Day 5 - Cizur Menor to Puente la Reina

Day 5 - Cizur Menor to Puente la Reina

Cloudy with sunny periods

We asked Maribel of Albergeue de Maribel Roncal to book ahead to the albergue at Puente la Reina to make sure we have beds. Just in case.

We have one big hill in our way today. They say " what goes up, must come down"and down is what we dread the most. With an earlier start, a bit more determination and the difference between dry rocks and wet rocks going downhill, we made good times. Nineteen kilometers in 5 1/2 hours. We are finding our speed and I think we can manage most days with 3 1/2 km per hour.

The  municipal albergue is on the Camino so it is not hard to find. We arrive early but apparently not too early. We were sent upstairs to be the first in one of the upstairs dormitorios so we get to pick out our beds. The bathrooms and the showers are outside the room so it does not disturb those who are asleep. A long bench across from the beds by the windows makes it easier for everyone. 

We ventured out to the market and got supplies for lunch. Grocery is not expensive particularly compared to the cafe bars. Most municipal albergues have kitchen facilities. This one is particularly well equipped.

After an afternoon of catching up with the blogs, we went back to the other albergue that we saw with pilgrim menu. As we were waiting, we were almost overcome by the weed someone was smoking on the patio and promptly went to find another place. Even for a small town with a few streets wide, there is still a choice when it comes to pilgrim meals.

We are still getting used to the temperatures in Spain. It just seems that there is no latent heat. The afternoon sun would be quite hot but it'd be cool in the shade. In the evening, it would be really cold. We got caught a couple of times now even with our fleece on.