Torres del Rio to Logroño - and a hoopoe

A (relatively) slow start at hostal didn’t start serving breakfast til 6.40. I don’t usually want breakfast but did want a coffee as there wasn’t another stop until just over 10k. So set off at 7.20 which felt like midday.
Beautiful morning and the first bird I heard, and then actually saw as they don’t hide like most of the little birds, was a hoopoe. I haven’t seen one of these since I was a child so it was super exciting and has made my day.
Undulating start - walking through groves of almond trees and cherry trees - actually pretty hard ups and downs - but all good and really enjoyed meeting some new people. Just before Viana heard a Thekla’s lark (if you were interpreting its sound musically it would have been a flute in high register rather than a violin!).
Stopped in Viana for coffee and tortilla with lots of other pilgrims, then the long slog on to Logroño - lots of tarmac and road noise but also the beautiful Rosa de Camino de Santiago coming into the city.
Walked with Yao from China. She is living in Valencia studying Spanish. Her parents are not very thrilled about her doing the Camino - they think she’s becoming a beggar, that it will be very dangerous and that she will get a suntan. She’s finding them very annoying at the moment and says that she is finally living her own life, having spent years basically doin what they want her to do. Really enjoyed talking with her and I hope I meet her again on the road tomorrow.
After a visit to the cathedral went in a tapas bar crawl (I struggled with being quite tired, not a great drinker and not being able to eat much of the food ) and met many Camino companions including Yao.
Street still buzzing but I need to sleep now.Read more