We had a very pleasant stroll along a gently ascending path towards the foot of the long ridge, it's summit decorated with a row of wind turbines. On the way I stopped for a short rest next to a wayside shrine dedicated to a Belgian peregrino who had died after suffering a heart attack a few years earlier. This was just one of many others that I would pass along the camino over the following weeks. As a sign of remembrance I deposited a small stone on the shrine. This is a practice that I first discovered whilst visiting war graves on the Western Front a few years ago (apparently it is a Jewish tradition). I think that it is a wonderfully poignant way of showing other visitors that this person is not forgotten.
The sun was beating down upon us as we struggled with our heavy rucksacks to the top of what had now become a very steep hill. On 'The Way of St James', they talk about Camino Angels, who appear when you are at your lowest ebb and provide you with help or the thing that you need most. On the summit of the Alto Del Perdon, the name of this hill, I found my first Camino Angel in the form of a local man who was selling ice cold beers. Suitably refreshed I took my turn posing in front of a large sculpture of medieval peregrinos and their animals leaning into the westerly wind. It is called "Where the path of the wind crosses the stars" and is one of the iconic landmarks along the Camino Frances.
From the narrow summit of the Alto Del Perdon, I could see my destination for the evening, the small town of Puente La Reina; several miles in the distance, across a patchwork of fields. After walking for a few miles I left the designated route to visit the church at Eunate set amongst fields of oilseed rape. This detour turned out to be further than I had anticipated but was well worth the extra effort getting there. Unfortunately though with the sun still blazing down out of a cloudless sky I ended up suffering from sunburn on my left arm.
When I reached the church which was built in the 12th century by the Knight Templars, it was closed. However there were several Australian pilgrims sitting outside who assured me that it was due to open in about thirty minutes. One hour later a car pulled up and the church warden got out and quietly unlocked the door. The church is horizontal in shape with a free standing porch surrounding it. Inside it was very peaceful and pleasantly cool; decorated with a small altar upon which stood a statue of the Madonna and child. While I sat quietly admiring the simplicity of the church, around me several people were kneeling in prayer or taking photographs.
Gradually we left the church and got our credencials stamped by the warden who warned us about leaving our rucksacks unattended, as there have been a lot of thefts since the recession hit Spain. We then walked together for the last few miles along the main road to the municipal albergue in Puente La Reina (The Queens Bridge). Opposite the albergue stands an old stone church with several storks nesting on the roof of its tower. That evening several of us got together and enjoyed a communal meal that we prepared ourselves, washed down with the local red wine. It can be extremely tough on the camino. Never mind tomorrow is another day!
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