Depart Belorado at 9:25, arrive hotel in San Juan de Ortega at 5:20 pm, 15.6 miles
Down for breakfast on time to celebrate feast of St. Fermin – the running of the bulls in Pamplona which we saw on tv. All of two minutes. The hotel manager was very excited to watch and said Caleb could come back to run with the bulls when he’s 18. Caleb whispered to me “why would I do that; it’s dangerous”. That boy is wiser than his years.
We had company at breakfast. A teacher named Lisa from New Jersey, who is traveling alone. She is doing the trip in phases and will do another next year. Last year she was with 5 friends but she thinks she’ll wind up doing the next phases alone as well. I believe she did 100 kilometers only, which is enough to get a certificate for the Camino.
Todays journey was fairly uneventful. After leaving town we saw a few interesting sights but eventually entered into more of a forest rather than countryside. Downside – bugs! I’ve got plenty of little bites but nothing serious.
Lots of art on the walls leaving town, and a little of the countryside. Still pretty amazing.
We came across these weird art pieces. No indication as to who has done them, but was a fun distraction on an otherwise quiet hike today.
We heard lots of thunder most of the afternoon. Caleb decided the poncho was needed. I opted for a hat. No rain, just a few sprinkles.
As we got closer to our next stop we saw crosses in the road that someone had created for the travelers. Also found a ladybug convention on some queen Ann’s lace.
One of the things we have been impressed by is how clean everything is. There’s no garbage on the roadside or the streets, and every stop we’ve made for food or drink we see people sweeping, mopping and tidying up. The locals are welcoming and helpful. It is humbling to see people who clearly have so little take great pride in their surroundings. And because of their generous spirit they’re happy to share it with strangers. We could learn a lot from them.
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