Exercise in gratitude — Puente La Riena, Spain

Something amazing happened today. I woke up, and I did not feel like a bag of poo. I stretched my legs out and only had to wince internally, not audibly. I stood up, on the first try. And when I walked to the bathroom, it was with the gait of a very tired 60-year-old, not a peg-legged baby moose suffering from the hebbie-jeebies. 

This was going to be a good day. 

And it was. I covered 15 miles, going up about 900 feet to this incredible row of ridge-top windmills. 

Then down about 1200 feet to the town of Puente La Reina. The first 10 miles were an exercise in gratitude, as I walked on merely sore feet instead of throbbing feet. Tired calves, instead of cramped calves. 

I was even brave enough to take a detour from the main route, which allowed me to pass by the beautiful Eunate cathedral. It's a 12th-century Romanesque structure maintained by a dedicated couple. They kindly stamped my Pilgrim Passport, as per my hand gestures, and wished me well.

The Cathedral is not in a village or town of any kind, and its history is somewhat mysterious, so I thought it might be worth it to include some outside information here:

"Since the late 19th century, there have been several theories about the original function and authorship of Eunate. Due to its octagonal plan, the first theories stated that Eunate was a Templar church, related to other central plan churches like the above mentioned Holy Sepulchre of Torres del Río, and other undoubtedly Templar buildings like the Templar convent of Tomar, the Temple Church of London or the Holy Sepulchre of Pisa; all of them inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. This alleged Templar origin and the aura of mystery that surrounds the church have contributed to esoteric interpretations. While the presence of Knights Templar in this zone of Navarre is not documented, the importance of another military order, the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem or Knights Hospitaller, that could have operated a hospital ('hostel') for pilgrims to Santiago, is well known. Archaeological excavations have found many burials and the typical St. James' shells."

— Wikipedia (sorry J-School professors, right now it's a valid source.)

Today is not a day for many more words. I am grateful for the beautiful and large albergue I'm staying in. I'm grateful I arrived at 2 p.m. so I could put my feet up and hang some laundry in the sun and catch up on communications. I'm grateful for the cheese not going bad in my backpack, and for getting a bottom bunk again because, obviously. 

And grateful for sunny mornings — thunder-free.

With many markers along the Way. 

Home for the night.