It is with a bit of apprehension that I saw my 60th birthday arrive. However, I have to admit, I had a wonderful day. We woke to a clear blue sky without a single cloud. After the rain we have had it was good for the soul. We walked today from Lorca to Villamayor de Monjardin, 19 km. Leaving Estella, there was a wonderful older man who had walked the Camino with his sons who escorted us out of town and showed us where the fountain with wine and water was. He was very kind and gave us quite a history lesson about his town and the Camino. Too bad we did not understand much of it!
Just before the town of Estella we arrived at the monument that was erected for Mary Catherine Kimpton, a Canadian woman who died on the Camino after being hit by a vehicule that went of course. She died June 2, 2002. There is an inscription on the monument in Spanish that translates to "May she walk forever on fields of Gold". I knew about her and I had picked some wild flowers to place at the memorial. I found very moving and I must admit I walked with tears in my eyes for a good half hour afterwards.
We arrived in Villamayor de Monjardin fairly early and registered at a Christian Alberge. It was, I must admit very basic, one toilet, two showers for 19 people, but clean. We did have a wonderful evening meal and because Arlette opened her big mouth and announced it was my birthday, the pilgrims and staff sang Happy Birthday to me in English, Dutch and Spanish!
All in all, it was a good day! Villages in Spain seem to be all paved. It seems that it is better when torrential rains come, the water just flows down. Many villages are on top of hilltops here, contrary to France where they seem to be in valleys.
We have cheated a bit and taken the bus to skip a couple of days of walking. It has taken us longer to get to this point than we had expected but after 47 days, I think we can skip a few kilometres without too much guilt. What do you think?
We are today in Nájera, a busy town with a lot of commerce. There is also a large colony of storks that nest in the hilltops above the town. Some come down and have built nests on top of chimmneys in the town.
The sun is finally out this afternoon. I hope it will stay for the next few days. I did not think I would ever be cold in Spain!
Michèle
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