13.4 Miles: 30,965 Steps
Hola! Greeting again from rainy Spain. Cold, rainy Spain. I discovered a blister last night on my right foot. Usually, I get one under a callus but this time it was on top. People address blisters in three ways on the Camino. They leave them be, they drain then, or the pierce them with a needle and run thread through the blister, leaving the thread hanging for a couple of day. I choose the middle and drain it., then cover it with Neosporin. I call it surgery without a license. Anyway lucky for me, it only pains me when I first start and then it is fine.
I had a delightful dinner last night with a girl from Houston. Her name is Rita and she is from Houston. Cute as a button with personality to match. We laughed and giggled through dinner. She is a retired military officer who has seen her share of things and not in the most glamorous circumstances. It was a wonderful way to conclude yesterday!
Not often you see a blacksmith at work. He was kind enough to let me snap a photo.
Just after 9:00 am, I came across the Fuente del Vino wine fountain compliments of the Bodegas Winery. It was traditional in days gone by that local monks provided wine for the Peregrinos but the nearby monastery is closed really due to lack of interest. People aren't signing up for the priesthool of nunery in todays times like they did in the past. The fountain is another very popular photo snap along the Camino. Some of the pilgrims were filling water bottles with wine. I did not imbibe because, no matter how good or how free, 9:00 am is just too darn early!
Don't I look just lovely, slogging in the pouring rain. I suppose I look no worse than anyone else. Just in case you are wondering, I am the glam queen on the right.
This little black and white baby made me miss my kitties. He has a bit of a mischevious look to him!
So I told you about the gentleman from Holland, Twan, who had lost both his wife and his girlfriend to cancer. This is him in the middle. These three men were harmonizing, "You'll Never Walk Alone." and they were really good. Especially, Twan who had a professional quality voice. He unwaveringly hit every high note. I had been singing this song in my head for several days. Gave me chills. I try to save people from my actual singing inability. It was such a joyous moment and the entire bar applauded.
We climbed up and up...steep up the Monjardin, which supposedly has magnificent views. Hmmm, it was so rainy and gray, we missed a lot of the views but the landscape was so pretty, I didn't feel as though I missed anything.
As you can see the distant church in Iracha, we were in a fog. Actually, I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep so I was in a personal fog all day. The little red speck is a pilgrim.
A cute "la flecha" which is arrow in Spanish. I hear this word often, when I am asking for directions.
I stopped under this covering and had a picnic lunch. I had a pork tenderloin sandwich with the remains of my entree from last night. It made a better sandwich than entree. See the man on the right. As I walked out of the enclosure, to take a photo, he was watering the flowers. I didn't realize it but when I sighted my camera, he put himself together in a hurry. Giggle...giggle. I actually wasn't intending to take a photo of him nor had it quite dawned on me...had a laugh to myself afterwards. He coulda found a little more private spot! Men :)
It seemed like the whole day was up high in the mountains. Lots of hard climb and it was freezing cold and windy. Brrr. In the bottom of my backpack was a set of those hand warmers that last about a day. Once I got my wet gloves off, I was happy to have them for the rest of the journey. This may have been the most bitter cold day, I have ever hiked. It was in the thirties with wind and wet. I was soaked to the skin and shivering by the time I finished. My rain poncho (packa) worked but my pants got wet from the bottom and the wet worked its way up my body. And I didn't wear the hood so I got a little rain from above.
Some of the day was on small trails and some was on roads like this one.
Green for as far as I could see all day.
I though this sign said it all.
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