21/7 Now in Torres Del Rio where a friend, Chris Hadfield, lives. After so many nights spent in hostels having to sleep in bunk bedded dorms, it’s a bit strange to sleep in a normal bedroom. I can honestly say it’s a welcome relief. Stuffed tomatoes last night and chicken tonight is far cry from the ‘guerrilla food’ I have been getting used to for the past week. That’s how the Spanish walkers describe the bits and pieces of food they eat along the way. Here is a summary of the trip so far.
Day 1. Start – St Jean Pied de Port. From here a very difficult long walk to the next place.
Day 2. 27km Roncevaux. Night in large dormitory hall. 120 beds.
Day 3. 21km Zubiri. Feeling horribly tired after yesterday’s crossing the Pyrenees.
Day 4. 18km Villava (Pamplona) Had a 60 bed hostel almost entirely to myself.
Day 5. 26km Puente la Reina. Very bad day. Still not recovered from the first day.
Day 6. 23km Estella . very hot day but not too difficult walking. Still exhausted.
Day 7. 9km Villemajor de Monjardin. Quite a steep section so stopped at the top. Finished walking by 11.30 (Started 6.15)
Day 8. 20km Torres del Rio. A long downward section of 12km. Moving fast because tomorrow is a complete rest day.
You may be thinking, how can anyone get sleep in large dorms. Almost without exception the rule is that after 22.00 hours there should be silence and also the hostel doors are closed. It certainly wasn’t the case in Villemajor which I really don’t want to go into.
The images include the graceful bridge in Puente la Reina and a long limestone escarpment which stretched along a large part of the horizon. Also there’s the church early in the morning at Los Arcos near where I had some breakfast, and then my first sight of the small village of Torres del Rio.
