3.8km is the guidebook distance between Villatuerta and Estella.
I knew I wanted to look around this town and so I made it my endpoint for the day. I’m staying at the same Albergue as ten years ago and somewhat surprisingly the very same hospitalero is on duty! He volunteers in a number of albergues along the camino for a few weeks each year and happens to be doing a stint here again. I certainly don’t always remember who has served at a place, but someone with a tracheostomy tube is memorable!
I haven’t recorded much about the people I’ve met, but today is unique in that there are three Poles…my language brain got a bit muddled trying to separate Spanish, Polish and German. Took me three tries to find the word for “yes” – not exactly a difficult one!! However, after a few sentences, it’s surprising what can still be found in the filing system even after more than thirty years.
But I guess you want to see some pictures. The morning light was so nice it took us a long time to make any progress, because we were stopping for photos so often and to try to find the birds that were chirping cheerily. Us? An American lady, an Australian lady and a honeymooning couple from the USA and Puerto Rico. All first time walkers, who were in awe every step of the way!
Estella is a town where whichever way you look you will be seeing an enormously old church. The first one is right on the edge of town and had us oohing and aahing. Unfortunately, as is often the case, it was closed, but the outside alone told a story.
Not expecting shops to be open we had all purchased provisions yesterday, yet the smell of a bakery drew us through the streets. We each went our separate ways, and I believe I hit the jackpot. One with just pastries and one that specialised in bread.
Walking round – off the camino path, but still with my backpack on – so many folks helpfully pointed out where I needed to go to get back on the path.
Knowing I could not do a huge distance today, I decided the prudent thing would be to check where my accommodation was even though it would not open for three hours. Rather handily it was right opposite yet another church. This one was sopen. An elderly gentlemen was sitting in what seemed to be the prime spot under the organ pipes so I asked him if there was going to be a mass. Yes, in half an hour. I wandered around for a while and then found the second best spot by a heating vent on the floor and settled down to wait, curious whether the week in the monastery would have made the service more accessible to me. Yes and no. It turns out the nuns spoke and chanted very slowly. I could recite the Lord’s Prayer with them without any trouble at all by the end of the week, but boy did they race through it this morning! I knew what was being said, but could not keep up. I did, however, know which allelujahs to sing and some of the responses…and I know that every time you hear “forever and ever”. (which sounds so much better in Spanish – it rolls off the tongue – por siglos de los siglos), you get to say Amén!
While I was wandering I happened to be standing right under the bell tower when the bells started ringing. When they were still going after three minutes I popped outside to get a second video of the day!
Inside:
Video inside church
Outside:
Video bells
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