Day 13: Nàjera to Santo Domingo, 20 km

Today’s walk was long but good, very chilly in the morning but it quickly warmed up to the mid-60’s, perfect walking weather. I usually start shedding layers pretty quickly, first my gloves, then buff, then hat, then jacket, then hiking pants. I can take almost everything off while walking, but I don’t have the kind of pants that zip open over my shoes so I have to sit down and take my shoes off, so I usually try to time that with a snack break.
Sto. Domingo is a beautiful historic town that dates from at least the 11th C. It’s named for a pious man who helped pilgrims, performed miracles, and essentially built the town. He was eventually sainted, hence the name, Santo Domingo de la Calzada. It’s really interesting to see how some of these old towns are so well preserved, while others are crumbling. It seems to me that they were all equally important at some point back in history, but for reasons, probably having to do with politics and economics, some have thrived and others have not.
I’ve met up with a few pilgrims who I met the first day, which is always fun. Even though we usually don’t even remember each other‘s name, it’s like seeing an old friend. 😄 I’m staying in a beautiful little family run Hostal, El Molino de Floren (48€ for private room with a bath, which I used for a long soak after my walk!). After dinner I talked with a gentleman from South Africa named Wayne who is on his 4th Camino. He told me that he has eight friends that he met on his first Camino in 2023 and he has been all over the world to visit them. He said they still all talk or text almost daily. Isn’t that crazy?!
Big walking day tomorrow, 22 km to Belorado. I don’t really know what to expect, but it will be hard for that town to be prettier than this one.Read more