Last year, in the middle of August, I decided to do the last two stages of the Camino de Santiago Aragonés: Sangüesa – Monreal and Monreal – Puente La Reina. I was in no hurry. Temperatures were dropping a bit and it looked like it would be fine. Besides, I had read some blogs about the route and it looked good.
Exactly. It seemed. I don’t remember having suffered so much in one stage. The first part until crossing the Foz de Lumbier was not bad. In fact, the setting is spectacular. But once I passed it…. kilometers without shadows, the fountains spaced out, the villages (or groupings of houses rather) without any service, … in short, a marvel.
“The Way Will Provide”
But what always happens in El Camino. Arriving at Salinas de Ibargoiti, barely breathless and waiting for an open bar, I find a vending machine for pilgrims: from water, sandwiches to feminine hygiene products… but… it only accepts coins!!! And how many coins did I carry? If there is no open bar, whatever you can.
None! And here is where the maxim “El Camino Proveerá” is fulfilled: two paisanos who were cleaning the tractor with a water hose offer to give me some coins so I can take something. And not content with that, he rushes home so as not to keep me waiting. And people wonder why I do the Camino.
There was nothing left to reach Monreal and the most interesting 2 km of the stage began. All the time in the forest but I was already with the reservation and climbing the last flight of stairs to the hostel and having a cold drink in the bar run by the hospitalera finished killing me.
But there’s nothing that a shower, a mini nap and a dinner with interesting people (that Sevillian couple that another friend who was the only Zaragoza fan in Seville… and an expert in Romanesque art) can’t fix.
In the end, the next morning I took the bus back to Jaca and will finish it this winter some weekend.
I prefer it. Always.
