Day 12: Azofra - Grañón

Today we got a later start (8:40) due to Ch having some tummy issues in the night. We both felt okay in the morning, but Ch wanted a shorter day to allow her body some rest time. 

The Camino went through countryside and also had times near the highway. I saw a lot of farmland today. At one point the Camino and some of the farm roads were one. 

I love the big, wide open sky, it's blue color, its big puffy clouds. 

There are always fun surprises as far as art and what the signs will look like. These metal pieces are in Cirueña. 

The experience is the way, but that final destination is constantly dangled before you. I was talking with another pilgrim at the albergue about the race/rush element of the Camino. Some walkers are quite constrained by time, expectations, or the bed race. It must be a conscious choice to take yourself out of that hurried mindset, even on the Camino. 

Tonight I'm at a special albergue. It's connected to the church, really it is part of the church! There is a mass with pilgrims' blessing at 7 and then we will have dinner together. There aren't beds, but my sleeping mat feels pretty comfortable. The hostaleros (hostal employees) are volunteers and the space has a great energy to it. 

After a dinner of salad, white bean soup and fruit (which was a collaborative effort to put together), we went into the chapel of the church for a moment of shared prayers/meditation/silence. Three of us were convinced to sing Cohen's Hallelujah with one of the hosteleros accompanying on guitar. It's always a good time to try new firsts; I've sung in a church!

Church details, including stained glass pilgrim. 

No wifi, since the albergue is a part of the church, but worth it for the incredible hospitality and community. 

I could hear the bells as I drifted off to sleep...

Kilometers walked: 20.9 (Fitbit), 22.02 (Buen Camino app).

Day 11: Navarrete - Azofra

Anoche me tomó tiempo para dormirme. Me acosté y la habitación estaba oscura pero después de terminar dos entradas del blog la mente estaba ocupada. 

 Me desperté cuando oí los ruidos de otros peregrinos despertándose. Había dieciocho de nosotros en la buhardilla de la casa. Aún con tapones puedo oír. 

Ch y yo nos preparamos y nos despedimos de los otros y bajamos para tomar un café. Yo solo tomé café (bueno, tomé dos), pero Ch comió pan tostado también. Escribí en el libro del hostelero y después nos fuimos.

El amanecer (y un toro en la distancia):

Una señal del camino (una concha que también incorpora la cruz): 

Otras señales e imágenes del camino:

Era un día más de otoño que de verano, hacía fresco y viento. No había parada (sin desavío) así que caminamos 16 kilómetros hasta Nájera. En Nájera almorzamos unas patatas bravas y una parrillada de verduras (la foto es de Ch) con zumo de naranja. Decidimos que queríamos caminar al próximo pueblo. Llamé para hacer una reserva porque íbamos a llegar un poco tarde, llenamos las cantimploras y salimos. 

Subimos un cerro y el resto del día la tierra era llana y pasamos por muchas viñas. La tierra tiene un toque de rojo aquí. 

Llegamos a Azofra un poco antes de las cuatro y encontramos nuestra pensión (La Plaza). ¡La habitación es muy mona! Cuesta un poco más de un albergue pero tenemos un poco más de espacio y privacidad. Aquí está nuestra casa para hoy:

Y la cena:

Merluza con patatas para Ch y una sopa de lentejas para mí. :)

¡Buenas noches!

Kilómetros caminados: 22.54 (Fitbit), 21.78 (Buen Camino app). ¡Los números se van acercando cada vez más!

Day 10: Viana - Navarrete

Today my new friend and I got a later start since we had our own space. We left the albergue at 8:30 and wanted to get a coffee before taking on the 9k to Logroño. Everything was closed or only serving their own pilgrims (breakfast didn't sound good at our place) so we headed out of town with leftover snacks for the night before and full waters from the town's fountain. Hmmm, not the same as coffee...

Above: Ch celebrates the gorgeous morning. 

It took us nearly 3 hours to make the trek to Logroño. The entering in and leaving of bigger cities is often the least scenic and inspiring part of the Camino. We passed factories and paralleled freeways. One highlight was passing from Navarra into La Rioja. I am now in a new region of Spain! 

The Logroño church was pretty special and I love how the camera captures the stained glass shadow next to the actual window. 

In Logroño it was most definitely lunch time as well as coffee time since the day before had only been snacks. 

Salad, sepia and mushrooms. 

It was also decision time. It wasn't early, or late, but 13 k lay between us and the next town. Energized from food and coffee and with a reservation (so we knew we had beds to go to), we decided to go for it. It was a nice shady walk out of Logroño, but we had plenty of time in the sun in the late Spanish afternoon. We arrived at 5:30, very late for the Camino. 

We were tired, thirsty and hungry... good thing we didn't need the hospital. ;)

We checked into a lovely albergue, run by a former pilgrim (who had been kind enough to save us a bunk bed), rested a little and headed out to explore Navarrete. 

A visit to the church, a wander through town and tapas for dinner rounded out the day. 

Haha, more Spanish food!!!

Here's where we will be sleeping tonight, um, I mean in just a few minutes! 

My spot up top!

Practicing Viparita Karani (legs up the wall) is highly recommended after a Camino day. 

Buenas noches. 

Kilometers walked: 23.70 (Fitbit), 21.61 (Buen Camino app). 

Day 9: Los Arcos - Viana

Aches, pains, blisters, knees, ankles, toes, sunburn...

BEDBUGS!!! Today's mini-obsession was bedbugs, or chinches. This is the dark side of the Camino and there are plenty of forum threads dedicated to the topic. While many pilgrims walk without incident, a few creepy stories are enough to get the paranoia flowing. 

Last year I sprayed my sleeping sheet and backpack and didn't have another worry or hear another word. This year, there are some rumors circulating: don't stay here, they were here, etc. 

After hearing another story in Los Arcos, Ch and I decided to take stronger preventative measures. We visited a pharmacy and spoke with a very helpful pharmacist who recommended another spray, while reminding us that they aren't dangerous (just bothersome) and that there are lots of other scarier bugs in nature (and we are in nature everyday on the Camino).

The Camino today was absolutely breathtaking. We saw the sky change from dark blue to pink to gray... and then later in the day - blue. You have to remember to take a moment to turn around and see the sunrise on the Camino - it's pretty much always behind you since we are heading west. An important reminder to pause and check out what's around. 

Here I am filling my water, a daily job on the Camino! There are fountains in most towns. You just have to be careful when there are longer stretches between towns. 

We encountered rock art along the way. 

Amazing views...

Ch and I "splurged" on a private room to have time to spray our stuff and to have a little privacy - something you don't get as much as you would think on the Camino - it's a very social place. If there are two of you, often a double isn't much more than the cost of two bunk beds in a big room. Here's the view from our room. 

The next Camino surprise for us was that the entire town was closed down for the annual fiesta. We checked out the festivities: parades, giants, everyone (I mean EVERYONE) dressed in white and red and some spectacles/running with young bulls (which I don't agree with, but that's another blog). 

No restaurants were open so we had snacks for dinner. Sorry mom. 

We slept tight and the bedbugs didn't bite. ;)

Kilometers walked: 22.26 (Fitbit), 18.33 (Buen Camino app). Plenty of walking around happened in Viana. :)

Day 8: Estella - Los Arcos

Here we go! I left Madrid with my little backpack one week ago today. I was just telling Ch, one of my roommates tonight, that I feel a little overwhelmed by my blog, not because it is hanging over my head to write, but because so very much happens in one day on the Camino and it is hard to remember everything and report back on it all! 

N was having another short day so we took a selfie and said see you later down the Camino. 

Highlights from today included pretty colors as the sun rose...

Hitting up the Irache wine fountain just after 8am...

The sign says you should drink if you want the strength to arrive to Santiago. ;)

And, of course, pretty parts of the Camino!

I had nice breaks and felt rested too. I arrived to Los Arcos just after 3 and wanted to stay since it was almost 7 k until the next village. However, I have gotten back on the main stages and I couldn't find a bed. There was one last place to try, but they were so disorganized they couldn't even tell me if they had space. While I waited and tried to think of a plan B (rest and then keep walking, take a taxi, find a bus...) some French pilgrims that I had kept seeing told me they had booked a room and had an extra space. I said I would take it! Camino magic! 

It turned out that their room for four was actually for 6 so we ended up adopting 2 more, including Ch. :)

Ch and I visited the church. Lovely, a must-see if you come here. 

The organ:

And our saint, Santiago:

The small plaza was crowded with pilgrims so we shared a table with a solo Belgian and laughed and communicated the best we could in French, Spanish and English. He insisted on picking up the check. 

Ch helped bandage his feet after dinner (she's a nurse) and we are all tucked in now. It's chilly; the winds really picked up tonight. Hasta mañana. :)

Kilometers walked: 23.86 (Fitbit), 21.40 (Buen Camino app). More in sync today!