** Following on towards Estella **

This little piece of the journey deserves plenty of pics.  It was beautiful.  Wonderful. Hard, hot and sweaty.  Sheesh...that sounds ... well, a bit off! :-)  But it was a truly wonderful day spent with a lovely lady, Silvie, whom I would lose on the following day.  I'm still trying to get in touch with her and see how she made out in the end.  Silvie...these pics are for you my friend!  (And to speaking nary a word of English for days, which was fun for me!)

Taken care of at so may places along the way! If it was drinkable (90% were!) it was labeled as such.

Well if your gonna put my name in it..I gotta make use of it! Note underneath, I think that is the Basque for  Pilgrim.  Saw a lot of that in certain areas.  They don't let you forget who and what they are. 

There were picnic tables, benches and water here in the park for the weary Pilgrims.  Together with the shade, it made for a very nice little break before we pushed off again.

Someone loved us enough to hang these windchimes!

Including this one on the far side of the tree!  On Camino...keep your eyes, ears and heart open!

I know they aren't ripe yet!! But someone is in for a treat in a few months!

This is the  priest who was our official host in Estella.  He'd just finished a funeral, would celebrate an belated Pilgrim Mass, and took time to bounce up the stairs of the Youth Center, to greet Silvie and I with a bright smile and a welcome.  It was as I said a hot day, and we were both tired, but Silvie especially so this day.  We were made to feel so welcome and cared for by Fr. and the hospitaleros at the Parochial Alburgque across the street.

The woman in purple is Karen Hype, whose blog, Hyping the Camino, I've read for about a year.  She was the one we meet on the street corner, after having been told by others that the place was completo!  She remembered the overflow space above the youth center.  There have rarely been more grateful pilgrims!  This was taken at our communal dinner, which was truly special.

So very many of these faces were with me throughout my Camino.  Phillipe, Peter, Harald, Silvie, Rita, Kuno, Mario and on the edge directly next to me...someone who would become a special friend on the road, Spencer.

While this may not be a great pic, it gives an idea of the number of churches in this town.  The building I am next to is the church that sheltered us for the night.  And in the distance to the left, another one...every bit as big!!  To say nothing of the ones I could see from our room.

This is over the main entrance.  The carvings are absolutely exquisite.  If you click on this you should be able to make it larger...and the details of the faces are amazing.  God the Father and the four gospels I believe.  But look at the arches too!

This one caught my eye by how tenderly he's holding the figures on his lap, and the way the small one to the right is leaning against his knee.  So sweet and gentle.

Nothing  is to mundane for detailed attention.  This is just part of the ironwork on the door...all this for a keyhole!

Better than a Motel Six, heck they even left the light on for us!!  Thank you Padre!!

Beautiful ain't it?  Well it was to us!   Just two of us that night.  A bathroom down the hall (shower was across the street) but truly comfy and private.  We even doubled the mattresses and felt like princess for a night.  Padre, Karen and Dayton...Gracias!

But, Pilgrims never really rest, so to show us the way out, another yellow fleche (arrow) carefully left exposed on an otherwise massive stone wall, covered in ivy!

And see the treats in store for us!  Vino Tinto in the early am!!

I love this pic.  Especially because some guy walking by told me it wouldn't come out :-) !! Early morning on the way out of Estella, the last day Silvie and I would walk together.

The beautiful surprises continue.  Just gotta keep the eyes open!

And lest my friends and family think I've completely lost touch with "reality" yes there were thorns along the way too.  This was one of some truly spectacular thistles....these things could be used as weapons!