Day 5 Cizur Menor to Maneru

I am hoping you are all looking at the maps I downloaded at the beginning so you have some idea where I am.

I am writing this sitting in the full sun with a glass of rose and a good old packet of plain chips. Need the salt. 

Perfect day for walking today.  Not too hot not too cold and the sun was shining.  

Walked over a few mountains today and it is all very well that I say that but it is a very long continual walk uphill and then you have to manoeuvre coming down the other side as it is sometimes steeper that going up.  There are a lot of loose rocks and very slippery.   Thank goodness for walking poles as they really help to steady and take the weight off as you walk up and down.  

I am still amazed by the amount of people that get up at 5am in the pitch dark and set off.  They would be walking in total darkness for at least 2.5 hrs as the sun isn’t up until about 7.30.  I have made the decision to not walk in the dark.  What is the point.  You can’t see anything.  

So I set off from Cizur Menor this morning at about 7.20 and walked up a mountain.  Have a routine now.  Start walking for approximately an hour or so until I come to a little cafe/bar and have coffee and tortilla actually I lie I have tea and a tortilla which as I said before is actually a slice of frittata. 

Then walk for another couple of hours and stop for cafe con leche and a pastry then keep walking and stop somewhere along the track and have an apple and once I get to my destination I shower rinse out clothes and go to a bar for either a sangria or rose and blog then go back to my albergue for my pilgrim dinner and go to bed.   

I have met so many wonderful people on this journey. 

So today was great because the countryside has changed and we are now walking around the side of mountains with incredible views and a lot of farming areas that have been ploughed 

What I loved today is the top of the mountains are covered in windmills.  They are amazing. 

And the best part when we got to the top of the mountain there were all the iron statues of the pilgrims which I am sure you all saw in The Way

I have been travelling with a few people so we had to have a group photo. 

The nationalities are Canadian Americans Australian Brazilian and so it goes on. 

So as I said before quite different country today.  Very open and lots of big paddocks that had been ploughed.  Very steep mountains to climb down and just breathtaking.  I had to stop taking photos or I wouldn’t have gotten very far today. 

Here are a few

It was a big day today and feel I totally have my stride now.  I am not staying at the towns suggested on my maps as I get to most of these places by 11.30ish and feel I could keep walking. So I do.  

The villages I pass through are so gorgeous and the people so lovely.  As I have said before there is no way you can get lost.  Some more signage on the way today 

I reached Puente la Reina around 12.30ish and what a gorgeous town yet again.  I went into the church and the man inside showed me the statue of St James who had come this way on the first pilgrimage. Of course the church was amazing and so old. 

There were a lot of candles burning beside St James and I am sure Kerry would have known what to do but for me this is more spiritual than religious and also time for me.  

I have decided I could definitely live in Spain.  Cherene have we won the lottery yet ?  

The town of Puente La Reina was lovely and of course on the half hour and the hour all the church bells chime.  This is in every town. 

The front door. Most doors have a door knocker which is a hand. 

Note the huge bunches of red peppers hanging outside the top floor.  Very common site here in Spain.  The vegetable gardens are amazing.  However not many vegetables served at dinner. Mainly a salad of lettuce onion tomato and dressing.  I am craving a few veggies. 

This is the sort of main streets in towns I am walking through. 

So as I walked out of town heading to Maneru I crossed over another old bridge 

Puente la Reina means Queens bridge and was built in the X11th century.  This is how old this place is. It was built by the mayors wife of Sancho  III to support the safe movement of the increasing amount of medieval pilgrims who joined the route at this stage from both France and Spain 

Wow am I full of history!!!! 

So out of town and onto my last 6kms before I was ready to call it a day.  

There were a few mountains to climb though before I reached Maneru.  Big climb and hot a sweaty. 

So far this is my favourite photo of the trip but sure more to come. 

So arrived in Maneru very footsore and ready to take my shoes off. Another cute town. 

This is my bedroom for tonight 

That’s my bed by the window on the bottom 

So it has taken me over 2 hours and 4 glasses of rose to post this blog as the wifi is 😜 but it is done so you know what I have been up to. 

I love doing this so hope you are all enjoying it.  If you meet anyone who knows me and doesn’t have the link please feel free to pass it on.  I am quite enjoying doing this.  Maybe I will become a full time blogger!!!!

Buenos noches and adios amigos 

💋🍷