Day 5 - Puente de Reina to Estrella - 13.42 miles

Another early start at 6:00am with a headlamp this morning. On our way out of town, I ran into a young woman who I met on Day 1. I asked how she was doing and she told me that the night before she had fallen down the stairs of her hostel and her arm was really in bad shape. She had a deep gash on her forearm that wouldn't stop bleeding, her arm had a huge black bruise on it and she couldn't lift her shoulder. People had helped get her arm cleaned up and bandaged that night, but at this point she was very discouraged and thought she might need a few stitches in Estrella. There is a pilgrim medical office there, so she wanted to get to Estrella early. Where at home she would have already been seen, here you just want to keep going so you don't miss the experience.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road!

Because I left so early it was an absolutely perfect morning for viewing the stars. They were incredible, and to add to that, a big group of us saw something so unique and had no idea what it was! It was a slow-moving, long, segmented thing that I can only describe as looking similar to a train. It was very far away, and none of us had seen anything like it or could even imagine what it might be. I included her video since she got the best view. The other interesting thing about this morning was the air had a very distinct sweet fruity smell for about 2 or 3 hours.

Today was the first day I experienced what is referred to as "trail magic" on the Appalachian Trail. I don't know if they call it the same thing here. As I was walking toward an elderly farmer, he was finishing up at a little table and running off telling me something in Spanish. I looked down and there was a table filled with food he had left for us, with a little container for a free-will offering. He had made olive oil toast with his own olive oil, along with fresh orange juice, grapes, nuts, water, and little wrapped cakes. The toast was wonderful - it was so rich it tasted like butter! This was just what I needed since I had skipped breakfast to get an early start.

The walk today was relatively easy, mostly rolling hills after a steep climb into the first small town. It reminded me a lot of those steep hilltop towns in Tuscany where you are basically climbing using just your tiptoes and calves to get to the top. I had never been a fan of walking sticks until this trip, but I am finding them amazingly helpful! Plus, there is the added benefit of helping your hands not swell.

Estrella is large enough that I didn't run into one other person I knew all day! So I just spent the afternoon taking photos of some beautiful historic buildings, churches, and particular architectural elements that are distinctive to this area. My hotel is on the upper outskirts of Estrella away from the heart of the city, so I just grabbed a quick dinner of items from the grocery store vs. walking all the way back down into town. On the plus side, I have about a half-hour jump on everyone staying in town since tomorrow's hike starts right outside my hotel. 😃

Entrance to Church of St. Michael, Estrella

Palacio de Los Munarriz