May 15. 4:00 PM. Day 3: Walked 19.0 km (11.8 miles) today. Walked 67.3km of 787km (41.8 miles of 478 miles) total.

Last night I met 4 fellow walkers in the Albergue -- three men (one from Australia, one from Holland and one from Ireland) and one woman (also from Ireland).  They had all met on their first night in Roncesvalles but were very welcoming and invited me to dinner with them.  It was great spending time with some English speakers and we had a good conversation at dinner.  This morning we all got up and started our walk together.  Today´s goal was a 19 km stroll from Cizur Menor to Puente La Reina.  It is one of the shorter walks from a distance perspective, but it featured a nice 1000 ft climb in the morning.  I should say that much of the camino is relatively flat (this is definitely not the Appalachian Trail), but there are a few elevation changes and this was one of the bigger ones.  So I do not want to brag too much, but I had absolutely no problem with the climb today, nor with any other part of the walk, for that matter.  I say this only because I seem to be a bit in the minority on that one.  No one is having huge problems, but almost everyone is complaining about one ache or another, and all seem to be very glad when the day is over.  I also end up walking alone much of the time because (a) I like walking alone better and (b) I like walking quite a bit faster than everyone else.  I have to say, I am really impressed with my 45 year old self.  I felt great at the end of the day and would have continued farther, except that for logistical reasons it really made more sense to stay in Puente La Reina. 

The walk today was another absolutely gorgeous one.  The mountains here are really spectacular, though not in the same way as the Colorado mountains.  They are much smaller, but they are also all green and we walked through incredibly beautiful wheat fields today.  It was quite breathtaking to watch the wind blowing through the green wheat and making fantastic and flowing patterns in the fields.  As you can see, I am having difficulty finding words to describe the beauty of the walk itself, and my feelings as I am walking.  It is a perfect combination of exertion and reflection.  As anyone who knows me knows, I have spent a lifetime hating exercise.  Going to the gym is an exercise in counting down until the workout is over.  For the first time in my life I am not thinking about how much I hate this or when it will end.  Rather, there are times like today when I am disappointed that I have reached the end and will not be able to walk again until tomorrow.  I hope this feeling continues (I have to keep reminding myself that this is only day 3 of 32), but for now, I could not be happier with the way this is all going.

When I got to the top of the mountain today, we crossed a mountain pass and there was a man there selling coffe and snacks out of a little truck.  I noticed that he had a picture of himself and Martin Sheen displayed on the truck, and I asked him about it.  Apparently Mr. Sheen was here some time ago making a film about the Camino.  The film is called ¨The Way¨and will be released in July.  How is that for timing??!  I can´t wait to see it!

We arrived a few hours ago in Puente La Reina and found a beautiful Albergue in which we could get a room with only 8 beds.  When we got here we met up with another man and woman that my new friends had met a few days ago, so we basically have a private room for the seven of us.  At 10€ each, that is not bad.  Plus, since the Albergue has free wifi, I was able to call my kids using Skype... very cool! 

I do have some nice pictures from today, and it looks like the pictures from yesterday were not erased as I had previously thought.  However, I am having a lot of trouble uploading them to Picasa.  Hopefully I will be able to do that soon, or possibly find some other way to post them.

One quick Pablo update... I did see him again on the walk today but we did not end up walking anymore together.  One of the great things about this walk is that I keep seeing the same people over and over again. 

Thanks to everyone who left comments on the blog.  It is quickly becoming a highlight of my day to read your comments, and that is one thing I do look forward to.  Another suprise for me is that I am enjoying writing this blog as well, which begs the question... who the hell have I become??

Until tomorrow...