Starting much later than usual, because we had to take a train this morning to the starting point of the stage, and without heavy packs since we left our tent at the campground we arrived at yesterday, we begin stage 80 from Alegría-Dulantzi. The village of joy, as 'alegría' is Spanish for happiness or joy. Although joy isn't the first thing that comes to mind at this old, deserted station, friendliness certainly is. To cross the railway, you need to go over a large concrete zigzag pedestrian bridge, and to get to this bridge, even though its start is just 20 meters away, you must exit the station and walk around a few hundred meters. As we disembark and start our route on the phone, a broad, bald man begins to shout loudly to us from the bridge. In Spain, it can sometimes be hard to gauge people's intentions. They can sometimes seem angry or sullen, even when they are not. This is the case here. He switches to broken English, and it turns out he's directing us to the Camino.
Gesticulating wildly, he tells us we have to walk all the way around, cross the zigzag bridge, continue straight for a bit, and then turn left. We try to explain that we're going the other way, but he repeats the directions two or three more times just to be sure. He is so intense and yet so friendly at the same time that we almost turn left instead of right, but that would take us away from the Pyrenees, so we decide against it. This is somewhat typical of the Spanish countryside—setting aside your reservations and preconceptions and letting things come as they may, then you meet the friendliest people and find the most beautiful spots. But you mustn't be in a hurry ;-)
We cross the bridge and stubbornly turn right onto a dirt road. A low hill ridge lies near the railway, and we follow it for a while. Now along the fields, then through a grove, sometimes flat and close to the railway, sometimes through the hills. We soon pass through a village with another beautiful Basque name: Ezkerekotxa, crossing a plain to the next ridge. Many sheep graze along the paths, so we have to be extra vigilant for ticks, and there are many purple orchids. For the first time this year, we see the large Bokkenorchis which seems almost out of bloom, but upon closer inspection, it has stunning strands and flowers, and it smells strongly of nutmeg. We're almost craving stamppot! But the weather here isn't really suitable for it. It’s now over thirty degrees, and the sun is shining brightly, so another day to seek shade for a break. Unfortunately, there are hardly any trees in the fields, so no shade. Only under the tunnel where we go under the highway, but to pause there… We'd rather keep moving for a bit. Under the tunnel, there are still quite a few puddles of water from the rain a few days ago. We see a small snake or slow worm slithering from a dry patch towards the mud and water. We try to take a picture and take a closer look at what it could be. To our surprise, we see very small legs. It's not a lizard or salamander, as it's much too long and smooth for that, but a snake doesn't have legs… Google helps us out, and it turns out to be a hazel skink. So, a lizard after all, but a special one. It looks like a little snake, moves like a snake, but has very small legs with three toes. They eat small insects and are found in North Africa and Southern Europe, but are rarely seen. A lucky find! We continue on, looking for a shady spot. We are not far from the larger town of Agarain, perhaps there will be a place with picnic benches, as we've often seen at the edge of villages. It's pleasantly busy there, and it has a beautiful old church and city wall, but unfortunately, no place to pause. We leave the village and turn onto a dirt road between the fields. If there are any trees, they're behind a fence, and eventually, after more than 15 kilometers, we just sit on the edge of the path in the sun. Although it's scorching hot, we might as well enjoy it, as lots of rain is forecast for the coming days. Then we'll probably look back fondly on this break in the sun.
As we move on, dark clouds slowly start to gather behind us, and the air gets moister, making it feel a lot more oppressive. Eventually, we walk through some woods, which is immediately wonderfully cooling. It's unfortunately short, and although it's nearly flat, it's still quite a struggle towards the end. But when the need is greatest, help is nearest, and now it comes in the form of a gas station with deliciously cooling ice cream! A treat on such a day. We're back at the highway and the railway, and it's not long before we see San Román de San Millián station. Just across the railway, and we're there. The mountains here are really starting to get higher, and the valley narrower, so the next stages promise more elevation gain. We're curious again! We have to be patient, however, as we'll ride out the coming rainy days at the campground, and then we'll be back here for the next stage. But first, we need to tighten the guy lines a bit more, as the sky is starting to look quite stormy!
