Estella to Villamayor de Monjardin

Written on May 24, 2009 6 miles
We walked up hills for quite awhile to leave the city. After about a one hour walk we passed the famous wine font for Pilgrims in Irache.
For a short time today we put on our ponchos. We kept them on until they dried.
Alot more uphill climb today. After walking through vineyards and farmland we started the incline to Villamayor de Monjardin. At one point when we were taking a break a bird very close by sounded like a coo coo bird. Coo coo...9 times. We looked at our watches...it was 9 a.m. Wow, between the birds and the church bells we don´t need a watch.
We decided to make it a short day. We arrived at 10 a.m. Much too early to check into the hostel there. The sign said to wait until 1 p.m., find a bed...check in at 4 p.m.
We sat in front of the bar next to the hostel and drank espresso and met our friends Susan and Janine that we had shared some great times in St. Jean Pied de Port with. Then here comes our friends from Ireland....Mrs. O´Shea and the girls.
We met a new friend today...Chris from Germany. A young woman 28 years old. Very interesting and speaks great English. Vern spoke with her for quite awhile. I was on the computer in the bar. Later we played cards. Finally we could claim our bed in the hostel.
I ordered a manzanilla thinking that it was an olive, instead they served me a cup of tea. It was delicious...I´ll find out the word for olive.
Dinner....we´re starved....what a great meal. The cook decided to create a meal from Nepal...those who wanted to could eat it in the tradional way...with their hands.
I quickly whipped out my purell, cleaned my hands and dug in. Out of 30 people about 4 of us ate with our hands. Olivier from Canada across from me ate with his hands also. We became fast friends...laughing. He had a shirt on that the way it was folded it looked to me like it read, ¨Viagra Kills¨......When he straightened up I could see what it really said...Niagra Falls. We had a great laugh about that. I hope we see him further down the Camino.
There was a storm most of the afternoon and evening. Two young women were caught in it and were exhausted by the time they got to the hostel. There was only one bed left. Olivier gave up his bed for one of the women and slept by the front door. Pilgrims watch out for each other.