Walking Day Six - Puente La Reina to Estella Part Two

We continue along the camino enjoying our morning walk. Pretty soon, our group stretches out as each of us continues to find our own comfortable pace. Tom walks with Roger and Denise and I find my pace with Jose and Maite. This changes as the day progresses. It is quite an enjoyable way to walk. We stop for periodic rests as the sun is starting to heat up. As we head into Estella, the temperatures have risen quite a bit. Having grown up in California, the heat does not bother me as much as it does Roger and Denise and Jose and Maite. They start to fall behind. We soon arrive in Estella and I head to the albergue and leave Tom seated behind to wait for the rest of our group. When I ask for six places at the albergue, I am told they are full. The gentleman behind the desk is not very helpful when I ask him where the other albergues are. I am hot, tired and his lack of concern at my state makes me rather irritible. A little compassion would have made me feel a little better but I got none. I waited at the bridge for Tom and the rest of the group to arrive so that we could find someplace to sleep that night. After asking several people, we were told the parroquial albergue was up the street and around the corner. The last hour of a long day seems the longest, especially when all you want is to put down your heavy backpack and take off your shoes. We slowly trudge up the hill and go up around the corner. At that time of day any small incline might as well be Mount Everest. We finally get to the albergue only to be told that it is also full and the next albergue is 2 kilometers up the road. Without meaning too, my eyes well up with tears as I ask whether there isn´t anything closer. This gentleman has much more compassion for our state and tells us to wait a few minutes. There might be beds but he is waiting to hear from the parish priest who is off buying supplies for the influx of pilgrims. The priest told him that there are seven beds in the parish hall, but we need to wait for confirmation. There are no showers there. We will have to shower at the albergue and then walk over about a block to where the hall is. Maite and Jose agree and they go inside to shower while they wait for permission to stay at the parish hall. Denise and Roger and I are not too keen about having to shower at one place and then stay someplace else. Denise wants to look for a hotel and I agree to go look with her. At the last minute, however, I agree to stay where we are. A bed in the hand is better than nothing at all and there is no guarantee about hotel availability. The town is small and there is a small fiesta that night. I tell Denise that I will help her since her Spanish is virtually non-existent. We leave the group and go on our search for a hotel. The first hotel right off the plaza tells us they are full. We are dejected. We continue on to a pension recommended by the gentleman at the albergue. We ring the bell quite a few times but no one answers. I am glad I had kept our name on the list back at the albergue. I did not want to walk ahead two kilometers. However, I also realize that in my quest to find a hotel room, I am walking quite a bit and might have used that energy towards going forward instead of circles in town. We do not find anything and Denise is now worried that their spots might have been given to someone else who arrived later. We return the albergue and she is relieved to find that they are still on the list. He was waiting to see the outcome of our search before giving up the spots. He has also heard from the parish priest who indeed confirms that we are more than welcome to stay in the hall. In fact, there are more spots available as he has been buying mattresses for people to sleep on the floor if need be. We are shown to our room which is actually a classroom on the second floor of the hall. There is a large flat screen TV and our windows overlook the town. We are pleased as we are alone in the room. There is a bed for one more and we don´t know if anyone will be joining us. We start our day-end routine and then get ready for finding some food.

Along the camino, there are some interesting dynamics that emerge. While we walk carrying our enormously laden backpacks, we are often passed by people carrying little or nothing at all on their backs. We have taken to call these people faux or vacation pilgrims. They often send their laden backpacks ahead by taxis that cater specifically to carrying ahead heavy luggage. The issue for us "true" pilgrims is that we often arrive at the albergues only to find they are full of the faux pilgrims who can walk briskly since they are not carrying any weight. It is frustrating and yet makes you feel bad for judging them since the same option is available to all. And yet, we still puff out our chests with pride and say we are doing the camino the "right" way. I guess we should say the hard way and no where is it written that the path on the Camino must only contain hardship and suffering....but I´m just saying sometimes it just doesn´t feel right. Especially, when I am waiting for a shower and it is filled with women carrying heavy bags laden with cosmetics, creams and all sorts of luxuries while I hold my towel the size of a cloth napkin and my tiny bottles of travel shampoo and conditioner. They primp and preen in front of the mirror talking about what a long day it was, but they arrived two hours before me and an hour after their luggage. I´m just saying, it might be okay, but it doesn´t feel right.

Anyway, back at the parish hall after showering, we turn on the big screen to watch the Tour de France. We are all interested as the race mirrors our nationalities and we have a great time ribbing each other. We try to decide what to do for dinner. Denise, Roger, Tom and I decide to have dinner out. Jose and Maite pick up some food to eat at the hall. As we are waiting for our dinner, we are entertained by a marching band of youth garbed in medieval costumes. We enjoy our show and our dinner and are soon joined by Jose who is just in time for a beer. We wind up our day and head back to the hall for a good night´s rest.