We left Estella a very pretty historic city and soon came to the Monasterie Irache where there was a fountain tap where you could fill your bottles with vino tinto. Since it was about 8am we resisited but there were a couple of young Irish lads there and I suspect they may have taken the opportunity.
There was a major climb in the day up to a small hilltop village Villamayor de Monjardin which had an unusual castle overlooking it.
Los Arcos was the overnight stay and we stayed at the Municipal Albergue. It was a bit crowded but OK.
We went to 8pm mass in the main church of St Mary of the Arches. This church has a magnificent Renaissance Bell Tower which we could hear ringing out as we approached acroos the fields.. The baroque interior was quite spectacular and the mass very devotional. At the end the priest called up all the pilgrims for a blessing and gave out pilgrim prayers. He was quite a charasmatic character and full of life.
It was interesting that there was quite a big congregation and they recited the rosary before mass and there was a litany said. The whole church was glittering alight in the gold and embellishments and with many iconic figures and saints.
" More devotion and less devotions" used to be a mantra after Vatican II. To be honest though, there was a real sense of devotion in the prayers and while there is the traditional symbol and ritual there was an underlying spirituality in the atmosphere of the church........
Betty says
"The whole region of the Navarre which we leave tomorrow has been exceptionally beautiful. There are not many animals but lots of birds and insects, centipedes and ants and amazingly what looked like wild blue daisies. There are many green olives on the trees not yet ripe to eat. The grapes along the way have been very sweet although we have only sampled a few. "
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