Rioja

Relatively flat 10 miles of walking made for an easy day. We've come 120 miles total and I would feel more of a sense of accomplishment if I weren't sitting in a waiting room, practicing how to say "my ear hurts" in Spanish. Good news on all fronts, the general md we met with (who used Google translate to explain my prognosis ✅) said it should clear up on its own and there we weren't charged for the visit. Estupendo! We spent the afternoon reading in a great area by the slowly trickling stream, buying groceries, dining at cafes (as a vegetarian, mixed salad is always my main course) and chatting with Danni, the Australian girl we'd befriended a few days back.

In an act of indulgence, we stayed in a private double room with a "una cama de matrimonial" or marriage bed. It was the first time we slept in a bed larger than a single (often doubles are just two singles pushed together and it leaves a gap in the center) and I slept 9 hours, waking without an alarm at 6am. 😴😄Read more