It rained overnight, but the cool morning weather was fine for hiking: overcast with sunbreaks. We didn't start until 8 AM because we knew today would be an easier hike - 700 fewer meters of elevation gain today!
Yesterday we took the alternate route, but today we were on the official Camino path and saw plenty of other pilgrims. You are supposed to say "Buen Camino" (which means Good Road) to everyone walking along.
We walked awhile with Sue from Denver, and talked to a boisterous group of young men from Wales who were singing songs from South Pacific.
I was impressed by all the greenery around us. We walked through many stretches of shady forest. Much of today was downhill as we were still descending from the Pyrenees. At one point, the Camino went through a
pasture, and we shared our walk with a herd of cows walking between fields with their cow bells ringing (a gate ensured that the cows could not follow us further toward Zubiri.)
Despite the rain last night, our trail was dry. This was good, because the final stretch is a steep downhill into Zubiri, which the guidebook warns is slippery when wet. We rolled into town at 3 PM.
We stayed in Zubiri tonight in a quaint old building called Txantxorena Guest House; full of wooden beams and stone walls. Zubiri means "bridge town" (Zub= bridge, iri=town in Basque). The bridge was built during the 12th century.
Only 400 inhabitants live in the town but hundreds come through daily and spend the night. We found dinner at the only place that appeared to be open before 7 PM: pepper and cheese quiches at a cafe. There
we saw Joseph from Belgium and Nancy from California again and discussed each of our camino experiences.
My jet lag was finally cured this night - I finally adjusted to Europe time and got a good night's rest.
Still Photographs
