Day 25 - Zariquegui to Puente la Reina - August 9

Day 25 - Zariquegui to Puente la Reina - August 9

Well the day started about 6:30 am when my fellow peregrinos were starting to wake up. I really haven't been woken up too early except for the alarm clock incident. I think the weather has something to do with it. It has been cloudy and not hot, in fact sometimes cold. So people aren't getting up early to get their walking done before it gets hot. 

This morning I almost lost my glasses. They had fallen out of the bag I keep them in at night and landed on the floor by Julia's boots. I didn't notice because I can see pretty good at middle vision. It is only when I need to read something or look at something distant that I notice not having them on my face. Lucky for me Julia spotted them. 

I had biscuits and café con leche for breakfast. Now if you are thinking biscuits, like southern biscuits smothered in butter and honey, no chance, think again. They are thin round things that are somewhere between a cookie and a cracker. Pretty tasty, but not as yummy as the smothered ones. After that I headed out for the steep climb up Alto de Perdon. In the movie, "The Way," it is the spot where they have the metal cut out sculptures of a line of pilgrim's walking into the wind. In fact, it's where my current profile picture was taken. It is a pretty windy spot, which is why they (the government and the company helping Spain convert to wind generated electricity chose it as one of the spots for wind turbines. When I was up there last year, it was hot, with little or no wind, and so crowded I really didn't see much. And there was a guy trying to convince us to pay him to take us down in his van to a nice hotel. It is a steep trudge down, but I found that fellow annoying. 

This year I stayed in an albergue little more than a mile away, So I was up there alone for awhile before Team Germany came along. They really are delightful people. It was chilly and the wind turbines were whirling away. None of that lazy spinning I see on the drive to Palm Springs. lol I spent some time there looking around. And taking pictures. Then I asked Team Germany to take a picture of me with my donkey friend. 

Then I started the long steep climb down. It was pretty in eventful. I went slow because I am trying to take good care of my knees. I talk to them all the time, telling them they are doing a great job and thanking them for their effort. Sometimes I tell the there is only a little more down hill and then we will have some flat walking. I have a similar conversation with my toes. It really doesn't take much to entertain me. lol My toes have not mutinied. In fact yesterday they were good little soldiers and today they only squawked a little. There is no doubt the toes are going to jump ship at some point.  

 A woman who identified herself as a journalist from Lithuwania asked me some questions about where I was from, was this my first Camino, where did I start, how old am I. Then she asked if she could take a picture of me and my tattoo. Too funny this tattoo thing. Later a couple stopped me to tell me how much they liked it. 

I stopped for my mid morning snack and Team Germany was there. I had a peach and café con leche, then hit the road again. We were all planning to take the detour to Eunate, the mystery Romanesque,13th century octagonal stone building surrounded by a wall with 33 arches. It's origins are unknown. John might believe a UFO dropped it off. lol Some people believe it is related to the Knights Templar. 

Others believe it has Muslim overtones. A number of pilgrim graves have been found around the building during excavations. 

So the hike out there was pretty uneventful, except it was longer than I expected. At this point I was beginning to watch the clock, cell phone to be more precise. Why? you ask. Because there is a nice albergue attached to a nice hotel in Puente La Reina. I wanted to stay there last yea, so I wanted to stay there this year. So I started thinking about the time, because I was worried all the beds would be gone before I got there. This building is pretty interesting. And the Catholics have claimed it as theirs, of course. They've put a statue of Mary in it and named it Eunate  de la Santa Maria. :) 

Leaving the building I got lost until some nice guys on bicycles got me back on track. But the lost thing cost me forty five minutes, like time is a commodity. So now I'm obsessed with the time. Finally, I have a conversation with my obsessive mind and I remind it that I will end up exactly where I am supposed to be. Then we relaxed. When I got to Hotel Jakue there were lots of beds left. Go figure. 

I get checked in, get my bed, take a shower (in a fancy shower with really hot water and sprays of water that come from above and two sides. It was heavenly,) hand washed my clothes an hung them to dry. I made an appointment for a massage yes folks,a massage and bought my ticket for the buffet dinner and pilgrim's breakfast. After all of that I walked into the village in search of a Cajero (ATM) I ended up adding at least a mile to my days total because the inhabitants this village have signage issues. The signs say the Plaza, Tourist Information office and Catedral are straight ahead, when in fact they are to the right, down a block and turn to the left.  

I got back a in time to ice my knees before my massage. One half hour of bliss for twenty euros. Oh, my goodness it felt good.

Worried about bed at Jakue but believed I would end up where I was supposed to be. 

I had dinner with Team Germany the food and the company were great. And now I'm all tucked in for a good night's sleep. David an Italian lad on the bunk above me forewarned me that he snores sometimes. He's quiet so far, but the French woman across the way is saw a few logs. Not enough to keep me awake.