This week was somewhat rainy, which we expected, but it was surprisingly cold.. The walking continues to be good, only minor foot problems and the now customary aches from walking every day. Falafels, burgers and dinner kebabs help break the monotony of standard Spanish fare.
Estella to Los Arcos
We passed by the famous wine fountain. A local winery provides this as a service and I suppose advertising. More beautiful countryside of rolling hills and cool weather. Clouds were threatening again but never made good on their threat.
Los Arcos to Viana
We walked over a ridge with a lot of wind turbines. Blustery day with rain in the area, just not where we were. We passed by a unique octagonal church. Along this path many pilgrims have left stones, ribbons and other momentos. As we approached Viana, the wind was coming from the town and carried a sweet smell, like a sugar cone factory was there. Unfortunately, we never found the source of the aroma.
There was a downpour right after we checked in, followed by about 15 minutes of hail. We were so fortunate to not be caught out in the open. Posts on Facebook by pilgrims just starting out of St. Jean Pied de Port, showed about 4 inches of snow in the pass over the Pyrenees. Who would have expected that in mid-May! We took our time, took lunch and snack breaks, and really enjoyed the scenery.
Viana to Logrono
This was an easy day walking mainly downhill. Our hostel was quite nice, just a few steps from the cathedral. We spent some time just sitting in the cathedral and enjoying the spectacular alter. A falafel for lunch with a talkative Pakastani shop owner and a burger for dinner, provided a little variety to the meals.
Logroño to Navarette
This was day 13 of our journey (day 12 of walking). Windy and cold. The walk out of Logroño went through a series of parks and then through a reservoir and bird sanctuary. We arrived before check in time at the hostel so we ate some lunch on a bench in the center of town and spend time in the church. Our hostel owner was very busy as she runs the place by herself. Her 4-year-old daughter helped pass out the desserts at dinner. We had a nice conversation with a German couple at dinner. Our room was very basic, a plastic covered foam mattress, thin sheets (we made the bed ourselves, and it was quite cold. Dave found a way to plug in the heater, but we mostly had to take a hot shower, then get under the covers to get warm.
Navarette to Najera
We met a couple from Pennsylvania during our walk. He is a semi-retired Mennonite pastor, she was a music therapist. We talked and walked with them for about an hour, which helped distract us from the cold (high 40’s), strong headwind, and drizzle. We stopped at a shelter to eat some snacks as they walked on. A cold downpour lasted for about 20 minutes as we tried to stay dry and warm. We watched other pilgrims slog by in the mud, rain and wind. We missed the worst of it, but still got rained on as we trudged into Nájera. Pretty miserable walking.
After warming up and resting, we visited the Monastary in Nájera. There is a legend of a king finding a Madonna statue in a cave, which was the impetus to build a monastery, Church and eventual town of Nájera. The workmanship was extraordinary.
Nàjera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada
This was a longer day, still cold, but thankfully no rain. We walked through many beautiful fields of grain and vineyards. We spent a good half hour trying to remember, in order, all the towns we have stayed in. We also tried reciting the Articles of Faith to pass the time. After cresting our last hill, we could see the tower in Santo Domingo, but there was still much walking to do to get to our lodging. Here we spent another rest day, this time in an upscale hotel. There is a government chain of hotels called Paradors, which are in renovated castles and other old buildings. This one was was erected in the 12th century for pilgrims to stay in while making the same walk we are doing, just 900 years before us.
Next up, five days of walking to Burgos. The weather is warming which is great, as long as it doesn’t get too warm. ¡Buen Camino!
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