Day 8: Estella - Los Arcos

Here we go! I left Madrid with my little backpack one week ago today. I was just telling Ch, one of my roommates tonight, that I feel a little overwhelmed by my blog, not because it is hanging over my head to write, but because so very much happens in one day on the Camino and it is hard to remember everything and report back on it all! 

N was having another short day so we took a selfie and said see you later down the Camino. 

Highlights from today included pretty colors as the sun rose...

Hitting up the Irache wine fountain just after 8am...

The sign says you should drink if you want the strength to arrive to Santiago. ;)

And, of course, pretty parts of the Camino!

I had nice breaks and felt rested too. I arrived to Los Arcos just after 3 and wanted to stay since it was almost 7 k until the next village. However, I have gotten back on the main stages and I couldn't find a bed. There was one last place to try, but they were so disorganized they couldn't even tell me if they had space. While I waited and tried to think of a plan B (rest and then keep walking, take a taxi, find a bus...) some French pilgrims that I had kept seeing told me they had booked a room and had an extra space. I said I would take it! Camino magic! 

It turned out that their room for four was actually for 6 so we ended up adopting 2 more, including Ch. :)

Ch and I visited the church. Lovely, a must-see if you come here. 

The organ:

And our saint, Santiago:

The small plaza was crowded with pilgrims so we shared a table with a solo Belgian and laughed and communicated the best we could in French, Spanish and English. He insisted on picking up the check. 

Ch helped bandage his feet after dinner (she's a nurse) and we are all tucked in now. It's chilly; the winds really picked up tonight. Hasta mañana. :)

Kilometers walked: 23.86 (Fitbit), 21.40 (Buen Camino app). More in sync today!