Day 6 - Estella to Torres del Rio

Last night, I stayed at the parochial albergue. It had 2 rooms with about 16 beds (8 bunks) in each. Quarters were very tight, but I was with great friends and the Camino experience here was amazing. We all started cooking dinner together at about 6:30 under the guidance of the hospitalero (the volunteer who watches over the place for a 2 week stint), who, as luck would have it, is a professional chef. So at about 8, we had an amazing salad followed by a filling and carb-loading pasta dish. In the morning, we all had breakfast together. The cost? Donativo: whatever you want to give.

The walk today was long and difficult, covering 29 kilometers. It started with a climb, that was gleefully interrupted by the famous El Camino ¨wine fountain¨where you can get not only water, but also wine! It´s put there by the local winery. After peaking at Villamajor de Montjardin, the descent was steady and slow (i.e. not horrible on the knees), but through fields of olives, grapes, and hay...without any shade. The usual stop for today is at Los Arcos, but I decided to push on an extra 7 km or so in order to make tomorrow an easier day to Logroño, a bigger city. That way I might be able to experience it a little.

Tonight, I will sleep well. The other good thing about not being at a usual stop is that it´s much quieter in the albergue. Only 4 people so far and that´ll probably be it!