Puente la Reina to Estella

As I put my shoes on over my blistered feet, I realize how hard it is going to be today.  Each step is painful and I keep telling myself that it will get easier.  The town of Puente la Reina is very quaint.  I love the narrow streets with the peoples washing hanging outside their windows and the little shops all along the streets.  I've come to my first hill and already I'm feeling the pain in my feet and my neck and back.  I'm trying to shake it off but it is just getting worse.  It's only 19 km to go.  I just have to get there.  I didn't realize how cold it was going to be here at this time of year and the rain is driving me crazy.  Not only am I cold, but I'm sweating and if I stop, it just makes me even colder, and if I stop and start, it hurts my feet even more.  I want to just sit down, take off the back pack and my shoes and never put them on again.  I never guessed this would be so grueling and I think the lack of sleep is taking it's toll of me.  The being cold all the time doesn't help and neither is the fact that I'm hungry.  I have never felt like this in my life.  This is taking a toll on my me and my health.  I'm a wreck.  It starts to down pour and then hail the size of golf balls about an hour outside Estella.  I'm so fricken cold.  I just want to get into a place with a bed and warm up.  I get a place to stay and I crawl into bed for a bit.  I just need warmth.  I also need food.  It's hard here because everything is closed from 2-5.  You can get wine but no food.  At five, when things open again, you can get some tapas but no meals until seven.  I just want to eat before it's too late and I want to go to bed.  I can't warm up and it's crazy.  I can't walk far to find food.  I can't keep my eyes open and I just need sleep.  I find myself in a fairly big square not far from where I am staying I find a store that's open and I buy a jacket and talk to Marny.  Thank God.  I needed a friendly voice at this point.  I find a restaurant after buying a jacket and ask about food.  I get wine and a mushroom tapas and a tuna tapas.  At six thirty the waiter comes over to tell me that the cook has shown up early and will make me some dinner.  I order seafood paella and another glass of wine.  I'm full and really tired.  I head back to my room.  I'm exhausted and I finally sleep for about four hours.  That's probably the longest I have slept since Paris.  I get up in the morning and have a meltdown as I try to put my shoes on.  I'm an absolute wreck.  I'm heading to Los Arcos today.  Only 21 km of pain and agony.  I can't do this, I need to go home.  My body is so wracked with pain that it brings tears to my eyes.  I manage to find a place for a cup of tea and a croissant.  It was a good thing that I found a place to at least get that because the town I expected to stop in for lunch was completely closed up so 21 km on nothing more than a croissant.  Probably not the best idea but not much I could do about that.  Maybe Los Arcos will be better.