Day 8 The Wine Fountain

On the road

Day 8
Lorca to Villamayor de Monjardin 11.16 miles; 27,265 steps; 652 km. to go

One of the great pilgrim landmarks along the Camino is the famous wine fountain of Irache. For those of you who want to watch the action of this place 24/7 via a webcam, go to www.irache.com The spigot at the right dispenses water, the one at the left wine, and it´s all free. I´ve heard the wine isn´t quite the best the area has to offer, but who cares, what great marketing. By the time you reach the fountain though, you´ve already hiked a good distance; you´re hot and sweaty and only lust for water.

The wine fountain

In Irache an older man greets walkers and cyclists as they pass by and offers help with directions, history, a nice chat. It´s a shame for those who know no Spanish to miss out on these fun little encounters on the road, which brings to mind how few people on the trail speak Spanish (aside from the Spaniards that is). I usually end up in some part of the day translating for people, mostly Europeans. You can get by perfectly well without speaking it, but it certainly adds a layer of experience.

Someone's sense of humor

Today´s walking is great. Minimal hills and loose rocks, not too many pilgrims. The route winds through farmland and vineyards, with the ever present wildflowers along the sides of the trail. I eat breakfast at Estella, which just bursts with 12th-century Romanesque architecture on either side of a flowing river.

Estella

Accommodation for the night is in Villamayor de Montjardin, which has its own Romanesque church and the ruins of a castle on the hill above. This particular refugio (4 euros) is run by some Dutch evangelical group in an old building. Jan is very welcoming with a cold beer in hand when I puff up the hill in the heat. The room I´m sharing is all whitewashed with exposed dark wood beams. An Italian girl I´ve been running into off an on for the last week, Manuela, is already here, breaking from the same pack of pilgrims I ditched yesterday. It sounds like the Tower of Babel outside the window what with all the nationalities talking at once. I think I´ve counted pilgrims from 20 different countries. Today Japan and Australia were added to the list.

Dinner is communal and quite good. Two Dutchmen at the table have walked all the way from Holland; one of them just returned from serving as a missionary in Zaire for 40 years. A Spanish couple tell me about their feelings towards illegal immigration into Spain. A veritable tirade, and I understand most of it. It seems the Arabs want to take back Granada since it was theirs several hundred years ago. It´s time for another Reconquista.