PILGRIMAGE TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA (Day 2) Yesterdays ride from Pamplona to Estella was just some sort of a practice run of 42kms to test my bike as well as myself and see how it goes. The 10kg. bags on the saddle werent much of a problem as I had feared. It was tiring and though I practiced for almost 3 months in Kuwait, nothing came close to anticipating the difficulty in climbing the steep parts of the rolling terrain which alternated between wheat fields and wooded areas. So today I left early headed for Navarette 65kms away passing thru the beautiful towns of Los Arcos, Puente de Reina where there was an old stone bridge and Logrono. Many wineries along the route and I fought the urge to stop by for some wine tasting! It was hot @ 32 degrees so every now and then had to stop to refill the bottle from stores along the way. The road winded up and down the mountainous terrain and every now and then some cyclists overtook me and we greeted each other Buen Pergrino! It made me wonder though why, in spite of being laden with stuff on their bikes, they still managed to climb faster than me. Is it the bike or the leg power. I stopped for lunch by a roadside resto in Puente de Reina that served what they call Pilgrims Meal. For 8 or 10 Euros you get a starter of salad or beans, a main course of the local dish and dessert. Plus half a bottle of wine or water. I dunno but I always craved for an ice cold Coke which I had to buy separately. The wine I did not touch for it made me feel woozy, not good for a tired cyclist! On the last part of the way, it was all downhill and I screamed for joy just for the sheer fun of it like riding a roller coaster! My sore legs were ecstatic too that I had to push them no further. It was almost 7PM with the sun still up upon checking in at the albergues (pilgrims lodging also called hostales) where you pay 10Euros for a bunk bed you share with 4 or 5 other people for the night. There was nobody else except me which was good for the moment my aching back touched the mattress, I was knocked out for the night......
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 06:35:58 +0000
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