Logrono to Najera

What a difference this Camino is without contending with the heat!! I was in a tank with a long sleeve top over it for most of the day. The last couple hours into Najera started to get warm, but not enough to make me drain my water or sweat much at all. So nice. I had totally forgot that today was the day we pass by Marcelino, a Camino legend, in his shelter offering fruits and trinkets for donation only. I don’t know how long he has been there, but I know for sure it’s been at least 11 years. He has a cool stamp for the credential too. He was a welcomed sight, we picked up a banana, ate it there and chatted with people who stopped too. We met two ladies from Chicago who were sore but happy. One lady said she was so sore that she told her friend she didn’t want to talk or think while they walked, she was in too much pain. We also saw a young man again (still haven’t caught his name) who is always so friendly and goes out of his way to say hi and ask how we are doing. Poor thing, his shoes are split open, worn thin, he limps because I’m sure his feet are trashed, but he’s never complaining and always asking about others. Kind soul. Soon after we hit the village of Navarrete about mid way through our 30km walk and stopped at a cafe for a break. They had an ‘English Breakfast’ on the menu for €7.50 and while I don’t like eating large meals when I’m doing long distances, I knew there were no other stops. So I ordered up 2 eggs and 4 pieces of bacon topped off with 2 cafe americanos. Perfect and not too heavy. While there, we saw the young man again and talked to a couple from the UK. As they got up to leave, strapped on backpacks, and headed down the road the young man came over and asked me “Do you know who was sitting here?” I said “Yes it was the lady with the green backpack”, pointing at her as she was taking her first few steps down the road with her husband. He grabbed her PHONE off the table and went after her. When she noticed him and that she left it, she hugged him and her husband shook his hand. What a guy. Good things are coming his way..maybe someone will buy him a new pair of shoes at some point?! When I was clearing dishes off our table that were ours and a person before us, there he was again, at the door, asking to take them from me to place on the counter. Always looking to help, and paying attention to what is needed around him. I know there are a lot of nice people on the Camino, but he was a stand out person. Maybe because he’s so young? Maybe because he’s always smiling? He’s just a great example of what we all could strive to be like more instead of being self absorbed? It was a lesson to me to look around and see what is needed around me. Yesterday I tried. We were all sitting on a street in Viana for a coffee break, Holly and I like to take off our shoes and one layer of socks to let our feet breathe while propped up on another chair when we have our coffee. Across from us I noticed a lady taking off her shoes and socks too. She only had the chair she was sitting on. She didn’t want to touch her feet on the ground so she was holding them up and rolling her ankles around. I got up and offered her my chair. Instant smile of gratitude. It feels good to think of others. It feels good to show people they are noticed and cared for. I think my lessons lately have been focusing around others instead of self. Helping when I can. We get so busy in ‘real life’ taking care of our needs or our families, but that’s expected. Do something nice for a stranger, it’s to me more rewarding and surprising to the recipient..and the smile they give you (especially if you don’t speak the same language) sticks with you the rest of day.
We passed through more of the La Rioja region with the vineyards planted in that rich, red soil. Scenery was awesome and walking on dirt roads with the sound of crunching gravel beneath my feet makes me happy and it feels like home. We had a couple parks we could stop at along the way, and rather than fly by
them in true Tammy fashion, we stopped and rested. We saw the couple (Dave & Amy) from Bellingham, Wa. and chatted with them awhile. Her feet/ankles are swelling up on her so she’s resting often. Nice couple. We met them in Pamplona, but haven’t run into them much. They are doing Everest after this and some other adventures after that.
All of this made a normally grueling day, so much more enjoyable. Between the weather, kind people, and short conversations, we arrived in Najera in no time it seemed. Holly and I rented a 2 bedroom apartment 🤩 for the night for €50 each which has a washer and dryer, balcony, and large kitchen/living room. We are in heaven! I went to the pharmacy yesterday to try and get some kick ass cough medicine but ended up getting effervescent tablets that dissolve in water to drink. It is supposed to ‘clean the lungs’ as the tech said, and break up the chest congestion to avoid infection. I’ve not heard of this medication in the states, but she said ‘clean first, then when clean, you can stop the cough with cough medicine’. I’m noticing it breaking it up, I no longer have an unproductive dry cough, so there is hope? I’m on day 10 of this crap. I’m tired of it!
That’s all I have for today, tomorrow is a 21km day, so it’ll feel like a breeze after today! Miss you friends, thanks for reading.Read more