Day 11, Najera to Santo Domingo

Najera had seemed a slightly depressed town last night but as we left today its red cliffs and it’s iconic buildings positively glowed in the early morning sunshine and you had a better sense of its past glory. We managed to get out by 7 (unusually good for us) but were by no means the earliest on the road. Along with the other early risers, we were rewarded with wonderful clear light and wide open views.
I was preoccupied by the sad state of my heel and irritated by feeling a bit of pain but today’s countryside was some consolation. It was one of those walks where there was something breathtaking to see in all directions. This was in many ways a wonderful day - a 22km walk and a mixture of flat and pleasantly undulating terrain. But I would have loved it more if I wasn’t bothered by blisters.
As we arrived in the central square in Santo Domingo we bumped into Cherie and Dave, the clowns we met yesterday. They were having lunch before walking on another few kilometres and we just joined them for a drink. I got a chance to ask them questions I wished I asked yesterday. I discovered they’d met auditioning for clown school 30 years ago. Dave had been planning a career as an aerospace engineer but got lured into clowning by his father who was already in the business. They told us about Dave’s illness (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) and how they’d decided to seize the day and make this trip. They explained why they loved attending Disney events - they felt the standard was so high that they always learned something. And they talked affectionately about life in a travelling circus, which they described as living in a town without a zip code. After their lunch we wished them well and went off to find our hostel.
There, I had a long conversation with a woman trying to extricate herself from a difficult marriage. I hope she finds the courage to do it when she gets home.
By the time we visited the cathedral I was exhausted and hungry. It was magnificent but I was an unresponsive visitor. Dinner was much better than last night - beans with clams followed by cod. Now I am tired and looking forward to sleeping. It’s 9.15pm.Read more