The Joy of Friendship

Navarrette to Najera – 17kms

Soooo, the plan was to be up at 6am and out the door by 6:30am. Woke up and looked at the time and it was 7:20am! Apparently BC and Irish knocked on my door and I didn’t hear a thing. That massage was better than I thought!

Was the fastest I have been ready yet. I was up and out the door in 15mins, but meant I had to forgo a shower in that amazing shower with the massive, fluffy white towels.

I was getting my pack carried today to take the pressure off my feet, so I was on the road and moving pretty well. Plus, the terrain was nice and flat.

The one benefit of being later was to be able to see the cemetary with the gates that have been created from the old hospital. Had I left earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to see it.

BC and Irish were having a “Karen” break at Ventosa and I was moving so well that they said I would catch up. (I found out afterwards this was a detour that added an extra km to the day. They didn’t want to tell me until I’d made the detour!)

I had a quick, freshly squeezed orange juice from a food truck and kept moving. I saw Ventosa ahead, but it looked so far away. I thought I would never reach them and began to slow until I got a little ping from Irish saying they were still there and I felt my legs moving again.

I walked inside a cafe that every other pilgrim seemed to be heading to and there they both were! What a joy it was to see them both, especially as Irish would be leaving us today and I hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye.

I didn’t take much of a break, but downed a Gatorade and was feeling good. This is wine region and all you can see for miles and miles is vineyards.

Then the expanse of nothingness returns.

BC had been talking about a stone hut that they’d missed on the way to Navarette and she couldn’t understand how they’d missed it. It turned out, they hadn’t.

Despite moving well, I hadn’t really taken a proper break, so when BC saw a concrete table and chair and suggested we stop, we thought, oh ok, 5mins.

5mins turned into half an hour with shoes off and a little picnic and me finally using the wine from the fountain in Estella! I had been carrying around that extra weight for days!

We arrived into Najera shortly after our break and this is where sadly, Irish continued on.

We managed to get the last two beds at Albergue Nido de Ciguena (which was fortunate given this is where I sent my pack to…. that hadn’t arrived by the time I had!)

When my pack finally arrived, I was able to have a shower, (in the one female shower that serviced the whole floor) which was much needed because I smelt absolutely feral.

Freshened up, the first thing we needed was food, so found a lovely little restaurant and enjoyed mouth-watering tapas.

With sustenance, we now had the energy to visit the Monastery of Santa Maria la Real. 4€ to enter, but very impressive.

By 6pm though, we both felt ready for bed! We packed our bags and I think BC was asleep by 7. I dozed for a little while until I woke up not feeling great and the more I lay there, the worse it became until I realised I was going to be sick.

I managed to pull my skirt on and make it to the bathroom before losing the entire contents of my stomach. I was eternally grateful that there was no one in the one toilet!

When I came out, a poor young Korean girl was brushing her teeth and very tentatively asked if I was ok. I wanted to laugh, but simply said I hope so. Fortunately, that was the last of it and I was able to go back to bed.

Sleep was a little more elusive though with a steam train snorer in the room again…