May 2025 – Page 3

Day 8- Viana to Logroño

Walked: 6.6 mi. Camino2025: 55 mi.

Leaving Viana through the gate of St. Felices.

The immediate area after leaving Viana was rather rundown, but then the path joined a paved farm road, winding through vineyards and some grains and other crops.

We are really enjoying seeing the colors of spring on the Camino for the first time.

And just to add to the scenic walk, the Camino provided a mini-forest.

A cleverly built overpass for pilgrims and wannabes took us safely over the highway into Logroño and continued our shady walk thru more trees.

At this point our walk left the great wine region of Navarre and entered another great wine region, La Rioja.

Shortly after crossing into La Rioja, the path became paved, took us under a major road into Logroño then began to climb.

The path started out with a slight incline but got steeper as we continued.

We walked through this freshly painted underpass. The painter was still at work, covering all the graffiti accumulated over the years… making way for new graffiti, intended or not.

Once we arrived at the top we looked back at Viana in distance.

Clearing the top of the incline and bearing left, the path gave us our first glimpse of Logroño.

The final mile to Logroño was all downhill, but in a nice way. At the bottom of the hill we walked past a funeral home/crematory (with a sigh of relief) then through a welcoming park along the Rio Ebro and crossed the bridge into Logroño.

This is a view from the park of the Rio Ebro and the Puente de Piedra. Originally built by Santo Domingo de Calzada in the 11th century, then rebuilt by his disciple, San Juan de Ortega, the current structure was completed in the 19th century.

Iglesia de Santiago el Real, seen on our walk through Logroño to our hotel.

We checked into our hotel at 12:00 and crashed. We were both exhausted. We took only a few minutes to catch our breath, then decided to get our main meal then rest the remainder of the day.

The Co-Catedral Santa María de la Redonda located on the square near our restaurant. We’ve never been inside… always closed when we were here.

We ordered an ensalada Iberia for Linda and ensalada Marinera for Jim.

Fortunately, both ensaladas were delicious. Unfortunately Jim could only eat about half of his and Linda couldn’t make it past her second bite. We asked for the equivalent of a “doggy bag” in broken Spanish/sign language and with a fridge in our room, figured we’d share her salad later after getting off our feet.

We used the last strength in our bodies to make it back to the room and were in for the day.

The rest of the story:

Jim started having cold/virus symptoms three days ago that peaked with lots of sinus drainage and coughing spasms. Most of his symptoms have reduced to mild sinus drainage and self induced coughing to avoid chest congestion. So it appears to be a 3 day or so thing.

Linda began having similar symptoms This morning before we left Viana and had seen things get worse during our walk.

The result is, simultaneously, trying to fight a bug and walk 6-7 miles a day, for us, might not be a good strategy. This also explains why Jim didn’t seem to be acclimating to a normal walking routine as quickly as on previous Caminos.

So, we will alter our plans only slightly, to maximum recovery while continuing to make progress toward Santiago.

Our bags will be transported to Navarrete, as planned. We don’t have to checkout of our hotel in Logroño until noon, so we’ll sleep in, then get a taxi from our hotel at noon on Tuesday to our hotel in Navarrete, thus skipping our walking for Tuesday. We’ll review our status on Tuesday-Wednesday morning and any similar adjustments to our plan.

Blogger update: Our wifi and cell service was sporadic enough to prevent sending this post until Tuesday morning. Linda’s symptoms peaked late Monday and she continued to improve through the night, actually getting some good quality sleep, as did Jim. We’re just chillin in the room giving ourselves permission to take the day off as planned.

Day 7- Los Arcos to Viana

Walked: 5.6 mi. Camino2025: 49 mi.

Walking the Camino in the spring has its advantages. With the temperature in the 40’s, we didn’t need to start out in the dark, to avoid the Iberian sun. So today was the first time we have walked this section in the daylight.

We guessed what this area looked like, we but today we found out for sure.

Switching to pavement as we approached Sansol

Sansol (pop. 112) is always a disappointment as nothing is open, virtually no services and people not all that friendly. There used to be a welcoming Albergue with food and clean restrooms on the edge of town, but it was an apparent casualty of the pandemic and no observable efforts to revive it,

Just over the hill from Sansol is Torres del Rio (pop. 136)

Unusual octagonal church in Torres del Rio of unknown origin but thought to be associated with the Knights Templar

Torres del Rio, unlike Sansol, was a nice rest stop. There are several albergues here. We have stayed here at two different properties. However, in recent years we have taken the bus to Viana. The walk from Torres del Rio to Viana is very challenging…. over 7 miles of winding hills amply named “The knee wrecker” and no shade. The last couple of miles are close to the edge of a highway. And, the fare today for the 10 minute trip was 1.45€ each!

The bus that took us from Torres del Rio to Viana,

We walked a short distance to our apartment in Viana. We had checked in electronically yesterday. The proprietor met us at the property and showed us around. We stayed here last year and decided to try it again.

Our apartment is located on this square which is used as a bull ring during festivals.

Linda rang the bell and Jim sent a WhatsApp message to the owner, who met us at the door less than 3 minutes later!

The apartment is a bit bizarre in a nice, clean, modern sort of way.

After climbing two levels we reached our first level- bathroom, living area and full kitchen.

two flight of stairs to get to each level

Clothes drying on the roof… bone dry in less than an hour

After hanging out our wash, we walked to a nearby familiar restaurant and had our main meal for the day.

Tasty fresh ensalada mixta for first course.

Returning to our apartment we did our chores, read, blogged and napped. Then called it a day.

Day 6- Villamayor de Monjardín to Los Arcos

Walked: 7.74 mi. Camino2025: 43 mi.

After walking downhill from Villamayor de Monjardin, the path leveled off and we began walking though the valley,

As you will see in the following photos, the path was long and straight.

A brief bend in the path then straight again

… then once we reached the top, the path continued straight ahead.

one of the few bends in the path broke the monotony, sort of.

we took a sharp left at the Camino marker. then went straight again

another sharp right , then straight again

another straight section before meandering for a short while in the woods in the distance.

…then a short walk across a creek and wetlands.

… before reaching the edge of Los Arcos.

Los Arcos’s goes back to Roman times. The Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción dominates the old town square and has one of the most ornate retablo’s on the Camino,

Our walk today was long and tiring. The long straight pathways took us through a valley filled with beautiful green fields and vineyards.

We’re still acclimating to the daily walks and working out the sore muscles, which takes 10-14 days to work through, based on previous Caminos.

Day 5- Estella to Villamayor de Monjardin

Walked: 6.2 mi. Camino2025: 35 mi.

As we left our apartment at 8:30, it looked like we were gonna have another dry day.

To rejoin the Camino, we walked for about a 0.1 mile through town, crossed a bridge back over the Eba River then walked the sidewalk until reaching the suburbs.

Crossing the Rio Eba, still swollen from earlier rain.

Pilgrims following the traditional route on the right as we continued on the sidewalk.

Rather than follow the Camino signs we continued on the sidewalk until it dovetailed with the official Camino before leaving the pavement and heading toward the Irache Monastery and Bodega (winery).

Leaving suburban Estella onto the dirt path once more

Irache Monastery on left, winery on the right

We haven’t stopped at the “wine fountain” after tasting the wine several years ago.

Jim decided to give it another chance today, but was disappointed once again. The wine is high in tannins, very acidic and not to our liking… maybe it’s the church’s form of penance for adult beverage consumers.

We continued on, passing this pilgrim and his interesting walking gear.

The Camino crossed the main highway leaving Estella and we walked on pavement through a large athletic campground complex, before returning to the dirt path again.

The path took us along a grain field with picturesque mountain and valley scenery.

Beyond the fields was Monjardin with its commanding fortress, Castillo San Esteban.

The Castillo de San Esteban has a Roman foundation, but was repeatedly rebuilt over the centuries. It was one of the last fortresses of the Banu Qasi, the local Muslim dynasty, before it was taken by King Sancho I of Navarre in 914.

We stopped in Azqueta for breakfast then continued the remaining 0.9 mile into the village of Villamayor de Monjardin (pop 139).

Climbing the initial elevation out of Azqueta

Villamayor de Monjardin just ahead, revealed by the steeple of Iglesia de San Andres.

This is our fourth time to stay in apartment Markiola. The choices to stay in this small village are very limited and our experiences staying in the albergues have been disappointing. However, Markiola is special because it has a washing machine, large bedroom, nice bathroom with large walk-in shower and an excellent view of the Iglesia de San Andres and the valley below. It also has a full kitchen, stocked with food for lunch, dinner and breakfast, therefore not requiring us to struggle with the lack of restaurants, bars and other facilities in the village … and the proprietor has been very welcoming and the apt. has been well maintained.

Today, when we arrived, we were able to access the apt with a code on the door and we checked in electronically. The attached small store was closed and a for sale sign was attached to the store and the apartment.

So, this will likely be our last encounter with Markiola should we be back this way in the future.

Once we checked in, we washed our dirty clothes and hung them out to dry. We prepared a sandwich for lunch, spent the afternoon doing our routine chores, napped, read and blogged, then had our “homemade” dinner of spaghetti and wine before calling it a day.

Day 4 – Villatuerta to Estella

Walked: 4.0 mi. Camino2025: 29 mi.

All was quiet when we departed this morning at 8:15. It rained most of night but the streets were already dry. The cloudy skies were a bit threatening with gusty winds, but no rain, yet.

We walked by the dominant 14th century Iglesía La Acunción as we exited the town and rejoined the dirt Camino. The “puddled” path with occasional muddy areas was not a hindrance to the walk.

We picked up the Camino dirt path as we left Villatuerta … Ermita del San Michel on the left (closed this morning, as usual).

A pilgrim underpass to circumvent the sometimes busy local road.

A typical look of most of the walk this morning… some uphill and some downhill but nothing to complain about. Still no rain, but threatening.

We walked a short distance with this pilgrim from Japan. Today was his 40th day of walking, having started in Le Puy en Velay in southern France!

As we neared Estella, we passed several industrial/chemical processing factories.

The wide dirt path morphed into a wide paved path that took us the rest of the way into Estella.

The Rio Ega looked angry from last night’s rain.

At the edge of Estella we crossed the river and stopped for breakfast.

Cafe con leche, tostadas con mantequilla y mermelada.

“Estella la Bella” accurately describes the buildings throughout the city. As we walked toward our appartment, we passed this residence … a typical home with family crest and attractive painted exterior walls.

We walked by the spectacular 12th century Iglesia de San Miguel.

A typical street in Estella on our way to our apartment, located just off the Plaza de los Fueros.

An interesting display of fresh fruits and vegetables outside a small grocery store.

These fresh peas caught Linda’s eye, so we purchased a handful to shell and cook for dinner in our apartment kitchen.

Estella is located on a hillside so many of the streets are narrow and steep.

A Thursday morning market was underway in the Plaza de los Fueros. The Iglesia de San Juan Bautista is located on the edge of the plaza.

We decided to do some shopping among the locals to add to our peas and take advantage of our apartment offerings.

One section of the Plaza de los Fueros market

Our apartment was still not ready for us, so we stopped at Bar Florida, on the plaza, and had some hot chocolate (cola cao).

Our apartment was still not ready, so we moved to another bar/restaurant on the plaza (Monjardin) and had a nice lunch.

Goat cheese salad mixta for Linda and Assorted fried fish for Jim at Monjardin.

We got a message via “Whats-App” that our apartment was clean and ready for us, so we finished lunch and walked a half-block and checked-in.

living area and kitchen of our apartment

We took inventory of our shopping and made a short list of additional items we’d need for our evening meal and for tomorrow’s walk. So, Jim headed out to a nearby supermarket (Dia) and returned shortly and joined Linda to complete our routine chores.

Our purchases for the evening meal and tomorrow.

Our evening meal. Fresh peas, fresh bread, ripe avocado and savory sliced tomato complemented by a very nice Mencia wine.

Tonight’s wine went very well with our vegetables. It’s a Mencia, from the Bierzo region of northwestern Spain. It had notes of plums and dark fruits. It was full bodied and smooth with a touch of acidity… totally enjoyable. We found it in a local supermarket for 4.59€ ( ~$5.00)!

It was a relatively short walk today, but a full one, none the less, considering our creative methods to kill time, while waiting for our room to be ready and then creating a delicious, healthy meal before retiring for the evening.

Day 3- Cirauqui to Villatuerta

Walked: 6.8 mi. Camino2025: 25 mi.

We walked on a Roman road as we left Cirauqui this morning at 8:15.

A few more steps took us across the ruins of a Roman bridge

For the first 2 miles of our walk this morning, Roman road remains were observed and walked on. In some cases, gravel had been added to smooth out the walking surface but still revealing the stone mosaic patterns placed there two thousand years ago to aid the transport of treasures collected in Northern Spain and carried back to Rome in carts and chariots.

Typical terrain and path between Cirauqui and Lorca.

on the right is a Roman bridge and a section of roman road ruins paralleling the ” modern” deviation of the Camino.

This part of the walk was much more narrow but still revealed the evidence of the Romans,

Looking back at a less traveled section of Roman presence.

Erosion of modern crushed rock overlay revealing the Roman road Stone patterns underneath.

Walking into Lorca after avoiding a steep section of path by taking the more gradual inclining paved parallel option.

Linda finding and taking possession of her Lorca bench for the 7th time.

After a brief breakfast and rest in Lorca, we continued on to Villatuerta, our destination for the day.

We left the paved road though Lorca, where we have stayed the previous 6 Caminos, and began walking through the fields… looking very different in May than our previous walks in the summertime.

Villatuerta, Estella and Villamayor del Monjardin in the distance.

We reached Villatuerta too early for checkin, so we stopped for a drink and rest stop to kill some time at a favorite breakfast stop. We then proceeded to our destination, a first time visit. On previous Caminos we have stayed in Lorca, but chose an untried accommodation for Camino2025, as Lorca accommodations were not available.

Walking across the medieval bridge in the center of Villatuerta.

Juan, the manager of CR 643 km, checked us in as soon as he arrived, a few minutes before the usual time. Our transported backpacks had not yet arrived, so we decided to get lunch/dinner first. Juan graciously called and made a reservation at (according to Juan), the “better” one of the only two restaurants in this small town of 1122 persons.

We walked the half-mile to the restaurant (needing more exercise?), had an ok lunch, returned to our room. The skies began clouding up so we did our daily chores, blogged, read and stayed off our feet in the room the remainder of day while the heavens released their forecasted precipitation.