Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

CAMINO FRANCÉS – Day 5: Sunday 13 April 2025 – PUENTE la REINA to ESTELLA (22 [+3] kilometres)

This morning dawned grey, although thankfully without the rain that followed last evening’s thunderstorm, and my quiet start to today’s section of the Camino (Stage 5 on my plan), away from Puente la Reina, followed close to the tree-lined banks of the Rio Arga. I had first met this river, just as a large stream really, three days ago at Zubiri, after my descent from the Pyrenees, but here, many miles downstream, its waters have gained width, depth and power, to become the dominant feature in a landscape of lush vegetation.

The valley sides of the Arga, where our path lay for a while, is as fragrant as it is verdant, lined with clumps of herbs such as thyme, rosemary and fennel. It was along this stretch of the path, as I climbed away from the river and finally said adiós to the Arga, that I met with some new friends, Karen and Qui Lin from Malaysia. Within minutes we were musing over a song that the twosome had heard about herbs – and (you’ve guessed it), soon the three of us, just newly acquainted, joined in song. And I had my Blog heading for the day! The power of music.

This evening, resting up, I am reflecting on a most sociable day. The joy of the Camino is to walk with another, or others, and to know that after you part ways a reunion further down the track is most likely. And so it was today that I walked with English and Malaysian, American and Spanish, Dutch and French, as well as having some short but valuable solo sections in which to take in the privilege of being in this place, at this time, and with this group of fellow travellers. Joy in nature, in exercise, in the outdoors, in companionship, in commonality, and in life. Gracias Camino!

Staying in an albergue last night gave me the opportunity of trying my new ultra-lightweight (690 gramme) ‘mummy-style’ sleeping bag. It was a good outcome and I certainly had a warm and comfortable night’s sleep – amazing really, given that the bag squashes down to less than the size of a rugby ball. But having spent last night in an albergue, I am slightly embarrassed to be back this evening in a hotel room (no sleeping bag required), albeit rather modest. I am sure that I will experience all kinds accommodation in the days and weeks ahead, but I have heard some nightmare-ish tales of sleepless nights in the mixed dormitories of some albergues – one fellow trekker described last night as a ‘snorefest’ (and that is even without me joining the party)! So I fear that my intention generally will be to opt for a private room where one is available, although this aim might prove difficult to achieve as my walk runs into the busy Easter period and into the more popular latter stages of the Camino towards Santiago de Compostela.

My Blog heading today, ‘Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme’ is the title of the third studio album by US folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, released in 1966. The words themselves appear in the lyrics of the lead track on the album, ‘Scarborough Fair’, a song adapted and arranged by Paul Simon from an old 18th Century English folk number. In the words of Wikipedia:

“In London in 1965, Paul Simon learned the song from Martin Carthy, who had picked up the song from the songbook by MacColl and Seeger. Simon & Garfunkel set it in counterpoint with “Canticle”, a reworking of the lyrics from Simon’s 1963 anti-war song “The Side of a Hill”; they used the same tune as Carthy had for the traditional lyrics, while Simon’s anti-war lyrics were set to a new melody composed mainly by Art Garfunkel. “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” appeared as the lead track on the 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, and was released as a single after it had been featured on the soundtrack to The Graduate in 1968. The copyright credited only Simon and Garfunkel as the authors, which upset Carthy, who felt that the “traditional” source should have been credited. The rift persisted until Simon invited Carthy to perform the song with him as a duet in a concert at London’s Hammersmith Apollo London’s in October 2000.’