Estella-Lizarra

A most exciting that happened first thing this morning while I was wandering about, I saw a Spanish snake! I nearly stepped on in and I don't know who was more startled...me or the snake. He was a gold and black, skinny about 18 inches long. He had a pointy head and his tongue was certainly showing off his muscles!

Todays' walk was really quite lovely. We are now entering wine country! I actually walked past a vineyard and tasting room. I didn't go in for a tasting. I didn't buy any wine...but I was tempted... It was not too far about 24 km today, and still no shortage of hills as we went through about 5 towns and to and from each town is a climb and a descent.

For a few people, I know they struggled today getting a taxi. People are starting to feel the miles in their feet and legs, and so a new conversations have started...how to get a bus or a taxi. By now most people have figured out their hotel rooms, and have either decided to live with the "bed rush", or they are booking the rest of the days, or at least booking a few days in advance. Feet and legs are becoming a more frequent conversation as well...I am hoping that after 5 full days of walking that I am getting the most obvious of ailments out and out of the way...I hope that is true.

At Lorca, which would be about 1/2 way to Estella, I planned on stopping for lunch and was pleasantly surprised by a concert in the town square, so enjoyed a few minutes of the concert with my lunch.

I am starting to meet the same people again and again through the day. We stop and start at our own schedules but somehow seem to meet up again. I walked a few miles with Kelly today, and another friend Diane. In fact I bumped into Diane and her friend Julie at a cafe in our desperate search for food in Estella which in the end turned out to be another piece of egg and potato pie, and a couple glasses of wine. Between the holidays, soccer games, siestas and possibly the fact that it is Saturday made for definite food challenges which are not going to improve tomorrow since the hike tomorrow has the first 10 km without any food or water service, and it is quite exposed. It will be cooler tomorrow only about 23 degrees so that does make a difference.

On the whole my body is holding up. I mentioned to some people that I burnt my hand on one of the first days I was in France with boiling water...it is healing, but I am having to bandage it up with my modest first aid kit because my burn is getting burned!

My feet are ok. I switched out shoes today...but they left small blisters where I remember they do (ugh), so tomorrow it is back to the mountain shoes I think, and continue to manage the blisters as best I can. With all the shops closed today, I was lucky to happen upon a grocery store and got a few things there and also some food for the trip tomorrow as well. What I really need is a fork!Read more