Wine a Little up the Hill (Day 2)

Our stay at Casa Magica in Villaruerta came to an end.

Most of the people staying in this Albergue have been talking about making it to Mojardin

We began our journey full of promise. After all, anyone who is a pilgrim and has researched they Camino knows that the famous wine fountain of Irache is in your future.

As we walked through the town of Estella we found that there were a lot of people coming from our Albergue to the same town we were heading. It was fun to walk passed them and when you stopped for a rest for your aching feet that they would pass you again.

This is a little game pilgrims in the Camino tend to play.

As we exited the town of Estella, I could not help but to feel the excitement that i was finally going to pass towns I had not been to before.

The town streatched in front of us and soon we felt the need for a coffee. We stopped in a beautifully appointed coffee shop and enjoyed two cafe Americanos with a Pan con Chocolate.

Normally this is so far from my normal breakfast yet I savored every bit of it.

During our breakfast we met Sylvia from Germany, she was sweet and charming. She was doing her second Camino alone. We soon said good bye and began our walk again. Just when I thought the distance was going to be too much for me, we reached the shop of a real old fashion blacksmith.

Dan and I were in awe of his craftsmanship and it was delightful to hear that his craft had been passed down to him from many generations.

He stamped our pilgrim passports and we continued joyfully to the wine fountain where monks have been making wine and providing it to the thirsty pilgrims that passed by their gate for hundreds of years. We took our share of wine, careful to not take advantage but also to have enough to fortify is for the road ahead.

We sat outside the old monastery and talked and loved being with each other. We are fortunate that we tend to do this a lot. As we sat, I noticed more pilgrims passing us with the same destination as ours. I became nervous of not having a place for the night knowing that if we were left without a bed, the next town would be very far to walk to.

For this reason, although what laid ahead was short 6 km walk, I told Dan to push ahead and get us beds.

In retrospect this was probably the best thing we could have done. Each of us for different reasons needed the solitude to conquer the hills ahead. Little did we know that the altitude we would face this day would be higher than the previous day. The only difference is that there would be no rocky steep decline in our near future.

As I walked in solitude I turned on my Camino Playlist. Some Camino Purist feel that it is not a true pilgrimage if you are listening to music. I don’t feel this way. In my life music inspires me, consoles me and helps me move in good rhythm.

This day music was doing its job for me. Hill after hill I was motivated to keep going. Soon I found myself walking inside a path covered with trees that provided shade and was a smooth path.

Soon my luck ran out and I saw in the distance what laid ahead. In the distance at the top of a huge mountain laid the castle that was above the town which was our destination.

I also realized that the steady climb from now on would not include any shade. At this time Dan and I had been apart almost an hour and I knew that if I took too long he would begin to worry.

Over the course of the rest of the afternoon, my resolved was tested several times. The hot sun kept beating down on me, the steep inclines brought on an asthma attack and shortness of breath. I sat for a bit and caught my breath. I then started to see how in life we experience growth in the zones where discomfort is at the maximum. We reach our goals when we climb, when we hit the hard stuff. The growth happens in that sweet spot when the sun is beating down on you and every inch of you is tired and the end is not in site. Growth happens when you pull from deep inside you and keep going.

As the castle in the distance came closer and closer the hills grew steeper and steeper. Over the course of the climb, I knew I needed to take my long sleeve shirt off, I was overheating. I knew I needed my hat but I also knew that meant spending energy on getting my pack off and then putting it on again.

Just like in life we have to choose what we spend our energy on. As a sign came into view telling me I had 1.5 KM I was not sure I would make it.

I encountered a young man from Germany several times during this solo climb. His name is Robin and I chatted with him a bit. He is walking on his own, camping along the way. His pack is way too heavy and he too has figured out that we really don’t need as much as we think we need in life.

The last time I encountered him this day was when I sat on a field contemplating the last hill ahead of me. At this point I knew Dan was probably getting anxious about my delayed arrival. I quickly asked Robin that when he arrived in town to tell the tall guy standing outside looking worried that I was almost there.

A few minutes later it was like a mirage in the distance. My tall handsome husband was at the top of the hill walking down to me.

I could not help but to cry at the beauty of this sight. He was fresh from a shower and his smiled probably matched mine.

As he reached me he tried to take my pack but I refused. After all, this was my journey to accomplish for the day.

Our home for the night was a brand new Albergue that gave us beds on the third floor of course. I could not complain since my bed was next to the balcony that overlooked the church tower and the beautiful Basque countryside. Sleep did not elude me. I was surely overheaded and spent from the day. My body felt the pain of day’s climb, yet my heat interpreted it as a reward.

Tomorrow a new day with new adventures ahead.

(One last thought, as I looked back on the distance I had covered, I realized God is good, he brings us from far places to where we need to be)