Navarra West

As we move slowly across the Navarra province, the scenery changes again. It's drier, and groves of olive trees vie with vineyards and hay for optimal space.

town in the distance - to sleep or just to rest and move on?

defensive castle at top of craggy hill

abandoned abode in valley of vineyards

Every once in a while we come across reminders of living kindness. A table set up on a hill, or under shade, with fruit or a few vegetables or cold drinks. Maybe a notice or just a word "donation". Pilgrims leave their 10 or 20 cent coins as they can afford. We know we are lucky, so leave a euro for whatever we need. Once it was a cold lemon Fanta, once it was a peach, and once it was a single cherry tomato. 

At one of these, the 'proprietor' was staying there in situ, with a hammock and a backpack, and it looked like he had been there some time, for he had created a garden of balancing stones to add a certain level of interest to his small table of goods. I don;t know how he replenished his stock, maybe he had a buddy with a bike or a car. We had passed the first such offering as we were close to our end point and did not want to stop, but then talked about it and realized these places are part of the fraternity of the Camino, and so we make sure we stop at every one.

My favourite was an old lady, the daughter of Felicia who had sadly passed but who had been famous for many years as she lived right on the Camino in a tiny house. She would put out figs and water and hand draw a stamp for pilgrims' credentials, a sort of passport that needs to be stamped every day to prove we have followed the Way. The daughter, herself now old, has a proper ink stamp, but it includes her mother's motto "Higos, Agua, Amor" (Figs, Water, Love).