Day 12. May 12.

It is a good thing the number of days and the date line up or I would be totally lost in time and space right now. Days and time mean nothing as I move west at the speed of a human. I haven’t been in a car for 9 days.

We left the town of Naverette about 8. We enjoyed having a private room and felt restored by having some personal space. Alexandra’s shoulders were sore so she opted to take the day off from her pack and ship it ahead with a few of my things too. We had 13.5 miles to go but it was mostly flat.

We walked together until it was time to have more coffee and a pastry. I moved on to enjoy solitude. The trail was a wide, flat dirt road between miles of vineyards. I had an occasional dusting by a tractor or car passing as well as a gentle waft or two of manure. My thoughts turned to Bacchus, god of wine and was kept company by Mozart, god of the sublime.

I love the interactive experiences of the trail like these rock cairns asking me to add my gift to the collection. I have beads from a bracelet that I use to leave a little piece of me when I feel called.

I waited by a babbling brook for Alexandra to catch up and we headed to the scruffy town of Najera for lunch.

Beside the old monastery in the center of the city we found this handsome rooster and his six wives. We chased them a bit to get a good picture and laughed at their funny chicken ways.

I climbed a hill to a plateau with a 360 degree panorama of misty mountains. I couldn’t see any pilgrims in front or behind. I just had the cool wind and bliss.

Alexandra texted me an “amber alert” when she finally found her missing lambs. She had been looking for babies for days and was so happy to see them safe and sound in their mother’s care.

I came to the small town of Azorfra where the Albergue was entirely miniature double rooms with a large courtyard and a fountain. A pilgrim Shangrala. Of course there are shared bathrooms but I had the use of a washing machine and proper clotheslines that didn’t require death defying maneuvers to use.

Then into town with my happy band of nomads that seem to be on the same pace to find wi-fi and sustenance. Some of my new friends are walking the Camino in sections and are headed home but I’m glad I can do the entire 500 miles in one trip. It is not time for me to go home—- I have much more to learn.