From the bridge leaving Estella
Today I managed a whole stage of the Camino for the first time. I walked through beautiful rolling countryside: poppies, thyme, wild borage and a grove of pink tamarind in flower. The high spot was the famous wine fountain at the Bodegas Irache, but the free wine was only coming out at a trickle, so I couldn’t fill my 250 ml bottle as I had intended. There was quite a gathering of pilgrims, some of whom had been there before when it was gushing out! I had to settle for wine and water mixed, but this was OK and kept me going throughout a long day.
Monasterio de Irache
The famous wine fountain at Irache
I passed by the Fountain of the Moors, with its twin arches and the water deep down inside. I reached Monjardin by 11.00 a.m., so it was too early to stop there for the day. There was nothing else available till Los Arcos, so I had to keep going 9 kms more on a gentle downhill slope, but my legs were very tired in the last hour and I was thirsty. At Los Arcos, I downed a beer very quickly in the sunny main square where lots of pilgrims were sitting outside, then went in search of accommodation. I walked round for a while before finding Pension Mavi, with a nice modern single room for €30, including a make-your-own breakfast.
Fuente de Los Moros
I discovered that the public library had free Internet access, then I had a nice Sangria for a change back in the square, with a quick visit to the church which was cold inside. I had dinner at Restaurant Mavi (€13): salad, trout with chips, flan au chocolat.
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