Our stay last night was interesting. Our hotel was really a bedroom/bathroom at the top of a house behind a locked gate. Run by a couple that spoke no English (though our Spanish was good enough - but for more complicated discussions, we had some difficulty). It was raining when we arrived, so we had our laundry done (for a fee). And I was offered a cerveza, which I happily took (for a fee). To not deal with the complication of leaving through the electronic gate and returning, we chose to stay put and not take an evening walk back to the center of town for dinner. Jana had a small meal from our 'kit' and I had the remainder of the blueberries.
The night was interesting - hundreds of birds lived under the eaves of the house: blackbirds and house-martins and swifts and serins and doves called late into the night. During the night, they were scritching above the rafters (at least I hope it was the birds), and well before dawn started their vocal symphonies again.
In the morning, the chorus helped to rouse us, and hunger motivated us to get moving and get some food.
At 7:15 we embarked on our walk. The morning was cool and clear (about 50F) and never got above 70F. The morning landscapes were beautiful. After a couple of miles, we reached Puente la Reina and entered a cafe for ham croissants, coffees, and a baguette for the road to snack on for the hike (a baguette fits very nicely in the water-bottle holder on the side of the backpack; and when one is fully consumed, it is time to get another). Much refreshed we continued.
For the first half, much of the walk was again along farmland and fields, with some very steep sections, and through small towns. The second half was along farmlands in more urban zones, and much of it paralleling a freeway. A lot of beautiful scenes.
At the end of our walk, we were ready to be done. We arrived at our hostel just before 2:30 PM. Our hostel has a full shared-kitchen, so we purchased some pasta and sauce and some marmalade (and already had a can of garbanzos) and ate with a few of the other residents, who were happy to share in our extra pasta.
The overall stats are: a bit more than 7 hours for 13 miles. Overall incline was 447m and a descent of 423m.
We identified 23 bird species today, with 3 new to us today.
Now, OTTP:
Our view upon leaving our prior night's accommodation:
An artwork when leaving Obano, for pilgrims to pass through (with room for a hiking staff):
An early morning European Greenfinch:
Non-bird nature photo. A snail crossing the trail, and is more in focus than the one yesterday:
Jana with a landmark statue as we arrived in Puente la Reina (where we later had breakfast):
Entering the town, our shadows were still very long.
Lots of wildflowers, with the sun shining through the popies:
A long, steep incline. A number of groups of high-school aged students passed us in this segment. Did not see them before, and a did not see them later. I am guessing they were doing a section for a school assignment.
The church at Mañeru,
After some distance through farmland, we turned a corner to see Cirauqui in the distance. A city on a (steep) hill. The lighting at that moment was perfect. This is my favorite Camino photo to date.
A European Stonechat sitting on a post:
Approaching the town. Just a little more climbing:
Passing through the arch at the church at the top of the city:
Leaving the other side:
A European Goldfinch:
Another climb means another descent. In this case there was a good view of the long and winding road far into the distance:
More wildflowers lining the trail:
Non-bird wildlife: A grasshopper inside a poppy:
And over an old bridge:
Jana completing a long, steep ascent into town (where we had a late lunch):
Lunch was a salad, a tureen of lentil soup, and a slice of tortilla (an egg/potato/cheese staple). Lunch was very good:
More wildflowers:
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