Day Seven: Los Arcos to Logrono

What a long but beautiful day! This morning we rose and were served a simple breakfast at our Albergue: toast and jam and coffee. After we were all packed up, we headed out into the sunny morning. A short stop at a fruit stand interrupted our way out of town, but soon we were marching again. It seemed like a long way before we found a coffee stop. It was next to a small (old) church that was more like a silo than a church. Inside the silo church was a beautiful crucifix hanging above the alter. We took a few moments to pray at this site before continuing on. 

After quite a bit of walking we picked a lovely spot on the side of the mountain to stop and enjoy the fruit we had purchased earlier -- soaking up some vitamin D while consuming vitamin C. As we rested, many fellow pilgrims passed us. How funny it is to be in the middle of nowhere in a country thousands of miles from my own where I don't proficiently speak the language and yet see person after person who I recognize and who greets me as family with a smile and well wishes. 

The next town we came to was Viana. We were so hungry and tired by the time we reached Viana -- all we wanted was a place to buy lunch (it was almost two in the afternoon) but this town was not very pilgrim friendly and many places turned us away (though they always suggested something "nearby"). We finally found a bar to serve us food: best risotto I've ever had. haha 

After we finished our lunch, it was time for the last ten kilometers of the day. The last stretch is always the hardest. Vera and I feel like we hit a "last five k slump" where all we want to do is get to our destination -- then as the town appears on the horizon, our slump disappears and we are back to our happy walking selves. Today's challenge was not the height if the hills we had to climb but the distance between them -- eighteen and a half miles of walking were done today! 

We reached Logrono around five o'clock, which is really late for us (though we did take a very long break on the side of that mountain ...) and checked in at the Albergue run by the church. There is nothing fancy here, but we are out of the cold and have a place to lay our heads (notice I did not mention a bed). After dropping off our packs and rubbing down our feet (and a quick cat nap) we headed to evening mass. Then it was back to the Albergue where they had prepared us dinner -- all twenty plus pilgrims sat around the table and enjoyed the meal together. Afterwards, we went via the underground passageway to the church for evening prayer. What a beautiful end to a beautiful day. 

Here are a few pictures from today: 

Blue skies make for a happy day. 

My backpack is still holding up really well!! Also: today marks one week of time on the Camino!! Wahoo!! 

A lovely spot to spend my afternoon ... 

This woman sells bebidas frias on the side of the road before you reach Logrono -- her mother did the same for over fifty years until she died at age ninety two. Now the little stand is a recognized pilgrim stop and she has a stamp for the passport! 

Our Albergue tonight is free of charge -- the owners said they are happy we are here, because if we did not come, they would not get to do what they love to do: be with the pilgrims. 

Pilgrim Family dinner! Unfortunately we were having red pasta. Fortunately I was able to sneak most of mine to the Italian guy on the other side of Vera and fill up on salad and bread. Did you know they put corn and tuna in their salads here? Yum!! 

What is it with these gorgeous alter pieces?! They are so pretty it makes it hard to concentrate during mass, which I need to do so that I catch what is being said. (Also: how appropriate was tonight's reading to my Camino journey!)  

And my bed for the night. Yes, it's a mat on the floor. No, this will not change the soundness of my sleep. (You walk eighteen and a half miles -- you can sleep standing up!!) Also: tonight we are sharing our room with a group of twelve from Italy -- a YOUTH group of twelve. First of all, the priest who is with them is brave. Secondly, I can't imagine convincing two let alone twelve youth to walk five hundred miles! What inspirational teens. 

Good night all. Thank you so much for keeping me and my fellow pilgrims in your prayers. I am keeping all of you in my prayers as well. Tomorrow is a twenty mile day -- if you get aches in your feet, they are probably sympathy pains!! 

Buen Camino. 

Jena