More beautiful farmer's fields. We'd been trying to figure out what had been harvested and finally figured out, based on a few stalks missed by the harvester:
And kilometres of grape vines that looked ripe to me:
Which led us to another popular watering hole, at a winery called Bodegas Irache (bodegas means winery). Here's Jan filling up from the fountain. What's unique about this fountain is that there are two spigots: one for water, one for red wine. Pilgrims are welcomed to fill up from either or both!
Just past the wine fountain we came upon these two fellows, one from Hungary, one from US I think. The Hungarian had purchased the donkey for 700 Euros.
Next we saw this distinctive peak in the distance and I joked with Jan that the next town was up there... we were to learn later that it almost was up that high!
Our path took us closer, then we started climbing...
... reaching our destination, Villamayor de Monjardin, near the top, but fortunately not right at the top. Colourful flowers and churches in almost every town. This town, pop 150, was a fine example:
Our Albergue was awesome. It's run by a Dutch organization, Oasis Trails, and is staffed mostly by volunteers from the Netherlands, who come for 2 or 3 week stretches. It's a really old building, and you have to duck to go through some of the doorways. We opted to eat a peregrino meal here, joining about 15 others.
Dinner was at 6:30 and in this picture we're all relaxing outside catching the last rays of the sun while we wait to be called in:
This would be Larry's first bite of food in 36 hours (he only drank water and electrolyte drink till now). The meal was great, a nice mixed salad, then rice with hearty chili and for dessert a great blackberry cake and ice cream, from blackberries picked that day from the vines growing wild in the area.
At our table, the two women on the left are college students from the US, walking the Camino for credit! I think they said it's worth 6 or 12 credits -- their whole semester. The next woman is a Dutch volunteer. Table behind, two Danes and another US student:
Midway through, Heinz, the German on the left, stood up and said a prayer, translated into English by his German friend beside him. On the far right is Rosa, from Korea, who we'd met our first night in Orisson and who was delighted that rice was part of the menu. She had a couple helpings -- first time she'd seen rice on the walk.
The only market in town is in the white building on the right. It's super tiny and the man at the cash is from the UK, which is a bit unusual, but what's really special is that he met his wife while both were walking the Camino, and this woman owned this place. So, as Jan says, he found a wife... and a job:
View at day's end...
Many highlights from today, but the memory I'll treasure most is the evening meal at the Dutch Albergue -- such a warm, welcoming feeling of community. It reminded me of the weekly community meal I volunteer at St Alban Anglican Church in Richmond, BC Canada. It's a little bigger -- we serve 150 per night, a mix of guests and volunteers. And while our guests are not peregrinos, they are also on a journey just like us and it's so great to share a meal together. The Community meal takes a break for the summer, and resumed just last night. We have a new cook this year, someone who's been a cook's helper for years and is now the head cook. Her nationality: Dutch.
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