Can we really be this lucky to be doing this?

Roncesvalles to Lintzoain Day 3

There are so many days to catch up on that I need to give a flavour of the days rather than a full account. I'm guessing if you are reading this you will know walking pretty much happens most of the day, so I don't need to focus on that! However, some of the interesting stuff we see and the interactions we have are worth noting, especially as I was not so keen on chatting to lots of others, we seem to have got the mix right at the moment.

The other thing we seem to have pretty much spot on was the packing; we aren't noticing our back packs at all the weight is just right and the rotation of clothes and washing is working well for us. Three lots of underwear can go a long way! 

Setting out this morning it was raining so we got a chance to test our coats and rain covers for our packs, again a good thing for us as it means we aren't carrying them unnecessarily. Everything you carry has to have a purpose, sometimes more than one. The rain didn't deter us, it was not too heavy and by the time we did a breakfast stop 3 kms on our way, it stopped and was replaced by sunshine the rest of the day.

Today's walk was gentle to start off with and not overly taxing for most of the way; our destination was a tiny hamlet that had no amenities other than what our albergue provided. It was full with just 11 people and we opted for the pilgrim's meal. This was not a great decision! Three course for 14€ seems a really good deal but the food was poor and not much of it. Desert was a disgusting custard type thing which Pi quickly ate for me, out of sight. Breakfast however, was much better value, but it did make us wary of doing this set up again. Another camino lesson! 

We tried to walk around and explore but we were done in 10 minutes so came back to our single beds and tried to plan a few days ahead. 

Lintzoain to Zubiri Day 4

This day started out magically, beautiful sunshine and an immediate hill climb. Today was going to be tough and the downhill into Zubiri certainly was. This is considered one of the more treacherous descents and many fall and break things here. The rocks were uneven and jagged in places and huge shiny boulders in others. Thankfully, the rocks were dry today, but my knees took a pummelling. I had to keep stopping because of the pain. It did make me question whether we could do this! 

A highlight of the day was being so close to so many red kites and Zubiri itself was really pretty.

When you finally make it into the village you are faced with the medieval bridge that is the Puente del Rabia, the Bridge of Rabies, named from the legend that the cattle that stood around it prevented rabies from entering the village. Its a beautiful sight to behold after the steepness of the hill.

We saw first hand the struggle some were having for beds and we were grateful that we had booked already. Lunch and beer finished we checked in, showered and then walked around the really small village. There's nothing really here but albergues and a few cafes so we rewarded ourselves further with more beer and icecreams! 

Having had yet another great day and surviving the descent into Zubiri, I started to believe I might actually be able to do this...onwards to Pamplona, which was going to be our longest trek yet.