Camino Day 3 and 4

In Cirauqui, the albergue is located in a small square with the town church. The church bells began chiming the quarter hour beginning at 3am, so most of the albergue was up by 4am. I slept solidly from 9pm - 3am, so I actually felt quite rested. That is the most hours of sleep  in a row I've gotten since we left for our trip. Lack of sleep due to jet lag, other people snoring, etc can be a problem for many. Pilgrims typically arm themselves with ear plugs, a sleeping mask, and sleep aids like Benadryl to help get a good night’s sleep.
Sleeping in albergues is a little like sleeping in a different cabin at a different sleep away camp every night. One main difference though is that all facilities are co-ed. Also, privacy is not really a thing in Europe, so people will just change clothes right in front of you and are very comfortable sleeping in just their underwear. (We still change in shower stalls and restrooms. I'm all about “do as the Romans do,” but I have to draw the line somewhere.)
We got ready slowly and waited until dawn to begin walking. (It would have been dangerous to begin in the dark as the way out of town is steep and rocky.) We left at about 6am. At this point of the Camino, the path is the old Roman road, and it is full of huge rocks. You have to walk carefully so as not to twist an ankle.
The morning was cool and overcast which was a huge difference from the day before. We walked almost 6k to Lorca. The last part was extremely steep, so we stopped for rest and a cafe con leche and chocolate croissant. Then we walked another almost 5k to Villatuerte where we stopped for a Coca Cola. (Coke tastes different in Spain. It is made with real sugar.) We are eating a and drinking things with WAY more calories than we normally would because we are burning so many each day. Normally bread, sweets, and potatoes would be eaten in moderation, but not on The Camino.
Next, we hiked another almost 4K to Estella. On the Camino, there are way markers to help you stay on the path. They can be tiles on a building with the shell symbol, a yellow arrow, a metal shell in the pavement, or a concrete block with a shell tile. During a portion of our walk to Estella, we went a long way without seeing a way marker. There were also cars and farm equipment going up and down the road, so we worried we had taken a wrong turn. After some time another way marker appeared to confirm we were on the path. It is good there are three of us, because it can be easy to miss an arrow or shell telling you to turn right or left. Another confusing thing is that traditionally the pointed end of the scallop shell would point the way to go and the scalloped lines were in the back. Newer signs and tiles have been hung the other way with scalloped lines pointing the way to go. Sometimes you see a shell marker, and without an accompanying arrow, it is hard to know which way to turn.
Just before Estella, we saw a pen full of miniature burros. Pat pun of the day: Dad said, “I would name my burro Hotey, so he would be called Donkey Hotey (Don Quixote).
We were very hungry when we got to Estella at 12pm because we had been walking for 6 hours. We decided to have hamberguesas con papas fritas. The fries were great, but the hamburgers were a huge disappointment. I don't know where Spain gets their beef ( or if it is beef?) but I won't be ordering another one.
We made a steep climb through and out of Estella and were rewarded with free wine at Bodegas Irache. This is a winery right outside of Estella that has wine and water taps on the outside for pilgrims to use. They make 100 liters available each day, so they are sometimes out when you arrive, but we were lucky enough to get to taste some. (It is okay, but not fantastic. Still very cool though.)
We stopped just above the bodegas at the courtyard of the accompanying monastery (closed due to lack of postulants) for a siesta.
Siesta is taken very seriously in Spain. Shops and restaurants close at 1pm and do not open again until 4 or 5pm. There are some bars and restaurants that stay open for pilgrims, but other than that you will not see any locals in the afternoon. Walking through villages at that time makes you feel like it is a ghost town.
After a short siesta under the plane trees, we continued hiking towards Azqueta. We hiked through fields, a forest, and on hillsides. The countryside is beautiful. When hiking through the forest, we saw a sign saying Percaucion Perros. Apparently, some pilgrims have been charged by dogs but we didn't see any.
We arrived in Arqueta and checked into La Perla Nerga. This private albergue is run by a single mom named Elena. She is working very hard to make a living and runs a beautiful home. (The Spanish government has a program to help single moms and granted her a loan for her albergue at a good rate.) She sees this as a ministry, not just a job, and treats her guests like family. Elena is just delightful! She cooked an amazing meal with local produce and eggs. We shared the albergue with 5 other Americans and 2 Germans. They made great company as we dined together. The German couple, Elka and Reinhardt, are a great source of information because they have done the Camino six times. They enjoy “adopting” peregrinos and helping them with suggestions and recommendations.
We all “slept in” until 7am. It felt very luxurious to get so much sleep. We didn't leave the albergue until 9am, and after a short 2k walk to Villamayor de Monjardin, we started our long walk of the day. You have to stock up on water and snacks there, because the next village is 12.2k away. The walk is through fields of crops in rolling hills the entire time. Towards the beginning of the trek, we came across two local musicians playing a violin and an accordion for pilgrims as they walk. We stopped soon after for a banana, bocadillos, and cheeseball picnic on the side of the road. Then we journeyed on. There is an ingenious Spaniard named Eduardo who drives a food truck to the halfway point in the fields and sells cokes and bocadillos to hungry pilgrims.
We’ve met people from all over the world and continue to run into many of them again and again at bars, cafes, or along the road.
Most of us stopped for the day when we completed the 12.2k hike in Los Arcos. We opted to check into a pension (hotel). We got the last room at Pension Mavi for 65 Euro for the three of us which includes breakfast. (This is a bit of a splurge compared to the cost of an albergue (30-40 Euro for three), but worth it on occasion for your own shower and privacy.) We went to the town square for comida (lunch). We had sangria, seafood pasta and pizza. So good!
We are back at the pension for naps and showers before we head to the Pilgrim’s Mass at Iglesia de Santa Maria de los Arcos this evening.