Day 13 - "Chicken in the Church" : Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Despite our semi-secluded quarters we were awake by 4:30 am for another predawn start at 5 am, largely as a result of the dozens of pilgrims who eagerly began packing up and getting ready right outside our door. Thankfully, despite the predicted heat, the morning was much cooler than in previous days as we hiked out into the pre-dawn twilight largely on our own, as many of our fellow hikers had large bags to pack, luggage transport to arrange, and breakfast to enjoy.

While the continual early morning starts were a source of frustration for us at the beginning our hike, we have come to love them. The time to quietly walk along the trail in the peace of the moment, and the opportunity to enjoy the sunrises over the Spanish landscape make every morning truly magical. This morning was no different.


As the sun rose over the hills a motor powered para-glider passed over us to land in a nearby field. The sight of this unexpected figure in the sky led us to stand at the trail side and watch his antics for almost 20 minutes. When we finally picked ourselves up to continue onward we noticed that dozens of other pilgrims had stopped to watch this man's flight as well. It seems that we have all begun to slow our pace and enjoy more of the moments presented to us.


Soon however the good moment passed by, and sadly within 15 minutes of the sun rising, the heat was again climbing to around 30 degrees. Despite the heat however, the morning's hike was quiet, giving us the time to appreciate the rich red soil throughout the region. While the path and hills have a similar feel to those around Najera, there are lovely new contrasts in this stretch between the red of the land, the dark green of the crops, and the yellow of the gorse bushes that are particularly striking in this area.



Today the Camino took us first to the village of Azofra, where we walked along its vast irrigation system, and where we enjoyed a break for a cafe con leche and croissant. Whereas Azofra itself is a small but pleasant town, by contrast, the walk to Ciruena was tough, given that the ground had been baked hard from the sun and there was no protection from the heat along the trail.



When we reached the village of Ciruena, we found a slightly unnerving town consisting of a professional golf course and dozens of identical townhouses, all of which had been well maintained, including having their lawns cut, but were both uninhabited and for sale. There was little in this village and less to do. In addition, the prevalence of painted yellow arrows throughout the region reached an absurd point here, with markers every foot or so, whether on posts, the ground, signs, or spray painted along the edge of the sidewalk. Several of the pilgrims hiking in "our group" had reservations here for the night at an albergue on the edge of town, but given the early hour and the fact that we were feeling good, we decided to continue onward. 

From Ciruena the Camino wove through the countryside most of which was flat and defined only by the roadway itself and the boundaries between fields. By early afternoon we arrived in Santo Domingo, a historical village with beautiful bridges, pilgrim hospitals, a church, a tower, and massive a town square. 


After locating the municipal albergue, and the destination for several of our friends, we were informed that it was already full for the evening. Despite the constant rumours and warnings along the Camino of residences filling up, this was the first time we had encountered an albergue full from reservations prior to our arrival. Not to be discouraged, we walked through town to the central courtyard between the cathedral and government buildings, found a cafe, and enjoyed some cake and a cafe con leche while trying to figure out our options for the evening. 



After some looking through our guide book, and a couple of phone calls, I was able to arrange a double room at the nearby Hospederia Cicterciense, an albergue run by the very kind and pleasant Cictercien Nuns.


We were soon registered, had our pilgrim passport stamped, and were shown to our room by a Nun who had visited Vancouver and spoke English fluently. Our room was immaculately clean and quiet but small, clearly a residence balancing the care of elderly nuns alongside the demands of pilgrims. Grateful to have a room and be out of the heat for a time we cleaned our bags, did our laundry, and showered. 


An hour later we set out to visit the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, or as Sean continually referred to it as, the "Chicken Church". The cathedral got its proper name from a miracle related to the unjust persecution of a pilgrim. As a result, since 1350 the cathedral has continuously housed two live chickens, which we were privileged to see and hear. One can only image the sound they could potentially make during mass. 



 


While visiting, we were also fortunate enough to visit the roof of the cathedral, which provided an excellent view of the nearby courtyard and bell tower. 


As an interesting aside, Subida a la Torre is the third tower on the site in Santo Domingo, following the inauspicious collapse of its two predecessors. 

We were also privileged to climb up into the tower, using its steep, narrow spiral stairwell. At the top we had the chance to see the beautiful and massive bells, and again were afforded a wondrous view the surrounding landscape.





















 

Ironically, afterwards we also had the opportunity to visit a Camino panorama display built entirely out of Playmobil toys in the basement of the cathedral. While a beautiful and unusual display, Playmobil is something which resonated with us as we had enjoyed such toys as children and sold many of them to afford to come on our pilgrimage. At times all of life comes full circle.


Having enjoyed Santo Domingo, we soon located a small bar and had a dinner of salad and pizza, with the intention of going to a pilgrim mass at 8 pm. However, in Spain the trends seems to be that once you are served, waiters tend to disappear for hours at a time, making both getting a bill and paying difficult. As a result, we did not have a chance to get to the service. 



Despite missing the pilgrim mass, we were able to enjoy another twilight stroll through the city, see the cathedral lit up, relax in the town square, and catch up on our journals and blog in the cool night air outside. 


We were also fortunate to find el Buen gusto abaceria, a bakery, which was still open and in which we purchased not only a few chocolate chickens, but also several pastry chickens for our treats on tomorrow's hike.

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Practical information:

Distance: 21.3 km
Max Temperature: 33°C
Accommodations: Hospederia Cicterciense (12 Euro/person for double room), (4 Euro/person for Breakfast)

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