Another 30km day ahead. I asked myself, as James lay sleeping, “should we have a rest day in Logroño?”
That’s what staying in a fancy hotel does to you, it makes you soft! Instead we packed and hit the streets for breakfast. The city was being cleaned up after a big Saturday evening. I woke at 3:30am and could still hear people partying.
It was a lovely walk out of Logroño. The way was well marked. At one point we passed the La Rioja Courthouse.
From there, completely inconsistent with the guidebook, we followed a pathway through parks and then open areas. It was some of the best walking on the Camino thus far.
We met Peter from Seattle and Joe from South Korea as we made our way past this lake and then climbed out of the valley. Whilst James spoke with Joe, I had a great conversation with Peter. At 58, he is really at a crossroads in his life. We discussed faith and relationships and wine and travel. He is a really good travel companion.
In no time we arrived in Navarrete. Our Danish friends, Mikael and Mads were enjoying a coffee near the cathedral. Suddenly the hunters had become the hunted. We also ran into Darren (Dazza) from Wimbledon, our bogan mate.
The cathedral in Navarrete was extraordinary. These small villages in Spain have art that I have never seen before in France or Italy.
From Navarrete, we powered on for 7.5 km to Ventosa with the promise of a fine La Rioja with lunch. Sadly, the main restaurant was closed and so we had to contend with the pilgrim cafe. It was busy this Sunday afternoon as pilgrims came into town hungry and thirsty after 20km of walking. We enjoyed a vino blanco with Mikael, Mads, Joe and Peter.
After lunch, James walked the last 10km with Mads, the younger brother at 23, whilst I walked with Mikael, the 30 year old. The kilometres passed quickly as Mikael and I talked about the arts and politics and he sang musical theatre. When he returns home to Copenhagen from the Camino, he will be the principal of the Danish school of musical theatre. He is an amazing person and I love his companionship. As he said, we let the kids talk together whilst we adults had a conversation.
We walked through such beautiful landscapes today, yet the town of Najera is a little tired. Some towns on the Camino really embrace it, others seem to tolerate it and I believe Najera is the latter.
We ended up staying at the donativo Albergue. This means you pay what you like. The hospitaleros are an Australian and a Canadian. Judging by their manner, they can’t wait to get out of this town and onto the Camino again.
After a shower, we walk to the local bar for a beer and then dinner. It has been a great day on the Camino. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.
The Long Camino 