Day 6 - Los Arcos to Torres del rio

Day 6 – April 8 Los Arcos (Km 642) to Torres del Rio (Km 633) = 9 km Cumulative - 118 km

Torres del rio Navarra Spain08 04 08 12:53

First a check-in and then I will go over my messages. Again a timed computer but it is early and I am the only one at this alburgue (very nice) so far so I will keep using Euros until I have done everythjing needed. Except I have to sign in again every 20 minutes. Today a short day only 9 km to give my feet a rest and catch up on things. So far I have travelled about 118 km and am more than 25% of the way to Leon. While the rain held off all the way to Los Arcos, it rained all night. Which was ok except a few km of the path today was a mud track which after the rain was a quagmire.

The countryside is lush and rolling mostly farmland. I am now in southwestern Navarra and entering wine growing country. Yesterday I experienced one of the small miracles of the Camino. In the village of Irache just west of Estella there is a large Bodega (winery) that is right beside the Camino. And in the wallof the Bodega they have installed a free wine fountain for pilgrims. There are two taps - one for vino and one for agua. And you can drink as much as you want of either. So I had a few tablespoonsful of wine and a cup of water.

Overall this is an amazing total immersion international experience. Today I walked part of the way with Tony, a retired informaticiaen from Barcelona. His English is about the same level as my Spanish but our French is about at the same level. So we conversed using all three languages at the same time and it works. We shared a beer in the bar on the way into town and my thought was my feet hurt like hell but it is wonderful to be here.

Most of the alburgues so far have been very good to excellent. This one is 6 Euros and has everything I need. It is communal living and is simple and certainly not primitive. Some are municipal and staffed by volunteers. This one is private and run by a very nice lady named Mari.

Well enough for now. Others are waiting to use the computer.

Len"