Step 9: New Acquaintances

Day 48, Sunday 11th of June, 28km walked + 3km 

We got up at 6am and left the church of Iglesia de Santa Lucia / Santa Luzia eliza by 6:30am. We walked for 20 minutes before coming by where the track intersected a road, and a car was parked up. Two pilgrims were sitting by it eating breakfast. I called out Hola and got no reply and so continuing on. Enoch shot on ahead becouse he wanted a coffee. When we came across him next, he was sitting at a cafe that was 6km away from where we had slept. We stopped for a bit and drank coffee. 

Drinking coffee at the Cafe in the village of Zuriain

Pilgrims passed us and some stopped. One who did stop was an American called Steven. He must have over heard our wondering questions between ourselves on the price of the omelets which the Café cooked. For he came and joined our table and brought with him an omelet, which in Spain was served in bread. We talked to him a bit before continuing on the road. He had been a tour guide in the states before coming over and doing the Camino, and since leaving college, he had 39 different jobs. 

On leaving the Café, Liam passed us by, and so I walked for a bit with him and we talked. The other three sped on ahead to get to Burger King in Pamplona. After walking with Liam for a bit, I went on ahead and walked alone for an hour before walking with Isabel who we had given coffee to up on the mountain two days before. We sat down on the outskirts of the city of Pamplona and shared lunch together. As we ate, Anaël cought up with us, and so we walked into the city with him and stopped off at a supermarket on the way. We took a while in the store, and by the time we got to the Burger King, the others had moved on to the Office de Tourisme which was where we met up with them. The day we arrived in Pamplona it was a Sunday, and so there was a parade through the streets up to the Cathédrale with people dancing in traditional Basque garments, for we were in the Basque State of Spain. The main street was covered in grass clippings which the parade followed by walking over it like a green road up to the main gate before the Cathedral of Pamplona. 

After finding the others and having our passes stamped, we walked up the street to the Cathédrale and walked around the inside of it. Someone played the organ unceremoniously, causing us who had to listen to the playing, great suffering. They obviously were a pianist and was playing it like a piano. 

 

Stone work in the Cathedral of Pamplona

We walked around the cloister before heading out to find an open supermarket. On the way there was a small vending machine that sold Pilgrim credentials for two euros. Isabel at this stage left us. We walked out of the city after eating a watermelon which Rose had brought, and walked 9.4km before stopping in the village of Zariquiegui. Before reaching villageship, the others had gone on ahead of me as I was walking slowly. The weather in the distance turned into a down pour. Thunder rolled over the flat lands and lightening flashed. As I was walking, a man came up behind me. He did not speak any English only Spanish. With hand gestures towards the rain he said that I should hurry up before the rain hits and told me to follow him. And so the both of us set off and it wasn't long before we arrived at the village. It began to rain when we got there, and we got undercover in time. 

Osgar had sniffed his mayonnaise and it exploded

We set up camp under the porch of the village hall. Across the street was where Anaël was staying the night. To our joy, the two Australians Ben and Shayne were staying there, and Anaël asked if one of them had lost a pair of socks. Ben came out to us and was very happy to be reunited with his Macpac socks. That evening we talked and drank beers in the bar/Gîte where Anaël and the Australians were staying. As we were doing so, Skye arrived. She was an American from California, and had taken a vow of silence and so did not speak but used text on her phone to communicate along with hand gestures. She had been the girl from that morning who had been sitting by the car which I called out to. She joined us on the porch of the hall when the bar closed for the evening to sleep. We slept rather soundly that evening. I should also mention that there were other people in the bar that evening who we talked to. Katie from Cambridge, and the British friends Kevin and Jackie who were once a couple but now were just friends who were walking together. We also met a Texan by the name of Lulu, or Miss Lulu Texan.

 

Our route traveled that day

Day 49, Monday 12th of June, 35km walked

We got up at 6 and left by 6:30am. I went on ahead along with Katie Cambridge and Miss Lulu Texan, and after walking 2km, we arriving at the silhouettes of Pilgrims upon Portillo de Adiós.

 

Picture by Rose of Anaël, Enoch, Osgar and myself by the silhouettes

I sat and waited for the others to catch up as we had wanted to take pictures of the silhouettes. Katie Cambridge and Miss Lulu Texan continued onwards along with Kevin and Jackie. It wasn't long before the others showed up and we posed before the silhouettes to take pictures. We then continued onwards and I quickly fell behind the group, but cought up with them in the village of Muruzábal. We had hoped for a coffee there, but the cafe still had 30 minutes to open, so after eating some breakfast, we continued on to the next village where we still didn't find coffee. Skye was resting in the park there, and joined us when we left the town. The others moved on while I was slow and fell behind once more. I didn't see the others till around lunch time later in the day. I walked for a bit with a Japanese lady who had been living in Canada for the past 10 years or so. She had had a hip replacement the year before and now was walking the Camino. We talked for a bit before arriving in Mañeru around 1pm. That was where the Japanese lady was stopping for the day. I found the others by the towns lavoir where they had stopped for lunch. Skye had joined our troop and was eating and walking with us. While sitting, Rose opened the letter which Irene had written to us and told us to only open it when we missed her.

 

Irene's letter to us

We soon continued onwards, and walked for another 17km before arriving in the township of Estella-Lizarra. In the village before this town, Skye's friend Jess joined our troop. She had bussed from Pamplona that afternoon and who had been with Skye the morning before by the car when I passed.

On nearing to the township, I had fallen behind the group once more. It had been a long day. We had heard that there was a Donativo to stay in, and so we had tried to make it to there for the night. So when entering the township, I had lost sight of the others and did not know where to go, and I thought that they had continued on up the main street. I had lost sight of them and walked an extra 3km around the town before being able to make contact with Anaël and he give me the address. They had crossed the bridge over the river and I had missed them becouse of that. He had given me an address but Google maps sent me to a hostel that was permanently closed and as I climbed up the steps to the shut hostel, someone shouted at me in Spanish, telling me that it was permanently closed, and so I sat on the concrete steps and had Anaël send me a screen shot of his location on maps. I did eventually find the right way and got to the hostel. Enoch and Osgar had been sent out to go to the grocery store for food so that we could cook a hot meal in the kitchen that closed at 9pm. Skye and Jess had also gone out with Enoch and Osgar, and so they were gone for a very long time, and Rose began being quite stressed time got on. Osgar returned 45 minutes before the kitchen was due to close. The lady who ran the Donativo, it was a volunteer based operation, did not believe that it could be possible for us to cook, eat, and then wash up afterwards in time, for 6 or so people. Where was Skye, Jess, and Enoch? It was a very long time before Enoch reappeared and his reason for being so long was that he had miss placed Skye and Jess and had looked for them but to no success. When they did eventually arrive back, they were quickly sat down by the table with a plate of lentils and egg mixed into pasta and told to eat as fast as was possible... poor girls. It wasn't really their fault and I believe some slack should have been given towards them.

Our route for that day

Day 50, Tuesday 13th of June, 27km walked

We got up at 6am and had breakfast of toast and jam before hitting the road at 7:30am. The night had been very warm and the room had been quite dry, causing me to get up around 11pm to get some water. There was a game of doors through the night. Some people wanted it closed, while the others wanted it open. It was smart to have it open for air flow. Skye and Jess left before any of us, and as the others were still putting their packs and shoes on, I went on ahead and sat by the steps of the church to await for them. As I did so, I worked on my writing and watched pilgrims pass. Around the corner came Tom, who I had met just heading into Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port on Thursday the 8th. He asked if I were going to the Monasterio de Santa María la Real de Irache where there was a wine fountian. I said that I planned to, however was waiting for my siblings and Anaël to catch up. So Tom continued upon his way. A little later and Neil (Irish guy) along with Ben (The Australian) and Miss Lulu Texan and Katie Cambridge came along The Way. We greeted each other and talked, mostly about the upcoming wine fountian which they seemed most particularly interested in, before they then continued upon there way. Shayne wasn't with them. He had wanted to sleep in a little and so Ben continued without him. They had camped the evening before. 

When my troop did catch up, we needed to decide if we needed to go to the grocery store or not. I said that I did not, and Rose also had enough food to continue. We hoped to be in Logroño the next day anyway, where there would be a grocery store. So we continued on to the abbey. On the way, we passed a café, and Enoch and Osgar along with Anaël wanted to get coffee. Rose and I continued on till we got to the wine fountian where we found everyone from the day before and that morning enjoying the wine and filling their water bottles with the wine. 

Jess taking a photo of Skye who was filling her bottle with wine

There was an Internet camera watching the people come and go at the fountain and I contacted home to let my parents know that if they followed the link that I provided them with, they would be able to see me. They saw me and my siblings, before Rose and I continued on. I walked on alone, and rang home for an hour while I walked. The route split into two paths, one was of high country and was about one kilometer shorter, while the other was flat and level and was 1 kilometer longer. I took the high route, and hoped that the others took it aswell.

 

The view from the high route

I walked alone, passing Skye and Jess. I walked for a moment or two with a lady who had come all the way from Australia, leaving her kids and husband behind to do the Pilgrimage. She was impressed that I was camping the whole route and that I had started in Vézelay with my siblings and that my budget was €50 a week. We talked a bit and then she shot on ahead. 11 kilometres from where the path divided it came back together as one track. As I was walking, a fellow named Paul cought up with me and we talked a bit. He was part of a larger group who had been from the States that had been organised by their local Catholic perish. We were not talking for long before coming to a camper van that was converted to sell American food and was run by two Americans. As I went up to order a cold soda, the Australian lady who I had been talking to earlier came up to me and gave to me a 10 euro note and told me to shout myself something. I had told her that I couldn't accept her money, but she insisted. I thanked her and ordered a meal from the trailer. It was divine. After that, I continued onwards. I got talking to a fellow from Idaho who also was part of the large Catholic group. He had owned a farm and had sheep for 38 years before selling his flock. He made the comment at being not a very good Shepherd due to selling his flock for riches... it wasn't long before we arrived in the village of Los Arcos. Enoch Osgar and Anaël cought up aswell and they stopped up the street from the square where there was a bar and a church. I continued on to the square and found Rose sitting on a seat. She had been waiting a full hour there for us to show up. I went back up the street to where Anaël, Enoch, and Osgar were and told them that Rose was sitting in the Village Square waiting for us. They did not believe me, and said that she was way behind. So I headed back to Rose and told her that they did not believe me. They eventually came round and found us sitting infront of the church. Shayne and Ben (The Australians) arrived and Neil (Irish Guy), Katie Cambridge, and Miss Lulu Texan also arrived and we placed tables together at the bar to sit and talk as a group over a few drinks. The two British friends Kevin and Jackie also showed up and so it was a little merry gathering indeed.

 

At the bar in Los Arcos

After an hour we moved to the park out side of town and laid there talking. There was a fellow pilgrim who was sleeping on the grass and I think we were a little loud for him. We planned to walk to the next village which was 7.1km and sleep there for the night, as that would bring our total km walked that day to 27km. I started to walk before the others and as I was walking, a pilgrim cought up with me. He had been the same pilgrim who had been sleeping next to us at the park. We got talking about politics and as we talked two bicyclist passed us, and I made the comment out of gest "their not real pilgrims". Which he replied with "Oh you want to talk about real pilgrims, do you!?" He had walked from Lai Poy and had enjoyed the French part of the Camino very much, however when he entered Spain, it became very different and commercialized. I told him that I had been walking since Vézelay and that it was day 50 for me and my group. He said that the pilgrims back in the last town was really loud, where he had been resting in the park, especially the woman pilgrim. It had been my sister who he was meaning. I told him that it was my sister back there and he apologized to me. It didn't matter, we all were being loud. He walked on and I walked alone till I reached the village of Sansol where we would sleep for the night. I said down by a vending machine which offered pharmacy supplies to pilgrims and waited. It wasn't long before Jess and Skye showed up and they sat with me. There was cats wondering about and I tried to be friendly to them and walked up to one which sat by a window. I thought that the cat was just sitting there, however when I got close I saw that it was eating food from a plate that someone had left through a small gap in the window. I went to touch the cat and an old woman from within the small dark window-

Let me explain. In Spain, all apartments and houses have shutters that roll down as if they are miniature rolling doors so as to keep the heat of the day at bay. On this particular house which 16 cats hanged about like a bad smell, all the shutters were closed, apart from one which was open about a foot high. Looking in, there was no light but only darkness. As I went to touch the cat that was eating something that smelt quite putrid, an explosion of Spanish erupted from within the dark confines of the house. I could see movement in the shadows as an old woman came to the window shouting at me. I did not know what she was saying, apart from the fact that she was extremely angry at me for touching her cat while it ate from her plate which she had left for her many cats. She was in fact the villages mad cat woman. I apologized in English and quickly retreated back to where Skye was sitting next to the pharmacy vending machine. Skye made sign language and smiled at what had just happened. She then pulled her phone out and wrote into it, asking if the old woman had said a certain sware word, to which I said that I did not know, for it all sounded jiberish to me. She than typed the insult which she thought that she had heard the woman call me in Spanish, into Google and it translated to 'Whore' in English. Jess hadn't seen the action play out, as she was booking herself into a Gîte for the night. 

It wasn't long before the rest of the others showed up. Neil (Irish Guy), Katie Cambridge along with Miss Lulu Texan had stopped along the way to camp the night instead of staying in a Gîte, while Shayne (Australian), stayed with us. We made our way up to the church and got ourselves ready for the night. Shayne had a stove and pot and so we began to cook pasta on it, but Anaël came back after booking himself a room at a Gîte and said that we could use the kitchen at his accommodation. So we turned off Shayne gas jet boiler, and Anaël took away the pasta to cook at his place. He came back as he wanted help to cook it and Osgar followed back to the kitchen. We had a splendid hot meal that evening and then turned in for sleep.

All tucked into bed by the church in Sansol

Our route for that day

Day 51, Wednesday 14th of June, 28km walked

We were awoken by Enochs alarm clock at 6am. I thought that we had decided that Anaël would wake us when he was ready and that we would get a sleep in, but that was not the case. Anaël didn't take long in coming around to us anyway, and after packing up we went down the road to the next town over, which was only 800 meters or so away. There we found a place serving coffee. They only took cash and so I had to barrow cash from Anaël. After receiving the coffee, Shayne and myself continued on and we talked for a bit for about 6km before being joined by Alian (Irish). She was a teacher that taught philosophy to 11 and 12 year Olds. We talked for close to an hour and Shayne joined in with the discussion closer to the end while we walked through the outskirts of the city of Logroño. We talked about gender ideology and feelings before parting ways within the city. Shayne and Ben, along with Enoch, we headed to Burger and the Mall on the west side of the city. Once arriving at the Burger Kings, we had expected to see the others, Osgar, Rose, and Anaël. But they had yet to arrive and so the three of us placed our packs down and ordered coffee. One of the things you can buy in Spanish Burger Kings is a black coffee with a dollop of ice cream. The sugar and cream removes the bitterness of the burnt coffee beans. It wasn't long before the others showed up. Then we took turns to go into the malls supermarket. After that we continued on to the lake Pantano de La Grajera where we stopped for dinner and would eventually sleep by for the night. Anaël booked himself a room in the village of Navarrete and would walk on for another 5km. On his way, he passed a shelter and sent us a picture of it as it might be a good place to sleep in. So we went to the spot suggested but it was too small to host the 6 of us, and so we continued on for a little ways and we came across a concrete plinth that had a pergola on it and a half circle concrete bench. We began to set up and Anaël messaged that the room he booked out had an extra bed and so Enoch and Osgar packed up and walked on for another hour and stayed the night with him.

We talked for a bit before I read Shayne, Ben (Australians), and Rose a short story before bed. After the story we talked a bit more before turning over and fell into the arms of sleep.

 

The four of us sleeping by the lake

Our route for that day

Day 52, Thursday the 15th of June, 28km walked

We awoke around 6am and packed up. The night had been cold had hard. I have found the concrete somewhat hard and decided that I wouldn't have to buy a foam mattress when given the chance. 

Rose shared with us digestive biscuits and Shaine offered out a banana to anyone who wanted one. I had one, as I had not achieved in keeping bananas on me due to how soft they were to squash. We then hit the road, and after walking for 4.5km, we arrived in Navarrete, where Anaël, Enoch, and Osgar were.

 

Walking over a bridge which crossed the highway. Navarrete in the distance

We stopped at a cafe around 8am where Anaël and the other two were waiting for us. Anaël was kind enough to shout us all coffee. As he was ordering, I asked him how he had slept, and he said that last night he had the worst night sleep on the whole of the Camino. He had pains in his abdomen and determined that it was kidney stones, as he had them twice before in the past. He battle all night and when dawn arrived he slept little through the pain. 

We went upstairs to drink our coffees while leaving our bags in a pile outside. I brought pastries for the seven of us and we sat down before cutting them up and sharing them between all of us. As we were enjoying our coffees, Neil (Irish guy) Katie Cambridge, and Miss Lulu Texan showed up.

 

The seven of us along with three extra

Come 9am we were back on the road. While on the road, Rose and I talked to Ben about NZ and the Māori culture and their history. While talking to him, I felt home sick for New Zealand and realized how special that the Māori culture and people are. When you are always around it growing up, it doesn't seem so special, but once you are plucked from there and are set down into a different culture, you quickly realized how special New Zealand is. 

We walked for another 7km before arriving in the village of Ventosa where we stopped at a cafe and had cold smoothies. As we sat, Neil and Katie Cambridge arrived, along with Miss Lulu Texan. Liam also showed up, which was a relief because I had last seen in back before Pamplona. I had promised him that I would give him my blog link while I was back in Zubiri.

 

Our break at 10:40am in Ventosa

Rose had received back pay from the Government and so she wanted to take her three siblings out to dinner when we got to Burgos.

The sky was quite clear compared to the day before. We walked for another 2km before passing a man playing a guitar and singing. He had been playing for on the Camino for 8 years. 

 

Man playing Guitar

I left them and walked along with John-Paul, an American who was 18 and walking with his dad. We walked and talked till Nájera, 8km from where the man was singing. I left John-Paul and waited for the others to catch up. We then went to a supermarket and Rose got Mochi Ice-cream which she shared with everyone, and I got ingredients to make over night oats for everyone. While shopping, Neil (Irish Guy) and Katie Cambridge showed up. They said that they had left Ben and Miss Lulu Texan at a park by the river. We then continued on to the river and found them there. We sat and ate lunch together. After lunch, Shayne mentioned that there were caves in the hills behind the township. And so we got our headlights our and tried to see if they were accessible, but found a solid door between us and the tunnels and so we climbed to the top of the hill and took photos of the view. 

 

The view of Nájera

We started to walk again at 5:30pm. Our goal was the village of Azofra, 6.1km away. We walked for 2 ½ hours and talk about the history of the local area and how it had been invade by the Muslims and then taken back by the Navarre Empire. We then talked about where and when we would go if we could travel back in time. We then began to talk about New Zealand and the History of the nation. We arrived in Azofra around 7pm and after scoping out the porch of the church, we went to the local bar. Before going down to the bar, I prepared a batch of over night oats for the morning, and left it by the church door with Osgars backpack. 

I had run dry of money, and needed another installment sent to me, but it wouldn't arrive till the next day. Shayne brought for me a Vermouth, as we had been talking about the drink and how back in NZ I had a friend who was turning his white wine into vermouth. That night Rose told a bed time story about a Princess and the Shadowlands. By the time she finished, everyone apart from I had fallen asleep.

The vermouth from Shayne, Cheers!

 

Where we camped for the evening in Azofra

Our route for that day

Day 53, Friday the 16th of June, 30km walked

We awoke at 6am and began to pack up. Anaël showed up 20 minutes later. We ate the overnight oats and then headed down to the bar for a coffee. Shayne shouted us coffee, while I brought everyone a pastry each as my funds had come through. Rose and Ben continued onwards while we had coffee. As we were finishing up, Alain (Irish Philosopher) arrived, and we exchanged our good morning as asked each other on how we had slept during the night. I had not slept so well, as I had slept on the bench which was wooden, and my inflatable mattress kept on slipping out from under me becouse of how smooth the bench was. 

We soon continued on, and as we left the bar, Neil (Irishman) and Katie Cambridge, they had slept that night in a hovel that lay three kilometres north-east of the town. We had passed in the evening before while on our way to Azofra. They planned to stop for coffee there. So we continued on. After walking for 9.6km we arrived in the village of Cirueña where we found Rose and Ben waiting for us. Rose was doing some laundry by the water fountian and Ben was rearranging the insides of his bag. There wasn't a cafe in that village and so it wasn't long before we continued onwards. The next village was called Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and lay 6.6km away. From the very beginning and even before we began the Camino, Rose had told a story of a village that had a church which had chickens in it. It was the village of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. So when we arrived, we headed to the church but found that it was €5 to get in, instead of being just €1 when Rose had first gone back in 2018. We got out passes stamped in the office of the church but did not go in, for it was too much. We then went back up the street from where we had come to go to the Office de Tourisme to get the stamp there, as it was different from the one in the church. Ben, Katie, Neil, and Lulu continued on while we stopped in the Village Square to have lunch. I had gone to look under some vending machines for dropped coins, and so when I came to the table late and joined the others, I found a beer waiting for me at the table. What played out in the next hour was due to my lack of communication, but this what happened. 

I will state this before continuing. I struggle to accept things given by others, but I love to give instead. So when it came to paying for the beers, I thought I would go up and pay for them all, and so I did. It was I think about €12 for the five beers and when I returned and the others had seen what I had done, they were not pleased with my actions. They knew I was trying to keep to a tight budget of €50 a week and so repayed in cash and Rose said something about me burdening others with my kindness. There displeasure left me unsettled and I quickly packed my things up and left them behind so I could ponder things over. I should have done something better, communicated better. But what is done is done. I walked alone for 6.6km till I arrived at Grañón where I found Ben and Liam waiting there drinking beers. They asked if I wanted a beer, to which I said no, as the last beer had left a sour taste in my companions mouths on who and how it should be purchased. I sat and waited and the others soon arrived. I left them there and walked about the town, entering the church. Within there was a statue of Jesus laying in a glass coffin with a blanket pulled over him up to his neck as if he was in bed. It was ere, and made no sense, for Jesus rose from the dead and was alive, even if it is supposed to remind all that he died for their sins... there is a better way to do that. It wasn't the first time I had seen a carving of Jesus dead in a coffin. I have many questions for the Catholic faith, but won't list them here. 

I was tired, and Liam and myself walked behind the church and rested on the grass under the shade of some trees. The church had a four story building built onto the back end of it, and it was a Donativo Albergues (Gîte) for pilgrims to stay. A guitar was being played on the top floor by someone, and I spoke out laud to myself wishing that there was a piano in there. John-Paul who I had met back on day 52, spoke up from where he was sitting on a bench behind a bush that there was a piano inside. So I quickly walked up to the top floor and found it. It was sitting on the far wall. The room had at least 10 pilgrims in it sitting about and there was a small kitchen. Skye was up there as well! I sat at the piano and opened its lid and felt the smooth keys. It was like the feel and smell of a wine bottle to an alcoholic. I began to play and it was terribly out of tune, too much so. I soon left it be, and went down to the grass outside and laid down. Rose turned up with Neil and Ben and I told her about the piano up stairs. She went up and heard her play through the window. 

After that we left and walked a further 7.6km passing two villages on the way. At 7.6km we arrived in the village of Viloria de Rioja. Liam had stopped in the Village before to buy himself dinner, only to find that the only open place would only sell him dinner if he stayed the night there, as it was an Albergues (Gîte). So he left our group for the evening and we continued on to Viloria de Rioja. We sat at picnic tables and ate our dinners there, waiting for the old ladies of the town to move from the porch of the church, as they had been sitting there talking to one another since we had arrived. Once they had gone, we went over and set up our beds for the night.

Where we camped in Viloria de Rioja

There was no street light shining down at us that night, nore any noisy people during the night. We slept rather soundly.

Our route for the day

Day 54, Saturday 17th of June, 36km walked. 

We awoke and got up at 6am and began on the road by 6:30am. The day was greeted with red skies, suggesting bad weather to fallow. After walking for 3.3km we stopped in the Village of Villamayor del Río and had coffee.

 

Red skies in Morning, Sailors take Warning

There we were joined by Liam and Skye too also showed up. We were happy to see here, as we hadn't seen her since the day before, and she had stayed the night at the Donativo Albergues (Gîte) in Grañón. She had split from Jess, we had known that, and so when she sat down to have coffee with up, Enoch and Osgar were to laud with the inquiring thoughts, as they had asked Rose why had Skye departed from Jess? So Skye wrote out on paper the reason for her separation and stated her reasons which Rose read out to all of us, Ben, Shayne, Liam, Enoch, Osgar, and myself. After that we continued on till we arrived in Belorado. Shayne and myself were ahead of the rest of our group, and we came to a stone bridge which crossed the shallow river of Río Tirón. It was a very hot day, and as we stood on the bridge looking over at the crystal clear water, we asked each other if we should go down. Both being hesitant, I decided to break the ice by going down to the river and that persuaded Shayne to fallow. I took my shoes off and got into the water. It was super cold, so cold in fact that my feet ached. That didn't stop Shayne from going for a proper dip! It was way too cold for me to do such a thing!

We were the for close to half an hour before the others showed up. When they did they had gone to a grocery store and so as they took to the river, Shayne and I went to the grocery store. After that we continued for another 12km, leaving Skye at the river for a bit, and arrived in the village of Villafranca Montes de Oca. We sat behind the church and had lunch there together, Ben, Shayne, Liam, and the four of us. As the weather was closing in Neil (Irish Guy) showed up with Katie Cambridge and Miss Lulu Texan. We said hi before they went and booked into a Albergues (Gîte) for the evening. The sunrise did not lie that morning about the coming weather. So before the weather hit, we packed up and went to the local bar till the weather passed. Once it did we continued on. Shaine and myself set our and Enoch soon cought up with us as we climbed the hill. Thunder echoed off the hills. We passed Katie Cambridge and Miss Lulu Texan and talked to them for a short moment before continuing. Soon the others too cought up with us and we breaved the weather. Osgar lent Liam his poncho while we all got into our waterproofs. It wasn't long before the others shot on ahead, leaving Rose and I to walk slowly behind. Lightening striked about the hill top out of sight followed by laud thunder. We passed the monument at the top of the hill and mass grave of the murdered rebels from 1936 and still we continued on. It began to rain and still we continued on. After walking for close to 3 hours, we arrived in the village of San Juan de Ortega, and found the others waiting for us. There was no where to stay that evening and so we continued on to the next village which was another 3.8km away. We had hopped to sleep under a porch of a church, but when we arrived I scouted out the church with Shayne and found no porch, and at the door of the building sat an old Spanish woman. I made sign language asking if I could go in to the church, but she did not understand. So I translated with my phone as to what I wanted to do. She said yes and once inside she Stamped my pass and blessed my bag. By the time I came back out, I found that the others had found a shelter in the middle of the village and had begun to set up for the night. Liam did not have a matt to sleep on, so I gave him my blue matt which had been deflating it self. He didn't have much trouble with it than evening. Anaël booked himself into a Albergues (Gîte) for the evening before coming back and joining us in discussion. We planned to book an apartment in the city of Burgos and have a rest day in the city. Anaël got online and booked for all of us. After eating dinner, we said good night to Anaël before turning in for the night. 

The shelter which we slept in that night had large LED lights in its roof. At about 13 minutes past 10pm, one of them turned on. The kids were still playing and it was still day light. The kids finally went home close to half past 10. 

Taken at 11:53pm of Everyone Sleeping in Agés

Our route of the day