Distance traveled: 12.9 km

I had kept my blistered toes bandaged in breathable gauze overnight to attempt to let them dry out, but they still looked and felt horrible when I woke up the next morning, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to travel too far. I had been keeping in touch with Adam and the rest of the group I’d left in Pamplona, and while I’d gone further than they had that first day, they were likely to catch me up today. My injuries made me feel vulnerable, and I craved a familiar face, so I crossed my fingers and hoped we’d end up in the same place.

Despite my ruined feet, I was excited for the morning’s walk. It would bring me to something I’d been looking forward to for weeks: the wine fountain! We were rapidly approaching Rioja wine country, and just past the town of Estella (the suggested end point for yesterday’s stage) the path went right through a large winery (Bodegas Irache) that had decided to set up a fountain offering free wine to all pilgrims who pass. When the Camino hopefully reopens later this year (as the coronavirus keeping all of us inside now has also resulted in the closure of all the albergues as well as the cathedral and pilgrim office in Santiago), you can watch pilgrims arrive at the fountain on its webcam.

I arrived at the fountain around 10:00 and figured there was no more appropriate time to say “it’s five o’clock somewhere!” I pulled out my little collapsible cup (being wholly unwilling to drink out of the scallop shell I’d attached to my backpack, which is what you’re supposed to do) and waited my turn to approach the fountain.

Now, remember that group of American women I’d seen at my albergue the day before? Here they were again! Still way too dressed and made up to be real pilgrims, and taking their sweet time making sure each of them had the perfect videos and photos of themselves at the wine fountain in order to share the experience with everyone on social media. I was in no rush and didn’t mind waiting; I kept myself occupied by judging this group of women (who, it must be noted, did offer to take my picture!). We’ll get back to the wine fountain in a moment, but first, I’ve got to share another big lesson of the Camino and yet another piece of proof that “the Camino provides” what you need, whether or not you know you need it. I never saw these women again – they got into a van nearby that drove them to their next destination – but I met someone a few weeks later who’d also seen them. I had of course described them as I’d seen them: American tourists who at best were missing out on the true meaning of the Camino and at worst were trying to look like real pilgrims when they clearly weren’t. My friend nodded and said “well, there’s more to their story.” As it turns out, the husband of one of the women had recently passed away, and prior to his death, he’d arranged for his widow and her friends to go on this trip so that she’d have something to look forward to and keep her life full of happiness.

Am I a jerk, or what?! I still feel horrible when I think about how badly I misjudged things here. I’m thankful that my judgment never made it back to the women themselves. I have shared this story because many people on the Camino end up learning lessons about judgment, particularly in terms of developing an awareness of how often we tend to judge others, in ways small and large. This isn’t the only example of an ungenerous and ultimately incorrect judgment I made on the Camino; it’s just the worst instance. There are so many ways to judge and compete with people you encounter, on the Camino and in daily life –  and while I got better about stopping myself from doing that on the Camino, I’m still working on carrying that over to my life now.

Back to my walk. The day continued through some more beautiful and varied landscapes.

After a nice walk through some woods and then a relatively relaxed walk up a long rise, I arrived in Villamayor de Monjardín, another very small town (though this one had a choice between two albergues). I opted for the one overlooking the central town square, and it turned out to be a delight. The hospitaleros (volunteers who run the albergues) were an American couple who offered each pilgrim a foot bath with epsom salts upon arrival. My early arrival turned out to be very helpful, as a French couple and a single Spanish pilgrim arrived, and I was the only person who could speak to them! I felt like a true pilgrim as I translated all of the arrival information and, later, made sure that the Spanish pilgrim was included in the communal meal conversation. I’ve always been grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to study languages, and I’ve never been more thankful for my ability to communicate with others as during my time on the Camino.

My friends Adam, Lou, and Bill appeared later in the afternoon, and I was so glad to be reunited with them. I met the other new members of our Camino family on this day as well: Chuck and Kim, a couple from British Columbia, and Agnes, a Belgian woman living in Provence. I got to know Chuck and Kim before dinner as we sat with Lou and Bill, soaking our feet and going around in a circle sharing things about ourselves. I met Agnes briefly at dinner (another really good, home-cooked one) and then took a real interest in her at an after-dinner prayer service that some of us chose to attend. She introduced herself as a “Camino addict” – this was I think her third time walking in as many years; she has come to believe that going on Camino is an essential part of her life. While I already knew the Camino would be hugely transformational for me, I wasn’t yet sure if it would be that transformational.

Lou and Chuck would prove very important sources of conversation and contemplation as our journey continued, but today, their biggest contribution was to my physical well-being. Lou turned over his supply of KT tape to help with my tendinitis, and over the next week Chuck would become chief blister advisor to both Kim and me. Here’s how my feet looked at the end of the day:

You can’t tell, but my right pinky toe in particular was in horrible shape. The bottom side of the toe was just one huge, layered blister. (I hadn’t know blisters could have layers before this, but… they can.) After discussing with the group, I decided I’d try sending my backpack ahead the next day in order to take some pressure off my feet.

The day ended with a pretty beautiful sunset.