ANOTHER CHANCE IN NAJERA

It's another chance to upload something. Now in a coffee bar in Najera where I arrived about 4 hours ago. Done some washing and the all important intake of food. Going back to the hostel in a moment to get on with some more eating. Found that food is quite expensive here. An unknown tree to me is set against a very blue sky and a rotunda which has been built as a shelter for the walkers. The hostel is at the far end of the row of buildings by a nice looking river. D

SURPRISE - SURPRISE

Well, I’ll go to the foot of our stairs! What a surprise! On my way to a place called Najera and came across a village coffee bar with Wifi. So can’t let this chance pass me by. After what I wrote yesterday it seems things have taken a turn for the better. I have included a couple of pictures. One is the kitchen at the hostel last night at Navarrete and the other I took about half an hour ago on the track through this wine country.

Now last night’s jottings.

22/7 After being dropped in Logrono by Chris I managed to find a coffee bar with wifi. The blog uploaded I headed for the next town where I would stay for the night. Food, at the right price, is quite hard to find, but due to a slight slipup I found myself walking along the highway to Burgos, and came across a service station. I was given directions to get back on the Camino by a Scotsman, with his wife and grandchild, who were parked in the car park. There I had a very large lunch all for the cost of just over 5 Euros. This was a real bargain compared with the inflated price along the trail. While I’m on the subject of inflation, the cost of using the Internet is also somewhat exorbitant. In Logrono the wifi was of course free except for the coffee I needed and enjoyed, but its another story on the Way.
Its only 13 km to Navarrete and to continue it would have meant a further 16 km which was far more than I prefer to do in a day. The rain overnight had wetted the tracks enough to form large pools of glutinous red mud. It wasn’t such a serious problem for me but those who had walked on the tracks before Logrono found far more of the sticky russet stuff if the state of their boots and trousers were anything to go by.
However, in Navarrette my bed was quickly found and then I decided to investigate the wifi situation. I spent about 45 min wandering from bar to bar asking about Internet and wifi and found nothing except for one computer at the usual cost of a Euro for 25 mins. Uploading and writing a few emails soon eats that up, that’s if it’s technically possible to connect a memory stick to the computer.
As the days go by I am still meeting recent and old acquaintances. Of course, in having a day off yesterday some have gone ahead of me now but then again I have jumped 20 km by going by car to Logrono. My luggage has shrunk a little now as I sent some of it ahead to Compostela by post. I’ll have to get there now if I ever want to see the stuff again. D

LOGRONO

21/7 Now in Torres Del Rio where a friend, Chris Hadfield, lives. After so many nights spent in hostels having to sleep in bunk bedded dorms, it’s a bit strange to sleep in a normal bedroom. I can honestly say it’s a welcome relief. Stuffed tomatoes last night and chicken tonight is far cry from the ‘guerrilla food’ I have been getting used to for the past week. That’s how the Spanish walkers describe the bits and pieces of food they eat along the way. Here is a summary of the trip so far.

Day 1. Start – St Jean Pied de Port. From here a very difficult long walk to the next place.
Day 2. 27km Roncevaux. Night in large dormitory hall. 120 beds.
Day 3. 21km Zubiri. Feeling horribly tired after yesterday’s crossing the Pyrenees.
Day 4. 18km Villava (Pamplona) Had a 60 bed hostel almost entirely to myself.
Day 5. 26km Puente la Reina. Very bad day. Still not recovered from the first day.
Day 6. 23km Estella . very hot day but not too difficult walking. Still exhausted.
Day 7. 9km Villemajor de Monjardin. Quite a steep section so stopped at the top. Finished walking by 11.30 (Started 6.15)
Day 8. 20km Torres del Rio. A long downward section of 12km. Moving fast because tomorrow is a complete rest day.
You may be thinking, how can anyone get sleep in large dorms. Almost without exception the rule is that after 22.00 hours there should be silence and also the hostel doors are closed. It certainly wasn’t the case in Villemajor which I really don’t want to go into.
The images include the graceful bridge in Puente la Reina and a long limestone escarpment which stretched along a large part of the horizon. Also there’s the church early in the morning at Los Arcos near where I had some breakfast, and then my first sight of the small village of Torres del Rio.

FREE WINE FOR ALL. ESTELLA

19/7 After the long hot exertions of yesterday I decided to have an easy day today so stopped only 8km after Estella. It was a climb all the way up to here and passed many beautiful old monasteries, and at one, the Irache monastery, we were able to help ourselves to red wine and water next to the vinery.