Estella to Los Arcos (21.3km)

I woke up today feeling pretty well rested. My body is definitely getting used to the new time zone, and I am finally able to consistently sleep through the night without waking up frequently. It's definitely been a blessing to get good sleep.

Margaret, Sean, and I woke up at 7:00 today as usual. We leisurely got up and went about our morning routines. This typically just involves brushing teeth, folding clothes, putting sleeping bags away, packing bags, and then throwing together some sort of breakfast. Some days that looks like getting a coffee or sandwich from the vending machine. Other days we have hardboiled eggs that we had made the night before. This morning, we each had two hardboiled eggs, and Margaret and Sean both got a coffee from the coffee vending machine. I had a Clif bar too, and then we were all ready to go by 8:00.

Walking through the streets of Estella with the sun having just risen was beautiful. I hadn't realized how big the town was. Spanish towns are nicely laid out to have a downtown feel. The alleyways are easy to navigate and get you through the city quickly.

We made it out of Estella after a few minutes. As we left town, we discovered one of the highlights of the Camino: the wine fountain!!

I don't know the full story behind it, but this monastery has a fountain that literally spits out wine. I hadn't expected it to be running during the winter, but when I pulled the lever, out came fresh red wine. For free! It was only 8:30, but I couldn't pass up this staple of the Camino. And here is the result:

I had a short drink and then decided that was good enough, especially given that it was early morning. Margaret and Sean both tried some as well. It was pretty decent wine!

After that fun experience, we continued walking. It felt like a long morning. I was missing Mikayla a lot, and was feeling somewhat daunted by the length of the camino. I'm only 6 days in out of 33, so less than a fifth of the way there. That's a lot of walking. They say your body breaks down first, then your mind. I suppose I was feeling a little bit of that. But, I knew that this was going to be a big aspect of the Camino. And I really think it's representative of life. When the going gets rough in life, you just have to push on. And there may not be any reprieve in sight, but that doesn't mean you give up. You just have to keep pushing through it and trust that God is there with you. I think that God wanted me to learn this lesson, and I don't have any illusions about my lesson being over so soon either. I know this lesson is one you must experience to truly understand, so I'm ready for however God decides to challenge me. These are the kind of thoughts that remind me to unite my suffering to Jesus's suffering on the Cross. In that way, I know my suffering has value, however small it may be, and I know it can be used to sanctify me. I just pray that God gives me the strength to gratefully accept what He has in store for me.

The landscape around the beginning of the walk was truly stunning. We passed through beautiful forests, which was nice for a change, since it's mostly rolling grass hills usually. A big mountain in the distance had an old castle on top, and we slowly inched our way towards it, the castle growing ever larger on the horizon. To the north, you could see sheer cliffs on the top of a mountain range. It was beautiful scenery that accompanied my prayer well.

After a few hours of walking we took a short break. We had our usual time to ourselves in the morning, and then started talking while walking. Margaret helped to cheer me up by playing my Camino song, "500 Miles" by The Proclaimers. I sang along, and it did help to boost my mood. Walking with friends on the Camino really does make a difference. We then just shot the breeze, talking about random topics while strolling next to and through the forest.

We soon arrived at a little town, with one bar that was open. We stopped for a while and had some food. I got a nice potato omelette sandwich for €5. It was great. The three of us talked and shared what we had listened to or thought about this morning. We looked at the rest of the walk ahead. This is Sean's second to last day with us, unfortunately. It'll be hard saying goodbye to him. But I'm intent on enjoying our final time together!

As a side note, I think the cafe/bar/restaurant model here in Spain is genius. In the morning they serve coffee, in the afternoon and evening alcohol, with cheap food options all throughout the day. I love them.

It really is amazing to see just how much food affects your mood on the Camino. It's a similar experience with backpacking. You're exercising so much and burning so many calories at such a steady pace that it's easy to feel out of energy pretty quickly. But after having some food, you almost feel like a new person. My mood always instantly lifts after eating. This is something I would barely ever notice back home, but out on a journey like this one, you start to learn things about yourself!

After our fantastic early lunch break, we continued on, with more energy to talk than before. Sean walked ahead, and Margaret and I talked about movies, TV shows, music, and some other topics. By this point, we were passing that castle on the hill. The sun was starting to break through the clouds, which casted an amazingly beautiful light on the mountain range to the south.

Pretty soon, we started coming up on a figure in the distance. The person sort of had the same look as Shannon, the other American woman who we've seen but haven't gotten to talk to much. And once we caught up, sure enough, it was Shannon! We finally had someone new to talk to. This is a really special thing out on the Camino, especially in the winter, when there aren't many other pilgrims around, and even less who speak English. After some conversation, it was clear that we'd walk the rest of the day together. We got to know Shannon a bit. She's a very nice woman!

As we talked, we walked through some of the prettiest scenery as of yet. The path spread out far before us, lazily rolling over the countless hills. Big hills blocked the wind to our left, and snow capped mountains stretched out in front of us. It was absolutely beautiful. Everything was green as far as the eye could see.

Another side note: there are countless olive farms in the Navarra region, which is killer for my allergies. I learned through a blood test years ago that I'm slightly allergic to olive trees, but have never seen the effects until now. My eyes are often burning and my face feels like the inside of it is itchy. I'm also sneezing all the time. Thankfully I packed some medication, but there's still a constant itch somewhere on my face.

After a lot of conversation and getting to all know each other, the four of us arrived at Los Arcos. It's a quaint little town, with farm land surrounding it and nice organized alleyways. There were some farm animals on the outskirts of town, which is always fun to see. We actually rolled into town pretty early, around 1:30.

Shannon left to stay at a hotel, while Margaret, Sean, and I went to grab a late lunch. We found a nice bar, and I got mushroom risotto. It was great!

At 2:30 we arrived to our albergue and found our rooms. All of us were dead tired, and we took an amazing nap from 3:30 to 5:30. It was definitely needed. After that, I took a quick shower, then decided to see if the local cathedral was open.

Thankfully it was, and I got to pray a rosary inside. It closed pretty soon after, but it was very beautiful and provided peaceful prayer time. Its crazy how even a small town like this one has a cathedral. They're very common out here in Spain, definitely a huge blessing along the Camino!

After the church closed, I finished my rosary at the cross right outside the church doors. Then Margaret came over and we found a good place to eat dinner. Shannon and Sean joined us soon after, and we talked for a few hours. Sean and I got dinner, and they all got drinks. I decided to forego the alcohol since it's a fasting day for lent. It was a nice night all around, and we got to know each other even better, especially Shannon. Lots of fun topics were brought up and lots of great jokes were cracked.

Finally, it was 9:30, so we decided to head back to our albergue. The three of us picked up some groceries before heading back. Once we arrived at the albergue, I called Mikayla for a little while. It's so great to talk to her, and amazing at how much it helps my mood. Time flies when we talk, and soon I had to say goodbye and write this post. It's now 11:30, and definitely past my bedtime, especially since we're waking up at 6:30 tomorrow to get an early start on our 28km day. But it was a very blessed day. God is good!