Distance walked: 6.2 miles
No album of the day, because I didn’t walk long enough to need my afternoon iPod morale boost 😛
I had gotten back to the parochial hostel not quite ten minutes before curfew, but everyone in my dorm room was already asleep. I tiptoed around my bunk, careful not to make any unnecessary noise, then settled into bed around 10:30pm.
The next morning, the gunners were up and at ’em at 5:30. I have started thinking of them as gunners, just like we referred to those ultra-competitive fellow students in dental school, because I seriously believe that they want to get ahead at any cost and don’t really give a damn about anyone else in the room. People were having full-volume conversations in Italian. Someone kindly turned the overhead light on – which was directly above my bunk- at 6:05am, even though we were allowed to stay in the hostel until 8:00 am. Apparently, you can stay until then, but you’re out of luck if you think you’re going to sleep past 6:15. I was quickly getting tired of rude pilgrims.
No matter: I had made the decision that I was going to take it easy today. And I did: a quick 10k to Monjardin. It was a beautiful morning to walk, and no clouds appeared in the sky until late in the day. Lukas, Jasmine, Kris, Colin, and I all ended up converging paths before Monasterio Irache, where the famous wine fountain is located. I had been looking forward to this spot; Colin had actually doubled back on his alternate route in order to make a visit to the fountain.
The fountain was virtually dry. We were so disappointed :(.
I arrived in Monjardin just after 11am. The hostel opened at 1, so Charlene from Australia, Ann and Jean from the US, and I ate a late breakfast at a bar to kill time: chorizo, eggs, and French fries. Delicious. We checked into a hostel at the top of the hill and were treated to a 5-bed room (no bunks!) with a terrace, where we later finished the night by drinking a glass of wine. It was a restful afternoon of writing, napping, and relaxing with friends. It was well-needed.
Tooth on the Loose 
What a beautiful view from your room! Glad to hear you’re not falling for the peregrino one-upmanship. Godspeed… but at your own pace! 😉
I’m eating my toast, juice, and coffee here. It’s almost 8 am, which is really late in pilgrim time, but I’m enjoying just sitting here, charging my iPad and watching the news in the hostel bar while I eat breakfast. The road can wait!
Jaka Okorn, the Rihtars’ cousin who lives in Jamaica (the island, not Boston), sends you this: “My congratulations, I admire her courage and determination, the blisters will heal soon enough.” 🙂