The weather has turned somewhat nicer and the views continue to be amazing, but I’m really struggling to find a rhythm. I’m awake at the wrong times, which means I’m getting up too late or I’m up on time and I’m just taking too long to get out the door.
The albergue last night was rough. The bunks were really tightly packed and there was a definite funk in the room from too many semi-clean people. The walk today though was lovely and made easier by the fact that I’ve booked into a private room tonight.
I think in part because the walk is finally getting a little easier, I had some time to think today. I keep seeing irises along the trail today, which makes me think of home. I have a small clump of irises on the side of our deck that came from my grandparents’ farm and every spring when they bloom, I think of my grandmother. I’ll miss their bloom this year, so it’s nice to have the reminder.
My grandmother was a fiesty lady and I can’t help but to think today about how much crap she’d give me for this trip. I’m guessing she would deem it unseemly for a married woman to run off without her husband for several weeks and *gasp* sleep in dorms with strange men possibly in the bunk next to them. But on the flip side, I also know she’d be talking it up to all of her friends about how proud she is.
Thinking about missing her irises bloom reminds me about the other things I’m missing here. Kris and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary apart, which isn’t ideal. I am fortunate that he puts up with my shenanigans. We joked before I left that after 2 years of near constant togetherness that it would be nice to miss each other again for a bit. Perhaps the abstract was nicer than the concrete.
Enough of musings and sad things for now. In addition to the irises, poppies seem to be all over the place. They look amazingly like the paper poppies handed out in the UK. I find them enchanting, especially when mixed with the yellow and purple wildflowers.
The scenery is still overwhelming. I know I say that every day, but it’s just so magestic. I am the crazy perigrina who often stops dead in their tracks and whirls around to see what we’ve just walked through. But c’mon! How can you beat this:
I feel like I’ve been so absorbed by the natural beauty and have been missing out on the cultural and historic elements of this trip. In part because many of the churches and sites are closed when the perigrinos are tromping by and in part because after a long day of locomoting, it’s tough to work up a lot of excitement to wander around town. However, I’ve decided to take some extra time to see Estella after hearing from several repeat-perigrinos that it was a favorite city. A couple of photos from along the way –
Seeing this gave me a huge smile!
I’m also going to take some extra time in Logroño to work out some issues I’m having with my left knee and calf. I’m looking forward to an actual hotel again with actual sheets. My sleeping bag is really nice and the silk/cotton liner is nice, but nothing beats a great shower and crisp cotton linens. Until Logroño then!
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