The weather is heating up, unseasonably I’m told. My strategy of getting an early start was helpful, as I got the strenuous climbing in early, and had to hike only the last couple of hours in the heat of the day.

I made it to Estella around 1:30 and checked into my hostel. The albergues have been full in this part of the Camino, but private rooms in a hostel or pension are not very expensive–generally around 55 euros instead of 12 to 15.

It’s a small town, with a mix of very old and unfortunate 1970s architecture. A peregrino tends to arrive hungry after a long days hike, so I made my way to the plaza mayor (main square) for lunch.

Pilgrim meal times are much closer to California meal times than Spanish meal times. Ideally, a pilgrim would like breakfast at 6 or 7 for an early start, lunch at 1 or 2, and dinner around 6 or 7. Spanish meal times are about 2 hours later, so it is sometimes a challenge to find food.

Spaniards do not really have a breakfast, but rather a piece of bread or pastry with their morning cafe con leche. There is a more substantial meal around mid-morning for desayunos (breakfast). There are two afternoon meals, both ambiguously called comida (food), around 2:00 (before siesta) and 9:00 (when most pilgrims start to go to bed). Most places are closed from 3:00 to 6:00.

I’ve been very lucky with my gear so far. The two most important things are your shoes and your pack. I went through a couple of pair of hiking shoes before picking these, and have been blister-free for the first 5 stages. That bodes well for the next 29!

Many people I’ve met have been completely debilitated by blisters from the first day, making a tough day even tougher. I have all of the necessary gear for this, but have not needed it.

Tomorrow’s stage starts with a steep climb for the first 7k, followed by a long, gentle descent. Tomorrow will be even hotter than today, so I’ll use the same strategy of starting early.

Oh, and no breakfast in the hotels here. My hospitalera said I could walk about 1km in the wrong direction to buy a sandwich at a drug store that opens at 7. There is no food for breakfast or lunch on tomorrow’s stage.

Fortunately, I found a shop nearby with 1 baguette left, and bought some jamon and queso to go with it. So I’ll be making my own breakfast and lunch before I go.