Camino Day Five- Puente de la Reina to Estella (15.1 Miles)

Random thoughts after five days on the Camino:

• We wake up to an alarm at 6:15 wanting to get down to breakfast when it opens at 7:00, it always takes longer to get everything ready to walk out the door so we don’t quite make it.
• Breakfast is either coffee, juice, croissant or all of that plus meat, cheese, eggs, and fruit. Never know what to expect
• Early morning on the Camino is always somewhat crowded. We all seem to walk out the hotels, hostels, auberges at the same time. So at first there are many pilgrims walking. but the fast ones move on, the slow ones lag behind, and the medium walkers spread out. By 11:00 you have a pilgrim in front of you and maybe two behind you. Late afternoon you are often alone.
• We walk through towns, each with a Church, a bar or two for breakfast or lunch, and not much local foot traffic. We often comment where are the locals.
• The countryside keeps changing. Early on it was mountains and rolling hills with livestock, cows, horses, and sheep. Lately it has been fields and fields of already harvested wheat, sunflowers, and corn fields. Not a farm animals anywhere.
• Where are the workers? Where are the farmers? We have not seen one piece of farm equipment working a field. We have seen a couple of tractors delivering hay. The fields have been either cut down or already plowed.
• Poor people, where are they? Almost all the homes we have seen in every town are homes that we all would love to live in. We keep expecting to see the homes somewhat is disrepair, chickens and livestock in the pasture, and Grandpa sitting on the porch. So far, not to be found.
• We travel with fellow pilgrims, taking over towns- the bars and the restaurants- People are still nice to us, so far.
• There are so many beautiful Churches!
• As you pass a pilgrim or they pass you, typically there is a brief hello and then a Buen Camino. Everyone is so friendly.
• So many pilgrims from so many countries. We have connected to a few as we see them day after day. There is a connection between us all.