~ 127 Miles Down & 376 to Go! ~
To Torres del Río
Dawn was just breaking as Helena, a kind, warm and delightful hostel host, rang her little tinkle bell to send me on my way across fields and hills swathed in green. It was a glorious day and I got to eat lunch with a horse. What could be better than that?
I arrived in Torres del Río many hours later hot and sweaty. Imagine the joy of jumping into a really cold POOL first thing! That night, I got to eat dinner with friends old and new. I have eaten and bunked with, walked and hung out with folks from China, France, South Korea, the States, Denmark, Hungary, Portugal, Brazil, the Azores, New Zealand, Taiwan, Australia, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Canada and…I dunno…I think I’m forgetting a bunch more!
To Navarrete
Two of the friends I made back at La Casa Mágica had the same plan I did so we hopped on a bus together for a few miles to Logroño and then walked the rest of the way to an extraordinary little town. Melanie (France) and Chloe (New Zealand) and I chatted and walked through cobbled streets, by a lake and under archways of trees. We made friends with many red squirrels and doggies, lots of doggies, all of which needed to be pet and cooed over.
Turns out we had all booked a bed at the same hostel. El Cántaro had two bedrooms with five beds each, two bathrooms and one lovely kitchen. We showered up and went to the store to get stuff for dinner that night and a quick breakfast the next morning.
They say the church in town rivals the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Everything is golden! Everything! I could have done without the life sized replica of the body of Jesus complete with wounds, blood and a horrible facial expression, lying in a glass coffin. I will spare you the photo.
To Azofra
I ate a quick breakfast, made a cup of coffee for my cute little lightweight coffee mug from REI and headed out onto the cobblestone streets in the pre-dawn chill. One quick word about the luxuries I am carrying. The REI mug for one along with a spongy blow up pillow and light fluffy down “rumpl” quilt together all weigh about one and an half pounds. Every ounce counts here on the Camino but coffee and sleep? I’m in!
After passing through the town, I ended up on a red dirt path passing vineyards to my left and olive groves to my right. All around me was a rim of mountains. As the sun began to rise, my heart sang. I took a photo. It’s the one at the top of this post.
The rain started late morning but everything stayed dry underneath my rain jacket and pack cover. I arrived in Aorfra ready for a hot shower and some down time.
MiguelAngel was checking me into the hostel which slept a few hundred in small plywood rooms of two. We chatted a bit and he praised my Spanish. I can neither confirm nor deny that I used our newfound friendship and mutual respect to finagle my way into one whole room all to myself! I CAN tell you this: It cost me an extra 12 euros and was TOTALLY worth it!
To Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Another glorious start to the day led me along yet another red dirt path through plowed and fallow fields, vineyards, waving grasses, small towns and even a golf course! Imagine my surprise meeting up with Melanie the friend I mentioned above. Her grandparents once lived in a very small town about one hour into the mountains from where we were standing. She asked for help getting a taxi to take her to the little town.
As we waited for her taxi and talked about this journey for her, we both got full body chills and started crying. We hugged goodbye, I asked the cab driver to take good care of her and off she went. I have thought of her often and hope she found what she was looking for there.
All along the Camino you see fountains with potable water for the pilgrims. It means we usually don’t have to carry the weight of lots of water. Very nice! Also very nice is putting your feet up a tree or up some fence posts when they (or your knee) get tired. People passing by smile and we say “Buen Camino” to one another. Nothing is too weird on the Camino.
In Santo Domingo
What a sweet little town. The cobbles and old buildings were cool, but the best was the Saturday market. A young girl at a family stand sold me several tomatoes and a big red pepper which I ate for lunch while sitting in the sunshine watching all the people walk by.
Meanwhile, back in Portland, it looks like Mom and Jeff are getting along just fine without me!
Next stop, Burgos!
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of having everything you need on your back, wandering through cities, towns, villages, fields, farmland and countrysides, with no place you really need to be besides right here/right now. Buen Camino!
