Just a short post about an event yesterday. We were feeling pretty strong so we were hiking a good brisk pace. Behind us were 3 women, Brazilian we believe. We could here them talking behind us. We’d speed up, we heard them. We’d stop for a snack and back on the trail, we’d hear them. We felt like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid being chased by that posse that never gave up. Butch would keep saying,  “who are those guys? “. So, yesterday we kept saying,  “who are those gals? ”

We saw them again today …

First, my apologies to Estella; it’s not Estrella.  Oh well.

Regardless, the town of Estella is a great town to visit. The town square is worth the price of entry!  There was a large group of traditional dancers who made their way through the square in the late afternoon. We sat at a plaza cafe and ate paella while watching the events. With the sun not setting until 8:00 and the day staying light until 9:00, the plaza is a great place to be.

Now for the hike to Los Arcos. 13 miles of hay and vineyards, vineyards and hay. I tried to capture both with this photo, but we’ve already acknowledged my lack of skill there.

About 6 miles before we arrived in Los Arcos, we knew where it was. The Spanish national motorcycle championships were taking place there and you could HEAR the race!

On arriving in Los Arcos, it was a small village of about 1500, with a spectacularly beautiful church. Built between the 12th and 14th century, it was done in a no holds barred fashion. Here’s a photo:

This was also the first time I saw many of the Peregrinos show their faith. Both catholic and protestant Peregrinos were in that church praying. Many more than you might have thought. So, even today there is a spiritual quest in this Camino.

Okay, a bit dramatic, but it is amazing how many of our fellow Peregrinos are suffering significant injuries. From very serious blisters to strains, sprains, bad knees, Achilles issues, etc. And they are not run of the mill;  they are typically pretty serious. Many are talking lay days, short days, or the bus. Some are simply calling it a day.

We are not without injury. Bill tweaked his Achilles running a couple of weeks before the Camino and it has become worse with the hiking. The hiking poles are a blessing as they take some of the load off of the Achilles.

Now for the hike: we left Logrono figuring to only go 8 miles to Navarette.  On making it there, we felt good so decided to push on to Najera, another 10 miles down the road. We stopped long enough on Navarette to sight see. Once again, this town had a beautiful church.

As we continued, we saw mile after mile of Rioja grapes. Here is a sample bunch:

Diane has become very Spanish and is now managing the mid day sun with a parasol!

And so, after completing a back to back couple of 18 milers, we arrived in Najera. Wow, this is a stunning town!

Apparently, the royalty of the Navarre region lived here a short 800 years ago or so. Here is another poor picture of s cathedral built into the side of the hill.

At bit of trivia, first. At Los Arcos, we completed our first week on the Camino. 93 miles of walking, approximately 400 to go. The trip to Logrono was another 18 miles.

Okay, 18 miles to go today and the days have been pushing the high 80’s and low 90’s. Many of the Peregrinos figured to get an early start on this day. We certainly did!

We woke up at 6:00 and were on the road at 7:00. Now, at 7:00 it is just starting to get light, but we could make out the signs. Many Peregrinos started at 6:00 or 6:30 and used flashlights to make out the trail and the signs.

Where yesterday was the day of hay and vineyards, today was the day of races! In the village of Viana, they were holding a 10k race there. In Logrono, it was a triathlon! 

Leaving as early as we did on a Sunday, there was no place for us to get a breakfast before starting. So, we ate a saved Clif bar and left.  Fortunately, about 4 miles down the road we came to a village with a market open. We bought fruit, bread, cheese and some chocolate and dined “on the road”. Tasty!

The village of Viana:

By the time we hit Logrono 14 more miles down the road, we were looking at anything that might be edible …I had to keep my eyes on Diane!

Diane, on the trail  to Logrono … safely ahead of me

We found a cafe in downtown Logrono and looked like castaways enjoying their first meal in weeks! We were famished!

With food in stomach, we searched out our hotel, found it, and found that it actually has a respectable Internet signal. Now, for the shower, the laundry, and a walk about town!

Now for the count and the amount: we have now been hiking for 10 days and have completed 152 miles, for a 15.2 mile average. We’ve stayed in 1 alburgue,  2 Casa Rurales, 3 hostales, and 4 hotels. On a later post, we’ll explain the differences.

Today was a very pleasant walk to Santo Domingo. We left Najera at a very civilized 8:30, and arrived here at 1:00, just in time for lunch! A total distance of 13.2 miles.

We had thunderstorms throughout the night, which cleared the air for this morning’s walk. Very refreshing!

Coming into Santo Domino:

If you’re a map checker, you won’t find Quintanilla on the Camino. Once again, we’re a bit off the path in a wonderful Casa Rural, La Aldea Encantada. It is near Villamayor del Rio … if you’re checking.

Now, for the first: Even with our earliest starts, we’ve been able to either make coffee or buy coffee, first thing. Today, Bill took a wrong turn on leaving the hostal and we found ourselves outside of Santo Domingo … without coffee. And, 6 kilometers to go before some could be purchased. Diane took the news well. Here is a photo of her before coffee:

Fortunately, we walked briskly and made it to Granon where a great cup of coffee was found and the beast was tamed.

On today’s walk, we crossed into our third region of Spain, Castilla y Leon.  Interestingly, the border crossing was much better marked than the crossing from France to Spain.

Another 12 miles in the bank today. Laundry, shower, eat, Internet, sleep. The life of a Peregrino!

First, the numbers: we have now hiked for 12 days and completed 175 miles. We are roughly 1/3 of the way. For perspective, we’ve hiked about from our home in Danville to Lake Tahoe.

When preparing for a long trek, one of the things you are always taught is to try everything out beforehand. Mostly, we did that. When it came to rain gear, Bill had a high tech solution but Diane choose the low tech $5 poncho solution. Clearly, Bill had the better choice, right?

It started to rain. Diane pulled on her $5 poncho. Bill reached for his high tech, ultra light weight pack cover and realized he hadn’t a clue how to put it on! No worries, necessity is the mother of invention! In a few short minutes, Bill’s high tech backpack was covered with a high tech, ultra low weight cover. But, Bill wasn’t …

Bill then realized that his high tech breathable wind breaker and ultra light weight rain pants were underneath this ultra light weight, high tech cover. Hmm! This is a pain!

So he did what every stubborn, high tech buying guy on the planet would do, he pretended that the rain was going to stop any moment, so there’s no NEED to get that high tech gear (which is buried), out! It rained for nearly an hour, straight. Maybe I’ll work on my rain gear a bit this afternoon in the room …

First note: the Casa Rural, La Aldea Encantada, was wonderful. Ana and get family are great hosts and make this place more than worth the 1 km.  hike off the Camino.

The first town we hit was Belorado. A lot of interesting history, with another church built into the hillside. If you look at the picture below, you may be able to make out the windows in the hillside to the left of the church.

Now, while walking through the streets of Belorado, Diane spotted some very interesting plaques in the street. We noted that each plaque has the hand and shoe print of a famous person. Note this plaque, below. The date, ’09, and the hand written name “Emilio” should provide a clue. While not very readable, the small sign in the upper left says:”Emilio Estevez”. It seems he made this plaque in ’09 when he made the movie, “The Way”.

Finally, we passed another church built into the hillside. This time, that German film crew was up there continuing with their movie. We again turned down a cameo role.

Okay, okay. Bill learned his lesson regarding rain gear. He started today very prepared.

The things to note about the photo are: 1) The high tech green rain cover over the backpack.  2) (hard to see) The high tech breathable, yet waterproof windbreaker in the pouch hanging from the bottom right of the pack.  3) Not a cloud in the sky!  Yep, all dressed up and no place to go!. Well, tomorrow it may rain!

We started this morning leaving the hotel San Anton de Abad,  and their beautiful gardens at around 8:30.

The trail immediately took us into the mountains, where we hit almost 4,000′ before beginning the descent towards the Meseta and Burgos (with our stop in Atapuerca). The cool thing was we were back in the forests!

Unfortunately, it was only a few miles of forest before we dropped back down into the drier grasslands (think Oakdale, Calif.). Still, it was very enjoyable.

We will now have roughly 8 days of the Meseta (dry lands) before we reach Leon, and the beginnings of the more verdant Galicia.

Walking 12 to 18 miles a day requires fuel. What does the Peregrino eat to keep up the pace?

Breakfast: A right start is critical, right? In Spain, however, breakfast is an under rated meal. Bread, toasted, some jam, a small coffee and you’re off! Not so fast. If you want the deluxe, for a couple euro more, add a slice of luncheon ham, a slice of luncheon cheese and an orange juice. For power eaters like Diane and I, we are immediately searching out the next snack or meal.

Lunch: Again, the Spanish Peregrino meal is not substantial. Usually, it is a portion of french bread with tomato smeared across the interior, then Serrano ham and a good cheese inside. It is actually quite tasty, but not always filling given the smaller breakfast. For Diane, who doesn’t eat meat, she will often buy the bread only and put a store bought can of tuna inside.

To drink, many serve a glass of wine, a tall glass of beer or, for the same money, the world’s smallest diet coke. Since we stopped drinking 2 years ago, we opt for the coke.

Dinner: Almost every town has multiple restaurants offering Peregrino menus for roughly 10 euro. These are great! 3 course meals, salad or soup, multiple main course options, and dessert. Add to that, they offer 1 bottle of wine … or water, per 2 persons. A great deal if you drink as the Rioja wines are renowned. The water is not so bad, either.

Snacks: The real way Peregrinos survive is snacks! After laundry and showers, the Peregrino immediately hunts down the nearest grocery shop to purchase fruit, sweets, proteins, anything with caloric value.

You want to make some money? Sell snacks to Peregrinos along the Camino.

It’s been noted earlier in the blog that necessity is the mother of invention.  Diane choose that motto this morning when it came to her coffee. She took the backpacking stove, a pot of water, and her Starbucks Via outside of the Casa Rural we stayed in, and in short order was very happy!

With coffee flowing through our veins, we were soon on the trail. While crossing over a range of dry hills, we saw these flowers growing up through really compact, rocky soil. You wouldn’t expect such delicate flowers to grow in such harsh soil. Perhaps like the rose in Spanish Harlem.

After a few (10) miles down the road, we found Burgos. Their main cathedral is simply amazing! Here are a couple of photos:

And:

All for now …