9 Logroño to Navarrete - 8 miles

Today was a short day. 

It’s weird to say that today was a short day because we still  actually walked 8 miles. When I think about it, on a good day back home I would have maybe walked 3 miles. But on the Camino 8 miles seems pretty short when you are averaging anywhere between 12 to 18 miles a day. 

We decided to make it a short day on purpose just to give us a little bit of a break. This allowed us to sleep in and have a bit of a lazier morning.

After breakfast at the Marianist community, Father Joaquin drove us to the center of Logroño, and we were able to tour the cathedral (Santa Maria de la Redona) for a little bit and walk through the historic center. 

Today, the Camino 4 became the Camino 3. From the beginning Catherine knew that she only had a few weeks to walk, and she planned to get as far as she could in the time she had and then go home. She does have plans, however, to return in a few years and continue where she left off. 

In Logrono we found the Ebro River and continued on the Camino walking until we got to the town of Navarrete. 

We got our alburgue and had a little time to visit the town church (Nuestra Señora de la Asunción). The “retablo” behind the altar is quite impressive as it is a work of art done mostly in gold. After dinner we were able to attend daily mass there.

Speaking of dinner, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner of tapas (or pinchos as they are sometimes called in this area.) They are “small plates.” Basically, you go up to the bar where they have several dishes of food.  You choose what you want and receive a small portion of each thing. We are now in the region of Rioja which is known for its vineyards and local wineries, many of which we walked by. So, of course, I had to try the local cuisine. I am a fan.

Around 9 PM we were off to bed because tomorrow will not be a short day.

Buen Camino!

8 Los Arcos to Logroño - 18 miles

Wow am I tired!

So I am writing this post a day late because I was just so tired last night. First of all, the pilgrim hostel we stayed in in Los Arcos was a bit sketchy so I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep. Then the walk we did was about 18 miles, our longest yet and hopefully our longest ever. And then it was just hot. It was probably the hottest day yet and there wasn’t a whole lot of shade. So by the time we got to Logroño I was just tired, even though the views and the terrain continue to be incredible.

Another bright spot of the day was lunch. I stopped In a café in the town of Viana. I mean from Holland named Charles sat down next to me and we had a lovely conversation. She actually started from Antwerp in Belgium and has been riding his bike towards Santiago. He is retired and is just taking as much time as he needs.

When we got into Logroño we discovered that Uber does not exist there. We were looking for an Uber because the place we were staying was a bit of a distance off the Camino. With the help of a hotel we were able to get a taxi and take us to Colegio Santa Maria where there is a Marianist community. I was able to get us guestrooms there with the help of my friend Javi, a Marianist in Spain.  The brothers of the community warmly welcomed us and showed us great Marianist hospitality. Comfortable beds. Great showers. Wonderful food. Good company. And patience with our poor Spanish. (The brothers told us early on that English does not exist in their house.) 

But the fact that we were struggling with languages didn’t seem to matter, and we were able to still tell stories, laugh, share life together around the dinner table, and learn some Spanish. It was very cool to be able to meet and spend an evening with the Marianists in Logroño where there is also a marrying school. One of the brothers, Teofilo, I had met a few years back on a trip to Spain. He greeted me with a big hug, and I hope that when I am in my 80s as he is I have his same energy and joy as he does now.

One other thing about yesterday. I officially got my first blister on a foot. But don’t worry, it's not too bad and I think it will heal quickly. Just one of the occupational hazards of walking the Camino.

Buen Camino!