Life's a Stitch

The walking conditions were perfect and perhaps we pushed it – 18.7 miles. Not kilometres, you're reading that correctly. We went beyond our comfort zone and completed 30.1k in about eight hours, not counting two breaks. This is big for us, but many people following the Brierley guide complete similar stages daily. 

We started from Logrono at 7:30a.m. Feeling the last sprinkles of rain we walked in cloudy conditions for two thirds of the day. The conditions today were good, 75% of the terrain was flat or gently rolling hills. Now that remaining 25%…

Our first stop was in the town of Navarette in the wine country of La Rioja.

After second brekkie, a Camino tradition, we visited the church, which looked plain enough from the outside. It was breathtakingly beautiful with a recording of soft chanting in the background.

Stopping for lunch in Ventosa at 1:30, C plied me with a glass of vino tinto and I succumbed to the additional 11k. 

Now we're in our room in a pension in Najera, situated between a beautiful river a steep red cliffs. 

I'll be posting more about today tomorrow. For now we're paying attention to comforting our tender toes. I introduced C to ice water dips for his feet and I can only imagine what the hotel manager thought if he heard C's yelps of pain. Me? I find ice water dips hurt so good.

We are now a quarter of the way through our Camino. Despite our slower days we are on schedule.