Beatitudes of the day :

Blessed are you pilgrim, when you don’t have words to give thanks for everything that surprises you at every twist and turn of the way.

Blessed are you pilgrim, if you search for the truth and make of the “camino” a life and of your life a “way”, in search of the one who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Another quiet day through gently rolling farmland heading for the large town of Estella which was founded in the twelfth century specifically as a rest and refuelling stop for pilgrims.

We left Puenta la Reina and crossed its magnificent twelfth century Romanesque six arch bridge. The wife of King Sanchez III ordered the bridge to be built over the River Arga to allow safe crossing by pilgrims. Hence Puenta la Reina – Queens Bridge.

The land is very fertile, if very stoney. As the day wore on we passed through more and more vineyards and orchards of olive trees. There were four towns nicely spaced between Puenta la Reina and Estella, unfortunately they were all located on top of hills so a few gentle climbs and descents.

One of the highlights of today was walking on a fine example of a Roman roadway complete with a single arch Roman bridge. It’s amazing to reflect on walking the same stones millions have walked on for about two thousand years. Actually the road is a little lumpy and the Romans should be asked to come back and do some maintenance they have been neglecting.

75% of today was on natural tracks through the countryside but several times we had to cross under the motorway that connects Pamplona to Estella. All the subways were graffitied with Basque separatist slogans, mostly in Basque but some in English. At one stage we walked under a modern concrete aqueduct carrying water across a valley.

Today Barbara managed to successfully decipher the instructions on the little screen on a coffee dispensing machine. The machine reluctantly delivered a coffee in a cup complete with spoon in it. Unfortunately there were about three teaspoons of sugar in the bottom. The machine could do without or with milk of varying amounts, without or with sugar of varying amounts and umpteen types of coffee.

Clare was asking how Barbara’s Spanish is going. She says it is terrible and is giving much amusement to whoever it is inflicted on. But she is far too hard on herself. I think it is fantastic. She fearlessly uses it on shop assistants, hotel receptionists etc. They always try and use English but Barbara persists and so they speak simply and slowly and communication is very good.  In Zubiri while we were sitting by the river she had a very long conversation in Spanish with a very kind elderly gentleman who helped her with pronunciation and the correct choice of the sense of a word. Even though English (and French) are widely used on the Camino she believes everyone should make some attempt, however feeble, to speak the local lingo.

There are many pleasant little touches to walking the Camino. One of them is that there are villages at regular intervals along the way and every village has a church. Every church has a belfry, and every belfry has bells that are still used to tell the time. The bells now have electrical /mechanical clappers but it is so nice to hear the bells ring out over the valleys.

Ipod theme tune for today is the Rolling Stones :

If you start me up I’ll never stop
I’ve been running hot,
You’ve got me ticking gonna blow my top