Last year I had to start very early every morning to beat the heat, and I enjoyed the wonderful sunrises. This year is very different. It seems like overcast days and rain will be more the norm, and I figured I might as well have a lie in, since I won’t be walking far today. Well, it doesn’t work out as I had planned, as I wake up early to the rustle of backpacks and people moving about, and then the blinds are pulled up and the windows are thrown wide open by the staff as early as seven o’clock, so I guess the day has started for me too.

Amazingly my feet and legs feel fit for another day of walking, and I’m out of the door just before 9 o’clock, which is late in anyone’s book.

Leaving Estella, a town I would have liked to explore more.

After Estella I pass a delightful forge just outside the small village of Ayegui. It’s called La Forage de Ayegui and it’s run by the most likeable blacksmith and artist. He has beautiful sculptures, works of art and jewellery as the scallop shell, the symbol of St James and the Camino. But it is the symbol of a goose foot, la pata de oca, that catches my eye. I remember reading about a game that was probably developed by the Templars as a coded map or a symbolic game that represents the Camino Santiago. There are many goose images, names of places and other references of geese on the camino.

I buy the goose foot, because for me, it is also a symbol of hope. The friendly blacksmith tells me that the power of the fire it’s made with, will give me strength on my journey.

At the forge I meet Alan from Italy, and we team up and walk together to Monjardín.

What are the odds that we should meet another Italian doing his camino on horseback?

We stop for a break in the small village of Azqueta and there it is, the castle Castillo de San Esteban on top of a mountain. Villamayor Monjarín is directly below it. Not far to go now and I’m pleasantly surprised when we arrive there in no time at all. After only three hours of easy walking, it feels wonderful to arrive at the destination of the day fresh as a daisy, instead of feeling wrecked.

I staying in the Albergue Villamayor de Monjardín , whose nearest neighbor is the 13th century Castillo de San Esteban church. I’m so early that I’m the first pilgrim through the door when it opens, and of course I pick a bed right by the balcony with a magnificent view.

And this is certainly a room with a view! I spend a leisurely day washing my clothes, resting, and enjoying this vista on the small balcony. Over the next few hours the room fills up with no fewer than five other Swedes!

We share a lovely and fun dinner together, which is also happens to be Midsummer Eve in Sweden, with a man from Venezuela who lives in the USA, a Frenchman and a Canadian, and with our hosts. The food is all local produce and even the wine is from Monjardín.

Tomorrow is another 20 km day, this time to Sansol, and I’m really looking forward to it!

Check out my earlier posts to get the full context of this pilgrimage and the one I did the year before, and sign up to be notified when the next post is released. If you enjoyed this post, please give it some love by sharing and liking it!

All photos copyright Anita Martinez Beijer © All rights reserved