DAY SIX - Puente la Reina to Estella

Out the door a little later this morning, at about 7:45 am. From looking at the map of the day's walk, we all thought it would be a somewhat easy walk. What the map showed and what we actually experienced were two different things.  The map showed a day of slightly rolling hills. What we experienced were some pretty decent inclines throughout.

We walked through several small towns and pilgrims stopped for refreshments or a break, when needed. During my approach to Estella, I came upon a woman and her husband I'd met while walking out of Pamplona. They are a young Norwegian  couple.

Chapel along the way   Fountain in Estella          The church with many steps

 

When I stopped at the farmacia to get ibuprofen ointment, she was getting directions to the bus station. She had built up a painful callous on her heel and it was impeeding her speed. More so, I think it was impeeding her husband's speed. He was pushing her to go faster and she couldn't. Her plan was to take the bus ahead to Puente la Reina, see a doctor and rest up. She and her husband would reunite in Puente la Reina and continue on the Camino.

So, there they were, trudging ahead. He is a tall and strong-looking Nordic type. On the day his wife caught the bus, he continued onward. I later saw him speeding up the mountains at a veryfit athlete's pace.  She, on the other hand, is of much smaller build, but was doing her best to keep up. I could tell she was still struggling a bit, but she was giving it her all. When she got behind, he'd ask, "Sweetie, are you coming?"  Too much pressure. I don't think that is what the Camino is about. Each person must walk their own Camino. Walking to the beat of someone else's drum is not your Camino.

At some point today, while walking up hill after hill, I thought this is so much like life. Sometimes, we get more than we planned for, but the only way to get over the hill is to take it one step at a time. It may be slow going, but if we keep moving forward, we'll eventually conquer the hill and reach the other side, stronger and wiser.

Mileage today was 21.45 kilometers and 404 meters elevation gain. I checked into the municipal auberge,showered and rest a bit. During the course of the afternoon, some familiar faces joined those of us who had arrived earlier. By mid-afternoon, the auberge was full and pilgrims were directed to other nearby locations. Then, it was time to see some of the city.