September 9, 2018
- Route: Lorca to Los Arcos
- Distance: 32.8 kilometers (20.33 miles)
My clothes didn’t dry very well last night. Like most Spanish homes, the albergue didn’t have a clothes drier. The locals just hang their wash outside to dry in the warm afternoon sun. Unfortunately, the rain started shortly after I arrived yesterday, so I didn’t have any sun to take advantage of.
In a meager effort to hang our freshly washed (but very damp) clothes to dry, the four of us sharing the room last night tried to tie up some make shift clotheslines inside. Unfortunately, it continued raining all night, and the humidity was so high that none of my clothes had any real chance. I’d have to rely on my body heat to warm them up and dry them out while I walked instead.
Hike your own hike
It was still raining pretty hard when everyone got up this morning. But everyone else seemed to be eager to get out walking between 6 and 6:30 a.m. And that’s how I found myself in moist hiking clothes, with my rain jacket and rain pants over them, walking by the light of my headlamp.
Let me start by saying, I’m not a big fan of night hiking. I don’t like the claustrophobic feeling of only being able to see what my headlamp can illuminate. Sure I could see directly in front of me, but the darkness on either side of that narrow beam of light makes it feel like I’m exploring a cave.
In hindsight, I really should have waited and followed my own timeline this morning. The rain cleared up right with the sunrise around 7:30 a.m – exactly the same time I probably would have started hiking if I hadn’t let myself be influenced by the other hikers around me.
I wouldn’t have needed my rain gear or my headlamp if I’d just listened to my own desires instead of following the herd. That’s a good lesson for me to learn early on in this journey.
Hike your own hike.
Don’t let others influence what time you’ll start or end, or how many miles you’ll hike in a day. Your camino should be your experience. No need to rush or follow how everyone else is doing it.
With this mantra in mind, I decided to stop and have a leisurely breakfast in the cute town of Estella. I still haven’t tried a Spanish tortilla (a baked omelette similar to a frittata), so I considered ordering for one for breakfast. But, as soon as I entered the restaurant, I saw two other patrons with the most delicious looking fried eggs, fresh bread, tomatoes and cheese. Soon my mouth was watering for that and a cafe con leche!
Wine fountain
After feeling recharged and back in the right frame of mind from my delicious breakfast, I set out toward the Monasterio de Irache and the infamous Fuente de Vino (wine fountain).
I was now entering the Rioja wine region in northeastern Spain, and the rows upon rows of grapevines I spotted yesterday would be my backdrop for much of the day.
My current destination was the Bodegas de Irache winery. Located near the town of Ayegui, the winery is adjacent to an old monastery. The King of Spain donated the vineyards to the monks in 1072 AD, and commercial winery was founded on the grounds in 1891.
One-hundred years later, in 1991, the winery built a wine fountain on one of its exterior walls for pilgrims to enjoy. The fountain dispenses water from one tap and wine from the other, making it one of the more unique stops along the Camino.
As I got closer to the vineyards, I spotted some large signs in English that pointed the way to the wine fountain. It was only 10:30 am when I arrived at the winery, which is normally a little early for a glass of wine. However, there were plenty of other pilgrims already at the fountain filling up their cups and bottles. So, when in Spain…
I didn’t fill my entire 750 ml water bottle with free wine (though I did think about it for a long moment). Instead, I just got enough to enjoy while sitting in front of the winery and enjoying the sweeping views of the wine country.
After finishing off up, I took a tour of the small museum next door. When I was done, the proprietor provided me with another unique addition to my credential.
He explained to me that the winery’s stamp was specially designed to include three symbols: his family’s crest (representing the current winery), the scallop shell (representing the Camino), and the outline of the monastery (representing the origin of the vineyard).
The bells from the monastery were ringing outside when I departed, and I knew immediately this would be one of the more memorable stops on my Camino.
Meeting some Americans
As I was leaving the winery, I met a nice American couple in their 50s. We started to talking, and before I knew it, we were walking the Camino together for the next hour.
They shared they were from northern New Jersey, and I told them my in-laws live in central New Jersey. That small connection, (coupled with our mutual desire to speak English) set the stage for a really enjoyable conversation about our various travel adventures.
After a few miles together they wanted to stop for lunch, and while they invited me to join them, I decided to keep going. My stomach was still pretty full from my late breakfast in Estella and the glass of wine from the winery. Plus, I was carrying a small snack that I could eat while I walked.
I eventually made it into the town of Los Arcos around 2:35 pm and was debating whether to keep walking or stop for the day. The afternoon’s walk was almost completely uphill, and the plantar fasciitis in the arch of my right foot was burning. Plus, the next town was another 8.5 kilometers away, which might mean another two hours of walking.
I decided I really needed to listen to my body and slow down a bit if I want to make it to the end of the Camino in one piece. That decision soon triggered my search around Los Arcos for an albergue to stay the night.
Learning the RSVP game
I almost didn’t get a bunk tonight because Los Arcos is an incredibly popular stop for pilgrims. Not only is it one of the towns that John Briery recommends in his popular Camino guidebook, but it’s also a good distance from the next town – making it a natural stopping point.
As I looked for a vacancy, I discovered to more and more pilgrims were making reservations for albergues instead of just showing up like me. Some of these people were on a fixed schedule, and were having their bags transported like the ‘pilgrim princess’ I met yesterday. Others would just pick a town each day based on their pace, and would call ahead to an albergue or book it online before they arrived.
That meant that by the time I showed up at a location between 2 and 5 pm, the albergues could already be booked up! However, one of the albergues in town told their prospective patrons that they’d only reserve beds until 4 pm. So, if you didn’t show up to claim it by the deadline, it would be released to walk-in pilgrims.
And that’s how I ended up sitting outside the albergue and waiting nearly and hour to find out my fate. Lucky for me, there were two no-shows. I had a bunk for the night. But, this hiccup had me thinking that I might need to adjust my lodging strategy.
Everything I read during my research back home said there were plenty of albergues for the number of pilgrims walking the Camino. There was no need to make reservations. Was all that information wrong? I wasn’t even walking during the peak season!
As I wondered about my future plans, I mentally reviewed the towns I’d stayed in over the past five days.
- I would have been scrambling around in the rain (and with jet lag) in search of a place to stay if I hadn’t pre-booked a reservation for St. Jean Pied de Port before I left the US.
- When I got to Pamplona, the first three albergues I tried were full, so I opted to stay in a hotel.
- Last night, I made it to Lorca in time to get a bunk, but my Hungarian compatriot had to keep walking to the next town in the pouring rain because he showed up just an hour later.
- And now, I spent the afternoon hoping someone would bail on their reservation so I’d have a place to stay in Los Arcos and wouldn’t be stuck walking another 8.5 kilometers to the next town.
Despite these facts, I was loathe to make reservations on my journey. I wanted to spontaneously walk until I felt ready to stop each day. I didn’t want to feel like I was on a package tour of Spain with pre-determined stops.
I’m quickly realizing it may not be possible to do things my way though. And that’s how I came to the decision to get on the wifi and book a spot at an albergue in Logroño for tomorrow night. Better safe than sorry, right?