5. Puente la Reina to Estella

Camino Frances - Day 5 - August 31st 2013: Puente la Reina to Estella

Contour Map: Copyright John Brierley click here to see notes

Click here for Google Map for my starting point today

Looking back at the ancient bridge as I leave Puente la Reina at 7;30am

Another restless night last night. I was actually cold and will have to keep my thermals close at hand in future to ensure I am not cold during the night. There are enough distractions (e.g. snoring and other noises) outside of my control keeping me awake at night without scoring an own goal by not wrapping up properly. After sharing breakfast with Antoinette, Vicki from California and Jane from England I set off at about 7:30am.  Ellie from Victoria caught up with me along the way and we walked together for a while. She is a young nurse and is travelling with her parents. Ellie suffers with Rheumatoid Arthritis but this did not deter her from pushing herself each day despite the pain. She used to love participating in various sporting activities but is now restricted to walking. She highly recommends sky diving, an item on my bucket list, so maybe I should move that one further up my list : ) She was great company and such a brave young woman. 

Sitting on this ancient bridge just beyond Cirauqui I spent a short while updating my diary but my main reason for stopping was to take a break from walking on my blistered feet. My left foot in particular was very painful with pain darting through my foot and into my leg.  I should have known by now that stopping often makes everything worse. When I started back on the road every muscle and bone in my body seemed to have seized up  and again I'm walking like someone 100 years old. I though the stiffness would pass as in previous days but no. I was now being passed by just about everyone I had passed earlier in the day. I stopped again just outside Villatuerta and sat on a bench in the shade of a couple of large trees. More familiar faces passed by, some stopping for a brief chat. One poor lady, looking as exhausted as I felt, stopped and asked me if she was approaching Estella. I had to inform her she still had about 4 klms. She was already shattered and this news seemed to drain the colour out of her face as if all hope had just abandoned her, still, she marched on. I got up again not feeling any better.

I noticed a small church just off the trail, the sign said 'Ermita de san Miguel Arcangel' despite being tired I felt compelled to make the short diversion and check it out. I address this part of my story later under a section about my brother Tom. Tom is on my mind every day.

Today I came across Alexandro from Napoli again. I met him on the first day when he came racing up behind me and looked capable of completing the Camino in record time. He slowed down and we talked. His English was not perfect but good enough for us to enjoy our conversation and start to get to know each other. I would meet Alexandro many times along the way. Such a really nice guy.  He had advised me when we first met to take it easy and to 'listen to my body' before he took off again at speed. However, today Alexandro was really suffering with his blistered feet. We walked together for a while. I think if we were to listen to our bodies we would each be heading back to our respective homes, taking to our bed and waiting for the aches to pass. 

I also walked behind three Irish lads who sang all 41 verses of 'Bog down in the Valley-oh'. I envied their energy level but eventually grew tired of the song. If they only knew something different but I don't think they did requests.

I passed through these wedding guests in Estella

Antoinette appeared on several occasions making good time. I also came across Stefanie and Daniel. She was not doing well between tiredness and trouble with her legs or feet. We discussed diet and the fact that, so far, there have been no green veg served with our evening meals, something we all agreed we missed very much. We all said we would not eat the pilgrim meal again but instead seek out a restaurant where we could enjoy some fresh vegetables.

As I walked into Estella I came across a wedding party. Everyone dressed in their best attire while I squeezed passed them in my sweat soaked clothes. They must have noticed. They were setting off deafeningly loud fireworks which echoed through the narrow streets while the smoke floated up between the building on this windless day. 

Arriving at Albergue Juvenil Oncineda (Mun) I was greeted by a very friendly young woman who said she loved Ireland having spend several summers there as a student. She gave me two options on accommodation, either a shared or a private room. Believing I had a better chance of a good night sleep if I was on my own I opted for the latter. As it turned out it was a room to sleep four but I would be the only occupant with a lock on the door. She asked me if I would be having dinner in the albergue and I immediately went back on what I had said to Stefanie earlier and said yes to the pilgrim dinner. My rational was that I knew I was too tired to head back into town so eating in was a better option on this occasion.  I showered, changed clothes, rinsed out a few items of

clothing and put them in the window to dry. I then went outside to take a few photos while enjoying the coolness of the late afternoon. I stood at the railings surrounding the albergue and watched some locals playing netball. I also took the opportunity to check out my exit route for the morning which involved heading out across the playing area in front of me, through a small industrial area and then rejoining the Camino route. 

Hungry now I went back inside and set off for the dining room, it was empty. A lady came out to greet me and, in her very poor English, explained that there were only three 'guests' in the very large albergue and the other two were not pilgrims. I would be dining alone. Well that was a blessing in disguise. This lady was so nice, so pleasant and she piled on the food too. A great tuna salad to start with lots of tuna in it, followed by a thick, home made vegetable soup. I had several bowls of this. Then three fine cut pork chops with chips. I'm not a great fan of pork chops but these were delicious. Finally a yogurt and a fresh peach, I decided I would pack these for tomorrow. 

As each day passes I am becoming more relaxed and my head is now clear of the clutter that blocks our minds from reaching inside ourselves. This enjoyment is of course tempered by the aches and pains which I think I am now going to have to accept as part of the experience.
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Other Links, relating to this section of the Camino, you may wish to follow 

Puerte la Reina:

Images of Puerta la Reina on the internet

Wikipedia on Puerta la Reina - This is Spanish version, use the 'Translate' button for your language.

Estella:

Images of Estella on the internet

Wikipedia on Estella

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Topic: Aches, Pains, Blisters etc
I could have used a more extensive title on this topic like, 'Aches, Pains, Blisters, Tummy Bugs, Injuries, Old war wounds, Fatalities and much more' but I thought the one I used was even too long already. 

Perhaps there is an endless supply of information about what you can expect to endure while walking the Camino, especially for those who wish to complete the Camino Frances in one go. All I know is that I did not inform myself about the down side of walking great distances each day, day after day, and what that might do to my ageing body. Although the Camino seemed to treat all us pilgrims just about the same with young and old suffering the same ailments. In fact, I think many young people appeared to get more blisters as they set off with great intentions to complete the journey in record time only to find the Camino is a great leveller for all ages. 

There were many days when I asked myself 'what the hell are you doing out here' as I walked on blistered feet in the great heat of the day, exhausted and wishing to be anywhere else. These thought pass but they do come back from time to time. Thankfully there are far more great experiences to overshadow the bad stuff. 

time to dress my feet again

Blisters:
I have to confess that I believe I got away lightly in that the bigger blisters I got early on did clear up thanks to an abundant supply of Compede. They are expensive but I found them a great help and made it possible for me to walk on blistered feet over several days. Each morning you could see so many pilgrims attending to their feet before setting off. I often cam across people changing their dressing along the way. Sometimes I offered Compede but everyone had their own supply or their own remedy. 

Aches and Pains:
Many people reported suffering from aches, pains and limps associated with injuries they received many years ago. They all said the Camino will find your weak spot and aggravate it until it becomes painful. My hips were very painful for the first week but after that they were OK. Towards the end of the journey my knees started to pain me, particularly my left knee. Often the pain would get fairly bad and I would start to limp but after a very brief rest I was able to get back on my way again. I did fear that my knees might let me down and I had a couple of knee supports in my bag just in case but they were a last resort. I never had to use them.

Tummy Bugs:
Some I met had tummy bugs, others sore throat  and various other illnesses. Some were advised to a day or two to recover before walking again. I had a sore throat and headaches for a couple of days but it did not interfere with my progress. Towards the end of the journey I did have a nasty tummy bug and that did knock me back a lot. I will cover that later in the blog.

Injuries:
I saw so many people with bruises, cuts and stitches on their face, arms or legs. While most of the terrain is easy to walk, if we ignore the angle of ascent or descent for the moment, some parts are very rocky and you need to pick your steps to avoid spraining your ankle or a nasty fall. Clearly many people fell. You have to remember that once you start to fall the chances are you will not be able to save yourself as the weight of your backpack will pull you down. 

Fatalities:
Sadly people also die on the Camino. Statistically that should not be a surprise because so many people are doing this every year. However, While I walked the Camino I was informed, I have not tried to confirm this yet, that a Canadian man fell and died and a short while afterwards two German pilgrims were hit by a car and died. There are many places along the Camino where people have erected crosses, statues, stones etc to mark the spot where pilgrims died. 

None of the above should deter you from making the journey of a lifetime. Just be prepared and take care.