The skies are dark again as we leave Pamplona--but it's in the 50s and that's warm enough when we're hiking uphill...only the first 9 miles are uphill today! You can see that we are walking through the clouds again today. This is a typical Camino marker. They are guideposts for The Way and as we get closer to Santiago they include the kms to the cathedral.
Wheat fields and storm clouds everywhere we look today.
Lots of wind generators are positioned along the ridge of the Sierra del Padron. While the government websites predict/hope that 40 percent of Spain's energy will be produced by wind by 2020, nuclear power still edges out wind for producing the most energy for this country at this point.
This church in Zariquiegui is featured in the movie The Way. If you haven't watched it, we highly recommend finding it on Netflix, or similar. It's a great movie and it will show you the path we are traveling.
Across the street from the church we stopped for a much needed break and snack. It's amazing what a Coke Zero and 20 minutes sans boots will do to rejuvenate a weary pilgrim. We are heading for the peak of the Sierra del Padron from here so we needed the boost.
According to this signpost atop the Sierra del Padron summit, it's only 5,800 km to New York.
These iron statues, about two-thirds of the way between Pamplona and Puente de la reina, are an iconic sight on the Camino de Santiago. The inscription reads, "Where the wind path meets the path of the stars ..." They were built in 1996 and are featured in the movie The Way. Everyone at the summit is excited to see them.
This information placard is near the statues, which are featured in the movie The Way.
This intersting stone formation is just downhill from the pilgrim statues.
On our way down the mountain to Puente de la reina where we will stay for the night. We've set an new Camino record (for us)--four days in a row without getting lost! Not that we will be able to maintain this status, if previous years are anything to go by. It's not really a big deal. We just ask strangers, reread the maps/guides, use GPS (which usually leads us in circles, not kidding!), pray and eventually we find our way back to the trail. So the Camino basically mimics life!
