Klaas´s Adventures in Estella

So. where to start. There are so many things to tell and so little time. Let me just go back to yesterday a minute. We arrived safely at Puenta La Reina, a small but nic town. Jakob an dI soon wen to out ot explore. You know me, I just can´t stay away froma ll these old buildings, churches mostly. So we ended up on th eother side of town by the church of San Pedro. Two old ladies were basking in the sun on a bench outside. We just went in. We were lucky, mist of th etime the doors of churches here are locked. It was a nice looking church, very old, but what got my attention was the organ inside. The two old ladies ahd followed us and gave us another stamp in our book. In my now fluent Spanish (Hand signals mostly and the word organo) I asked if I could play the organ, and to my surprises they said it was okay!! So we all trudged upstairs and there it was, the oldest instrument I have ever seen. Jakob soon was pumping at the bellows, and I played. It was a highlight. Th eorgan was so old it did not even have real pedals, but in that church Genevan tunes (Psalm 25) sounded great. We asked the ladies how ol d the organ was and found out it was built in 1696!.
SO now we are in Estella. I t was a hard walk today for some reason. My tendons on my heels hurt, and my left knee is bothering me a bit. But there were plenty of good things too. Jakob is good company. He doesnt talk a mile a minute. Lots of times the only sound that can be heard is the ticking of my walking stick on hte ground.
Talking about walking stick. Yesterday I forgot it at a place where we had a break. Oh well, Right? Not so. Our friend Nadia who we keep running into picked up the stick and took it with her the last three km or so. She checked into the hostel and found out we were stying there. She just wanted to make sure I got my stick back. That´s kind of how it goes here. The kitchen is another place like that. People gladly share of the extra they do not need. By the way, Jakob and I are cooking tonight. We don´t know yetr what it is going to be but our goal is to outdo the other two.
Stores are closed until five. I am slowly beginning to get into the SPanish rhythm. After our shower today it was naptime. Everything shuts down for the afternoon, so there is no point in getting too excited.
Today Jakob ran into Lars from Denmark. I may have mentioned him before. They flapped for about 45 minutes before he moved on.
The pilgrim from Argentina gets the most cheerful pilgrim award. Every time he sees us he call out with a loud voice: ¨Hellooo, Canada, How are YOu!¨. He was sure Jakob had had too much to drink, when he saw him sitting on the sidewalk today.
We also met two guys from Australia. On of them had the same kind of shoes as me, so that.s what got us talking.
And that is how it goes. Meeting so many people froma all over the word, all on their way to one place. As we have completed stage number five it is starting to sink in how big of an undertaking this really is. I have learned one thing already. Ther is no point in looking at your watch or planning too far ahead. You just need to put one foot in front of the other and realize that every step is bringing you closer to the goal.
We do miss you in Canada, but we are enjoying ourselves immensely. Please pass on the site of this blog to as many people as you can, because reading your comments is one of the highlights of the day for me and even more for Jakob.
Someone is singing happy brithday to a friend right now, on the phone.
By the way, I got the worst bed in the hostel today: right by the bathroom. Oh, well that´s why we bring ear plugs.
Until next time, Buen Camino.
KLaas