Logroño

Sansol to Torres del Rio to Vianna to Logroño. 14 miles today in about 5 hours. 35,401 steps, including a bit around Logrono for groceries and dinner (and finding my hostel, which was right in front of me the whole time). But the road around 7:15 today and walked a whole 1 km to the next town for breakfast. My usual Neapolitan pastry with cafe con leche. Two ~11 km (6.2 mile) stretches between towns today. Did the first one at a slower pace than normal to allow a friend who stayed 4 miles before Sansol to catch up at the next town. A pretty little stretch with lots of rolling hills. They call this segment the Knee Wrecker, which I thought odd since it is mild compared to the first 4 days. But my knees were pretty sore still, so maybe it’s the accumulation? Vianna was a nice town, and as the only rest/food pace today, pretty busy with pilgrims. It amazes me how these small towns can have such grand churches - 11 big alters in their main one and it was “just” an iglesia, not a catedral. There was also a ruin of a 15th century church that was really pretty, and still had some of its original murals despite being exposed to the elements. They sure knew how to build things. Pretty flat and not very exciting stretch into Logrono- pretty vineyards and grass fields leading into 2.5 miles of industrial park heading into Logrono. And one last big hill because why not?

Right as we entered, a big group of kids - guessing 13 or 14 years old - mobbed us. At first I thought it was a pickpocket situation, but then a women came up to calm them and explained she was their English teacher taking them in a field trip along part of the Camino to experience it and practice their English. They were really fun and full of questions about America and the Camino (although one girl was clearly hoping I was British). One boy asked if I knew Colin from Michigan. Sadly I do not. They followed us into the city, mimicking our walk and pretending to have backpacks and poles. We felt like quite the celebrities! My hostel room is simple but nice with a wonderful 5 head shower that took me a bit to figure out. And it’s smack in the middle of Casco Antigua (the old medieval town). No sight-seeing today - just took a long shower, rested, ran a few errands and caught up with people back home. Met my friend for grocery shopping and dinner. Finally had some vegetables for dinner - a nice salmon, prawn and anchovy salad. It’s very carb heavy in the smaller towns, which is good for walking, cheap and yummy, but I was craving vegetables and protein.Read more