap with the green frames around his shades. It’s all good.
Couple of words about the approach into Sansol. You can see the village from a long way off, but it’s a cruel tease, and the last couple of clicks can be very uncomfortable. Line of sight suggests a short distance to destination but the shale path and then the road (onto which one traverses) bends away so it’s deceptive and a demoralizingly longer last leg.
The very last stretch is on the road. Today there was a stiff breeze which was cooling, but when it stopped, woah! The tarmac is like an instant-on, mega-BTU radiator. Without any breeze, the feet heat up very quickly indeed, as does the rest of the body. It’s amazing how quickly that surface can sap energy. Keep it in mind.
There’s a hiking shop in Logroño, tomorrow’s destination. I think I will buy a robust pair of Tevas that I can hike in. The boots really heat your feet up and my change of footwear from 2012 has zero support – “Vivobarefoot”. I think there are a number of segments where I can hike with Tevas and spare my feet. That’s the plan. And in case you’re wondering, no, sack cloth vestiments and bonhomie to all men will not follow…
Sansol or Torres del Rio for the night was a toss up. I had planned to go the extra kilometer to Torres del Rio, but the Sansol Albergue advertised a footbath. That was enough to stop me mid-stride. Sold!
Sadly, there’s not much to this town, and I suspect there are a lot more of these towns along the way. Couple of streets, this Albergue, another that you needed to phone for access, a ratty bar, maybe another restaurant. The dormitory is almost full. I’m eating here tonight at 1800. The chef is a Moroccan friend of the proprietor and apparently likes to cook Moroccan/Spanish fusion, so we’ll see.
I’m still in Navarre but tomorrow, I should enter the La Rioja autonomous region, which begins just outside of Logroño, to the north east of the city. Long day tomorrow.
Buen Camino.