Snore. Fart. Creak. Snore. Creak. Fart. It’s almost 6:00 in the Albergue at Los Arcos and the sleepers are stirring for the long day ahead. Some of us are keen to get to Logroño, about 28km away. The alternative is to stop at 18km in the village of Viana. Last night it rained. Thankfully when I look outside it is dry.
We have a cafe con leche at a small bar and then join a few pilgrims on the way in the dark. The path weaves its way through paddocks, flush with the green of spring growth. James and I see 2 deer run across the path before us, into a paddock and then into the wild hills.
Today’s song is gravity, by John Mayer. Fellow pilgrims look at us strangely as we sing in the morning. El loco peregrinos from Down Under. After a cafe con leche, we make the short descent into Torres del Rio. If you have ever seen the movie The Way, this is where they come across the whacky hospitalero, El Ramon. If you think that this character is unreal, he does surface in Jack Hitt’s excellent book upon which some of The Way is based. Torres del Río is small, but affluent. Some of the buildings appear to have been recently renovated and there is a great looking new restaurant.
We climb steeply out of Torres del Rio and up onto a plateau. There is a strange little garden of cairns that we happily add to.
The rural landscapes of this area of Spain are exceptional. The vineyards, olive groves and paddocks are immaculately maintained. So many vistas look like paintings as there appears to be nothing out of place. We had calls home to Australia to check in with family. James’ sisters, Alex and Georgie, both have Covid and are at home feeling miserable.
Today James was like a toro, a bull. He powered up hills and across the flat. I struggled to keep up. We fuelled ourselves with bananas and apples and bocadillos, rolls with omelette, cheese and jamón. As the morning was turning, we made it to Viana for a cold cerveza as more pilgrims came into town. On the table next to us was Luna, the dogegrino we saw yesterday.
Luna was really tired and had a sore paw which is now strapped. She is a lovely dog though didn’t appreciate being woken up by an Australian solely for a photo for his blog.
As we sat, Mads and Mikael also walked in. “We have been trying to catch you two all day”, they said. I thought they were joking, but they were deadly serious. They joke that James and I are doing this in a car as they only ever see us drinking coffee or beer. They are lovely, friendly guys in their mid-20’s from Denmark, both with big smiles. It’s always lovely to see them.
As today was our 7th day of walking, James asked if we could skip the Albergue and stay in a motel with a bath. It was more expensive, but I agreed. I think he had me at bath. As I write, it is 3:30 in the afternoon and we are at the J&G Hotel in Logroño. I’ve had my bath, nearly fell asleep to be honest, and James is in there now listening to his music. Once he’s done, we will go and have a wander around Logroño. I hope that our good friends, Karin, Nathalie and Xavier made it to Logroño. It would be nice to keep our Camino family together. But it’s hard as everyone has their own pace. Not everyone has El toro to pull them along.
Random fact, Barry Jones wrote Sleepers, Wake! in 1982. Barry was a genius who became a politician passionate about Australia. If you ever want to see a game show go off the rails, just google Barry Jones.
After our baths, we headed out into the city. Who should we see but Siobhan and Alice as they made their way off the bridge. We joined them as we made our way into the city for a drink.
As we wandered around the Plaza del Mercado, we ran into Nathalie and Xavier. They told us Karin had stopped in Viana, but she wanted to know whether we made it to Logroño.
All 6 of us, Siobhan and Alice had never met Nathalie and Xavier before, sat in the Plaza to enjoy a drink. Sadly Siobhan and Alice and Nathalie and Xavier were finishing their Camino tomorrow and heading home. They have all been such wonderful travelling companions, the Camino won’t seem the same without them. Their smiling faces, laughter and great conversation.
After dinner, we attend the cathedral. The music and singing was beautiful.
It seemed like a fitting end to our first week on the Camino. At times it seems like no time at all, but then it also seems like a long time. Great friendships made and then gone so quickly. Our bodies are tired and sore. Tomorrow we have another long day, 30km. We can only hope that our feet and our legs are up to the task. And that El toro decides to have a quieter day. I’m not sure my 51 year old legs can keep going so fast for another long day.
Buen Camino Nathalie, Xavier, Siobhan and Alice!
The Long Camino 