Headed out to dinner to meet Eric and Andy. I arrived first to a packed outside bar and managed to negotiate splitting a table with a group of German bikers. The place was otherwise packed with Spanish. Andy and Eric arrived and we ordered a beer and checked in the food plans. It was 7pm and the kitchen did not open before 8pm. Given that the only other restaurant did not open until 9pm and all of us were too hungry for a pintxos dinner since we had not eaten lunch we unanimously agreed to wait until 8pm.
We did however get the menu and decide so that the second the kitchen was open, our order was in. I opted for a salad to start again, followed by salted cod, bacalao which was brilliant and a sorbet to follow. My salad to start was a main course in itself with an entire goats cheese on the top. I did eat the lot though.
At about 9pm the place was absolutely packed, all with Spanish and 3 generations of family and friends. They were clearly just coming out for dinner as we were just finishing up. At 9.30pm we finished up and feeling totally stuffed I headed back down the road to my hotel. I was quite grateful of the 15 minute walk to let dinner go down a little.
I had a rough night last night with an upset stomach. I cannot work out whether it is the bathroom water which I have been drinking, the fruit picked off trees which I have been eating or late night over indulgence, but either way my stomach was most unimpressed. Note to self, try to find somewhere else to fill my water bottles and stop scavenging on the way.
Ready to set off today with the full expectation of walking alone. I got to the door to discover it pouring with rain which I had not expected from the forecast last night, so I had to resort my luggage to get the waterproof covers and jacket out before I could head off.
I finally repacked and headed out at about 8.10am. I had been walking for about 10 minutes when up ahead I recognised the unmistakable figures of Eric and Andy who looked like the had just left their hotel.
We therefore had another day on the trail together. As we left Puente la Reina we passed the bridge the town is named for which is quite stunning.
Today was a quiet stage walking through gently rolling farmland. The guide said that there was only roughly 300m of climb and 300m of decent, so to all intents I anticipated a pretty flat day. I am learning that setting expectations can cause the day to feel very different. Today it felt like there was way more climbing than 300m!!
The weather was mixed between showers in the morning, real blue skies and overcast, it was however really muggy and hot which made the climbs feel even harder. We passed alongside fields of sunflowers today and also started to see the start of vineyards.
In Cirauqui we stopped in the Church for a Pilgrim stamp and I emptied and refilled my water with non bathroom water. It certainly tasted better.
We then reached the village of Villatuerta around 13.00 and decided to stop for lunch today. I was travelling with a sandwich I had made at breakfast since I had not been very hungry then, we managed a beer each and the guys ordered chicken burgers. I have to say that my sandwich looked just as good as their burger.
As we left the village we passed a group of young girls who were asking for donations in return for freshly picked tomatoes, very enterprising.
Today felt like a pretty relaxed day as we arrived into Estella around 3pm and found our hotel. After an arrival beer we headed off for our well earned showers, no bath today. Amazing backdrop just beside the hotel.
It was another good day, we passed lots of faces that we are recognising and that we say Hi to knowing that we have seen them before but I think both the guys and I are still messaging people who have moved on, either a day ahead or to finish the last 117km. Odd how that works.
Today though we passed through the first 100km market. I have now completed 114km, I can’t believe it.