June 26th. The temperature is now consistently in the high 30s.
By 10am the sun is as hot as fire and only keeps getting hotter as the day
progresses. The cool forests of the Navarre are far behind us and now we find
ourselves walking on baked mud or bright concrete paths. The heat beats down on
us from above and is reflected back up from the ground below. There is no
shade. There is no escape! We must now be strategic about our walking. No more
than five hours a day regardless of how far we get. If we don´t reach our
prescribed destination we must take a taxi! In fact, today we took one from Estella to
Villamayer de Monjardin (10kms) with a fellow peregrino who also wanted to
survive the heat. Then we walked another 15kms. We must drink at least four
litres of water every day. Luckily I have my Steripen Classic (ultra violet
water sterilizer) so we can fill our bottles from the hotel taps and from springs
and fountains along the way. Thanks, Lynda, for suggesting it. It is literally
a life-saver. It also feels good to know that we are not contributing plastic
bottles to the Spanish landfill!
Now, about the food! Here in Spain the food is consistently bad - just as in France it is consistently wonderful. My vegetarian (sin carne, sin pescado) and wheat-free (sin pan) diet is not appreciated. Even Roxanne, who eats almost everything, is not happy with the food. For example, something as simple as an omelette is murdered by these northern chefs. The one I ordered last evening arrived partially cooked and floating in olive oil - not at all like the delicious omelettes I remember from southern Spain! That said, the beer is good and so is the wine, so it´s not all bad!
Our walk today was once again very beautiful as we passed through wheat fields, vineyards and olive groves. Dos Arcos is a pristine little town with a lovely central plaza and several outdoor cafes. It has been here since Roman times and its eastern gate (no longer standing) was originally called the Gate of Shells (Porta de la Concha). It is a popular centre with the peregrinos. We both liked this town very much.
Now, about the food! Here in Spain the food is consistently bad - just as in France it is consistently wonderful. My vegetarian (sin carne, sin pescado) and wheat-free (sin pan) diet is not appreciated. Even Roxanne, who eats almost everything, is not happy with the food. For example, something as simple as an omelette is murdered by these northern chefs. The one I ordered last evening arrived partially cooked and floating in olive oil - not at all like the delicious omelettes I remember from southern Spain! That said, the beer is good and so is the wine, so it´s not all bad!
Our walk today was once again very beautiful as we passed through wheat fields, vineyards and olive groves. Dos Arcos is a pristine little town with a lovely central plaza and several outdoor cafes. It has been here since Roman times and its eastern gate (no longer standing) was originally called the Gate of Shells (Porta de la Concha). It is a popular centre with the peregrinos. We both liked this town very much.
Hello Wendy,
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to see all your photos when you come back. The places you walk through sound interesting and beautiful and HOT. Too bad that the food is not that great. At least, the beer and wine is good. Hugs, Vera