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Day 8 - Camino Francés: Puente la Reina to Estella · WCBH

0:26
Good morning. It's day eight. If I sound a bit muffled, it's just because I've
0:30
got all my wet weather gear on.
0:32
Just back on the track, heading from Puente Llorena, heading to Estelle,
0:38
about 21 kilometers today.
0:40
You'd describe the day as miserable. I don't feel miserable,
0:45
but certainly the weather conditions look miserable.
0:48
Low hanging dark clouds. It's raining, not heavy but raining enough that you
0:55
need to have your wet weather gear on or you'd be very wet and soaked before long.
1:01
Shoes are Gore-Tex. Jerry, it's Gore-Tex. If you remember that Seinfeld episode
1:06
when George has his puffy Gore-Tex jacket.
1:09
No, my shoes are Gore-Tex, so feet are snug and dry.
1:13
Some pilgrims are excellent at getting up in the morning and getting on the
1:19
path early, we seem to take a little bit longer.
1:23
We're up early, I like early, but by the time we're ready to leave our accommodation,
1:28
we've had showers and all those sorts of things, and then pull into a cafe and
1:33
have some breakfast, we're up early.
1:35
At our best, we're probably on
1:37
the road by 7.30, 8 o'clock. I think today we were on the road by 9 a.m.
1:43
But yeah, 21 k's ahead of us to Estelle. Big day yesterday, the longest walk we've had.
1:49
Body feels okay. Certainly felt it last night, but it feels okay today.
1:54
Got three big days back to back to back of 20 plus kilometres.
1:59
And then I think it eases off for a few days.
2:02
In very wet conditions. We're climbing up a very steep hill at the moment, about halfway up.
2:08
I think this one goes for about 1.2 kilometres on a very steep incline.
2:13
We're fortunate because the road's been graded and a lot of small rocks,
2:18
pebbles have been placed, so we've got good footing underneath.
2:21
Some parts of the journey this morning have been mud.
2:25
When walking i suppose what do
2:28
you do you know sometimes we're we're chatting other times
2:32
we're just quiet lost around our own thoughts i've also
2:35
bought some headphones and been listening to podcasts and radio stations etc
2:42
from around the world just listening to the nrl at the moment round one and
2:47
just confirming everything i know about tipping is i'm a terrible tipster i
2:52
tend to overthink things,
2:54
think things are going to happen, and then the complete opposite happens.
2:58
Round one, I think I'll butchered about three-quarters of the round through overthinking it.
3:05
Jan, you've just climbed a really big hill. In fact, we're not all the way there.
3:08
We're about two-thirds of the way up. How do you feel?
3:12
So, not great. So, not great.
3:18
And about the Camino, what are some of the things that you've really enjoyed
3:22
so far over the first eight days?
3:25
Rest day. What about the hot chocolate?
3:28
Yes, yes, that too.
3:30
And the baguettes and the croissants? Yeah. I think someone's calling out.
3:37
Well, this is exciting. There's blue sky. I think my ma used to say if there's
3:42
enough blue sky to patch a pair of pants, then it's going to turn a clear day.
3:49
And it certainly looks to be more than enough to patch a pair of pants.
3:54
I can see the sun trying really hard to get through these clouds.
3:58
Clouds are moving relatively quickly.
4:01
Now, which direction are they heading? Be moving away from us, please.
4:05
We might end up with a uh a sunny second half of this day i mentioned that this
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path has been traveled for a very long time to get through to santiago you know for the pilgrimage,
4:22
on the way to the remains of saint james i also mentioned that charlemagne had
4:27
used these roads also roman roads as well just been walking along part of the
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roman path standing on a Roman bridge at the moment over a creek.
4:39
I don't know how old this place is, but thousands of years old,
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I would imagine, and still standing. The architecture is good. It's still solid.
4:47
Sherrilyn, how old do you think this is?
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Not exactly certain, but I think it's well over 2,000 years old.
4:55
It's absolutely amazing.
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The old paving stones from the road are still here and the bridge is still here
5:01
and solid. It's amazing and beautiful.
5:06
Yeah, to be standing on this road, to be standing on this bridge over this river,
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for something that's been here for thousands of years and still very,
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very strong. It's really quite amazing.
5:19
So we're here, we've made it to Estella, 21, 22 kilometres today, 30,000 plus steps.
5:26
So another big day back to back. Weather, rain this morning,
5:30
dried up this afternoon, but plenty of mud around. our boots,
5:34
our shoes were covered in mud and the lower part of our pants was covered in mud as well.
5:39
A little bit slippery and slidey in places, but the sticks were good.
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But we made a fair amount of hills.
5:45
We weren't expecting as many hills today as we came across.
5:50
We're getting fitter. We're getting more conditioned to walking the distance and walking up hills.
5:56
But the back end of the day, the legs were certainly a little bit tired.
6:00
Accommodation's nice, lovely hot shower. It's so good when you get to accommodation
6:05
and you've got your own private facilities, hot water, shower with high pressure and a kettle.
6:12
We don't always get a kettle in European hotels.
6:14
So to have a kettle, that's a real win in our books.
6:18
The town here, Estella, the outer parts is
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a little bit sort of old and run down the inner
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part of it is much older but much nicer sort of been gentrified a little bit
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renovated shops not much nicer feel tomorrow another big day another 20 plus
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kilometers or thereabouts tomorrow around the 20 kilometer mark and then we
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we trim it down for a few days.