Day 5 walking

We had lovely view from our dormitory window of the rising sun, we were first to arrive yesterday and so could chose our beds, and the last to leave just after 8!
Initial downward walk and then steep climb into Torres des Rio with another beautiful old church.
We then had mixture of gentle inclines and some steep climbs to Viana, where we met with a friend (Sarah) who is walking with us for a few days - so we were 2 and are now 3 which 😊
Viana is another old town with cathedral being renovated. On the way there we also passed a sort of shrine with piles of stacked stones with photos and names of presumed lost loved ones, very poignant, and a tree full of lots of different national flags. And just before one hill, in a shady spot with picnic tables, a Spanish chap was playing his guitar and serenading all the passing walkers/pilgrims, most stopped to listen for few minutes as did we. The Spanish have been very welcoming and we have passed refreshments tables where kind locals have put out fruit and snacks and drinks and just asked for a donation.
After the 3 of us left Viana, the landscape subtly changed and included more scrubland and trees, and also olive groves and vine fields, signalling we were leaving the Navarre region and crossing into La Rioja. We walked onto Logrono which is a large city and so we passed quite an industrial area on the way in and the walk was less interesting. I had booked the 3 of us a private room rather than beds in a dorm, feels like luxury! And we’ve just been out for a nice dinner and now listening to the rain!Read more