21.9km

We woke up early and were quick to get dressed to enjoy breakfast (bread, coffee and juice) offered by the albergue. Before sunrise, we walked out of Puente la Reina over a beautiful medieval bridge.

Medieval bridge in Puente la Reina

For some reason, I am experiencing a pain in my upper right leg – I’m not sure where this is coming from. Just before we reached Cirauqui, I started feeling a “hot spot” on the heel of my right foot … indeed, a big blister appeared as I took my hiking boot off!

Lesson learned: Make sure your shoelaces are tied properly when you walk downhill

A steep climb towards Cirauqui

Cirauqui on the hill

There were a couple of steep climbs, especially during the first part of today’s hike. We walked through farmlands and vineyards and were happy to stay on the dirt tracks without the noise of traffic.

Always up-hill when you walk into a town – this time it’s Cirauqui, with even a cat welcoming us

In Lorca I told Berto that we needed to stop … I took my hiking boots off to put my hiking sandals on (relief for my blister!) Berto took my boots and tied these to his backpack.

News flash:

I just added another kilogram to Berto’s backpack – 😲! For the next 700km my boots would be “walking” the Camino on the back of Berto’s backpack.

Approaching the town of Estella

The last stretch of about 4km to Estella, was almost flat. We saw many pilgrims on this path and most of us would spent the night in Albergue Hospital de Peregrinos for only €6 per person.

All the different albergues in Estella

After a hot day on the road, the water looked inviting – on our way into Estella

After we checked in, we washed our clothes and then took a walk through Estella to buy food for the evening and snacks for the next day. We also had a nice lunch in the centre of town.

Lunch was great

That evening all the pilgrims were sitting around a table in the communal area and shared stories of their past and present Camino’s. There were pilgrims from Korea, Germany, Ireland, Kazakhstan and Spain … for the first time, we felt part of the Camino experience.