Ya, but…Friedrich, how FAR do I have to walk to finally have a great thought? My blisters and aching knee pretty much consume my thinking moments every inch of every kilometer of every day!
Estella to Los Arcos
Strange day. Many reminders of home. Even in Spain, I am the one changing the toilet paper roll. When I unplugged my phone from the wall charger, the time was 7-11. Made me think of Andrew and Super Big Gulps.
I started by getting lost. Again. And again. Cities give me trouble. I hate entering cities, and I frequently miss the yellow arrows when leaving cities. But the day was cooler and mostly overcast. So retracing my steps was not such a heated, miserable process as in days past.
I finally walked up to the famous water and wine fountain, Fuente del Vino at the Bodegas Irache. Now, you should really only sample the wine. Not fill your beer stein, or water bottle, or your freakin’ mouth after jamming your stupid shaved head under the spigot. Besides, it was 9:45 a.m. Leave some for the afternoon winos! So the asshole under the spigot bathed in the vino, then stood up proudly and dropped his cell/camera on the pavement. And that’s how I understand Karma!
The rest of the day was uneventful. I took a picture of another “No dogs pissing here” sign for Jessica, and scored the last bed in a fine albergue in Los Arcos where I unexpectedly reunited with my original Camino family. We went out and drank way too many pitchers of Sangria, made way too much noise outside the church walls where we gathered for protection from the wind, and were asked to move just before a hearse pulled up with pedestrian mourners following behind. I believe I sent Andrew a drunken text before entering the (most spectacular) church for a sello and forgiveness. š
Los Arcos to Viana
I expected trouble the moment my knee gave out on me as I descended from the top bunk. That mishap was followed by the first truly bad coffee I had to dump from my Timmies mug onto the Camino.
So, walking stick in hand, I shuffled past an abandoned pair of hiking boots atop a Camino kilometre marker, numerous rock cairns(?), and toilet paper in random pee places. And then I watched a shepherd move hundreds of sheep from one pasture to another with the help of three expert dogs. I waited with five other peregrinos. Mesmerized. The shepherd moved toward us, asked us where we were from, and called out commands to the dogs. He wished us a Buen Camino and continued to control the flow of sheep as the sheep passed within feet of a busy road. That shepherd’s dogs made poor Abby and Bob look like lazy four-legged moochers. God I miss those lazy four-legged moochers. š
I climbed another bloody hill, and continued on to Viana. Of course, I had no idea how far Viana was from where I was. I checked the guide for important information like fountains dispensing potable water, and cafes dispensing cafe con leche. Reading maps has never been my thing. When a Spaniard on a scooter stopped me along the highway and handed me an advertisement for a new albergue in Viana, I assumed I was close to another top bunk. He waggled his fingers from his forehead to imitate a bull, and explained that Viana was hosting a bullfight and a Running of the Bulls contest.
By the time I reached my bottom bunk in Viana, Carmen, the kindest hospitalera ever, said it was really a running of the cows, but it was worth seeing. Sadly, I was only capable of sliding to the shower and back to my bunk. My knee was fubared, so peregrinos brought food in for me, and I avoided dealing with the moral/ethical issues surrounding bullfights by remaining bedridden. Some peregrinos boasted they had run ahead of the bulls. Which brings me to…
On the way out of Viana, I passed the bullfighting ring and the city workers cleaning up the street garbage from previous night’s festivities.
Now, there is often animal crap on the rural roads in Spain. But after a Running of the Bulls, I wonder if city workers can tell the difference between the bullshit and what passes when a peregrino shits his pants?
On that note,
Ultreia!
PilgrimPen 