Belardo

Another shortish day, about 21 ks. On the road by 7 and into Belardo around 1, after stopping for breakfast cokes and coffees at each of the conveniently located villages along the way. Cold this morning so I got to use my beanie, which was the only thing I brought that I hadnt used so far. Last stretch into town into a howling headwind and a bit dull, running parallel to the motorway.

Belardo is a very old town with the ruins of a Castillo founded in the 9th Century looming over it from the nearby cliffs and a couple of churches that look like they have been made over multiple times pver the centuries.

About 54 ks to Burgos. Either a very long day tomorrow to Ages and shorter to Burgos next day, or two longish days and stay in one horse town on the way. Rain forecast for next two days. Will see how we go. Feeling pretty good at the moment.

Quite a few people who started in St Jean pdp have quit, some have raced ahead and many fallen behind. Stuff happens , like the poor dutch lady who fell out of a top bunk in Roncesvalles, or people are succumbing to old or new injuries or blisters. I am moving along in a bubble of survivors who are all moving at more or less the same rate.  But I think things will change after Burgos and there will be a largely new cast.

Santodomingo de Calzada

Up and on the road early and headed out in the first light expecting to find a bar for breakfast but everything along the path out of town closed. The coffee, orange juice and tortella at the next village 5 kilometers down the road tasted so good!

A relatively short walk to Santo Domingo de Calzada ( say that 5 times quickly) - only 20 kilometers - so got into the albergue, with 220 of my new closest friends, around midday. After a great lunch in a restaurant on the square, explored the town, found at last an open electrical shop - siesta can be annoying as all the shops shut for long and seemingly random amounts of time - bought a recharger to replace the one I left plugged into the wall in Longrono. Spent a fair bit of time getting my Spanish sim to work, then visited the cathedral. A live chicken and a rooster are housed in a special brightly lit and very ornate hen house built into a wall in the Cathedral, commemorating one of the more celebrated miracles of the eponymous saint, who amongst other things is patron saint of engineers and seniors. An odd combination but whatever. Also a really odd exhibition representing the Easter parade in the town constructed with Lego models.

Sampled some of the excellent wines for which the region is famous, a nice dinner prepared And served up by two hard working senoras then off to the packed dorm where despite creaking bunks snoring shouting laughing doors opening and closing and general mayhem I slept like a top till 6.

Najera

Another 30 k day lots through rolling hills covered with vineyards.
Some very tired people along the way. In Najera it was Fiesta day and all the populace out having a grand social time. A lovely town.

Logrono

30 k day today through lovely rural country. Seas of wheat and barley rippling in the wind. Reminded me of Tennyson: on either
side the river lie/ long fields of barley and of rye/ that clothe the earth and touch the sky/ and through the fields the road runs by/ to many towered (insert name of next picturesque stone town here).

Got to Longrono about 2, shower, wash clothes, have a dutch beer sort of like stout, wander round lovely town checking out churches - San batolemeo my favourite. Seemed to have a mermaid carved in the portico. Had a nice chat in Spanish with  the guy who seemed to be living in the porch - he was very proud of the church. Church of Santiago has a massive energetic statue of st James riding a stallion ( no doubt it's a stallion) trampling moors' heads.

Managed to get a Spanish sim card. Two lovely young women in the shop spent more than half an hour on the transaction - can't see how they made a profit on that one.

Longrono is apparently tapas capital of Spain so I will have to go sample some.

Los Arcos

A relatively easy and short walk today to Los Arcos. Some very pretty country. A rainy grey day to hit Los Arcos on a Sunday afternoon. A lot of blokes sitting in bars but all a tad dreary in the rain. I was hungry when I got here and ordered the wrong sort of lunch - bravas and sambas ( potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce and fried squid pieces) which did not agree with me so a quiet night before a big day to Logrono tomorrow - about 30 k and the longest but not the hardest so far.

Estella

A reasonably easy walk today but I managed to make it longer by leaving my phone on the table in the bar where I had breakfast. When I realised I had was about three kilometers out of town. but luckily a young Basque guy picked it up and was waiting for some worried looking person walking the other way. Some lovely country and pretty villages along the way. Had a great paella for lunch and into the Albergue  in Estella by 2. This is a nice like life style - I can see how people get hooked on it. I heard of a guy who has done 17 caminos is somewhere around, and there is a wonderful 80 year old french lady who I see every day doughtly plugging away. The human dimension is special.

Estella is a lovely town. Beautiful and interesting churches - but why so many?
There is a wonderful church portal which is geometric patterns rather than figures, and which shows the Arabic influence. And a wonderful portal up the hill with beautiful almost naive carvings - people getting killed in all sorts of inventive ways all graphically portrayed.

Estella is a nice place. To get WiFi I've been sitting in a bar in the Plaza for an hour - now siesta is over it has gone from deserted to buzzing. 

Puente de La Riena

I headed out early this morning and managed to take a couple of wrong turns heading out of Pamplona. A very pretty walk today over the Alto de Perdon. Probably should now be called Alt de Selfie or perhaps the pilgrims just wanted to remember and record their forgiven status. Puenta de la Riena is a bit low key after frenetic Pamplona. Distinctly feels like the weather is changing
Rain gear might get a workout soon.