Azofra

Up at 6:30, out the door at 7:30, coffee on the way out of Ventos, then it’s the walk. We have been going through endless miles of vineyards since we arrived in Rioja. It really is all they do here. The scenery is not notable, but it is so dang pleasant that it makes a strong impression. History is all over the place, and every foot of the land has been in use by someone or another for some thing or another forever. We walked for several hours before getting to Navarrete where we stopped for breakfast. Then back to walking. Weather is still mild to chilly. Low 70’s and overcast again, and that’s the forecast for the rest of the week. We got to our destination town Azofra in the early afternoon. The albergue wasn’t open yet so we had a beer with some other people who were waiting. While we were waiting, a German guy with a horse showed up. He had been walking all the way from Germany with horse and a dog. People who saw him earlier said the dog would take the reins and lead the horse when they were on the trail. This albergue has all double rooms, which is nice. The wifi sucks however, so I haven’t been able to talk with Debbie. Dale and I went for a walk (I know!) around this little town and and went by a winery to see if we could get a tour of the winery and the old caves they still use for storage. Closed for covid, but a woman came out and talked wine with us for half an hour. As we were walking we saw the horse had gotten loose and gone off on it’s own. A bunch of local people were standing with it trying to figure out what to do. Eventually the owner caught up with it. A group of people from the albergue ended up at the town restaurant for dinner. People from all of the world. Then back to the albergue and bed. Another 9 miles day tomorrow, and then we should be in enough shape to be walk a bit farther. We would like to get a minimum 10 miles per day average, and shouldn’t have any trouble doing that. The town spacing and the weather have been perfect for easing our way into shape. Our next stop should be Santo Domingo de Calzada, an interesting town with a cathedral.
Good night!
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