Day EIGHT, 8 May 2015
Zariquiegui to Puente La Reina started@ 7.00am till 12.00pm~14 kilometres
This was a super delightful walk. It was a gorgeous crispy morning, I felt rested and happy. I knew the climbing of the road was not for very long. And by the time I reached the top of the hill, I was surprised to find this gorgeous sculpture on the top of the hill! Figures cut out of metal holding large diagonal and horizontal metal sticks. There was poetry written on the figures but I couldn’t quite work out what it said or meant! It was such a gorgeous surprise, that I put my pack down and took lots of photographs. It was the highest point of today’s walk. From now on all the rest was down the hill. My hip joints have been giving me a big problem, as I find it hard to move comfortable. I have never had this problem before, and the unnatural twisting I do with my hips to elevate the pain, doesn’t do my knees any good! As the path down the hill was quite steep and filled with rolling rocks, I had to be in the Here and Now completely, if I wanted to survive in one piece today. I passed through the first little town, of which the name escapes me right now, but where I had a banana, dark, dark chocolate and a hot water with lemon drink. The coffee in the morning, although absolutely delicious is disagreeing with my stomach. Sigh. All these restrictions and limitations as one gets older. I met some gorgeous Mexican people there, and they wanted to have a lot of photos taken, I obliged. As I was moving they could tell I was in a lot of pain. I told them it was my hip joints. The older woman gave me some sachets with a wonder cream, as she called it! And indeed it was! I kept meeting these lovely people for the rest of the day and every time we would stop for a chat and a photo session! The cream DID work wonders and as I had put on both my knee braces today, I felt not too bad. Also the walk was made much more interesting as we kept passing through little old villages. The in between sections were wonderful as well, filled with wild flowers of all kinds of different colours. I could have just spend the day taking photographs of flowers! After only five hours I reached Puente La Reina, and Lo and behold the first place was not only an auberge, but it had a REAL hotel attached! I couldn’t resist! I was dreaming of a hot bath to sooth my aching joints, and YES, they had rooms with baths! I stopped being a pilgrim for one day, had two hot baths before two o clock and slept like a babe, most of the afternoon. Shame there was no cable television, and as I am not interested in Spanish soapie a, sport or American news, I switched off the television, to draw in my diary.. I had planned to go and explore the township, but I am ashamed to say, couldn’t be bothered. Today I just played tourist! Tomorrow I will be a pilgrim again, just not now!