Saturday 3rd June - Najera to San Doming

We left Najera at 7 on the. Most beautiful morning. Coffee in Azofra at Bar Sevilla with tostada and they also made me a cheese sandwich for later.
A wonderful walk in a stunning landscape and cool for a while. Weather began to heat up around 10.30 and I was very relieved to find a donativo food and drink stall by a shady area with a water fountain and benches.
Changed my shoes for sandals for the first time which was reasonably successful although as the path was stony I did have to shake them out from time to time.
On the bird front I heard a Rock Sparrow for the first time.
Arrived in San Domingo at about 12.30 and immediately ran into Dave and Cherie - our clown friends from Maine - who were eating at a little bar in the square so stopped to chat with them.
Have finally managed to solve the problem of accommodation in St Juan de Ortega where there seemed to be nothing available for Monday night. Janice was able to share details of a hostal which I have now been able to book for €15 each. Just very relieved that we will have somewhere to stay as it was looking impossible other than a terrible Alberge which everyone said to avoid.
Explored the cathedral and learnt about the chicken legend. The cathedral has two live chickens (I have video!). The story is that a pilgrim lodged with a local family whose daughter made advances to him. When he rejected her she put a coin in his bag and then accused him of stealing. He was tried, found guilty and out to death by hanging. His parents then went on a pilgrimage to Santiago and on their way home wanted to collect his body for burial. But at this point he came back to life. When the town people approached the judge, who was eating chicken, saying that they did not know what to do with him as he was still alive, the judge said that he wasn’t any more alive than the chicken on his plate - at which point the chicken also came back to life. Sorry for the very brief and probably incoherent retelling of the story but I did enjoy the chickens in the cathedral!!Read more