On the Road Again

Puente la Reina, Spain
Yesterday's rest day took its toll on our rhythm. It took us forever to get our act together and get back on the Camino this morning. We even missed a few signs and headed off in the wrong direction. The beauty of being easily identifiable as a pilgrim and the kindness of the Spanish people saved our bacon. Both times we hadn't strayed far before locals called to us and motioned us back on the right path. One of the greetings used by pilgrims, other than" Buen Camino!", is "Ultreia!" Couldn't find it in my Spanish dictionary, so I asked around. Finally got somewhat of an answer from the lady at the Camino center. It's an ancient greeting based on Latin, used by pilgrims to greet and encourage each other. There doesn't seem to be a direct translation, but I think it is akin to the "Hooah!" greeting used by Army folks, with a variety of meanings depending on the context. We find all sorts of encouragement along the way, anywhere from signs to acts of kindness such as the gentleman offering us figs who just completed his own Camino 8 days ago. Our destination is Puente la Reina, a mere 16.6 miles down the road and over the hills. We are getting better at hills. Today's Alto de Perdon, a mere 2,526 ft, combined old with new as wind turbines stretched out to the right of the Camino along the ridge. What goes up, must come down, and the steep descent was a killer with a tricky rock filled path of shaky footing. Thank heavens for poles.Read more