Day 11 - Finding Sastifaction through Struggle : Viana to Navarette

This morning we awoke to.....silence. Unbelievable and beautiful silence. After another night of great sleep, we packed our bags and headed out into the city streets, which were still cool from the evening before. The morning felt wonderful. 

We navigated our way out of Viana wearing headlamps, and after following the regional roadway and crossing the highway on a pedestrian bridge, we were again on the Camino heading west. 

 

 

Today took us out of the province of Navarra, and as we entered the town of Logrono we entered the province of La Rioja, known for its fine wines. Logrono itself is a beautiful city, with an array of amenities, a glorious central church, and a wonderful public square. Its walkways are tree lined and well shaded, which provided welcome relief while hiking through the town.

 

In the city of Logrono the Camino markers took the form of a uniquely shaped silver shell, which was a refreshing change. 

Realizing that each region had a different take on the shell symbol was interesting in its own way, and it also gave us a sense of progession in our trek. While in Logrono we stopped for a late breakfast, or was it a second breakfast? - after all one does not count how many chocolate croissants or cafe con leches one has on the trail. We also met up with our friends the Irish ladies, who were saying their goodbyes as they headed home. Yet another group of familiar pilgrims with whom we are parting ways.

We had another goal, which was to visit the seemingly elusive open Spanish Post Office to mail a package home. Sean is a photographer, and we Scrapbook as well, which means that since leaving home we had kept all of our tickets, receipts, pamphlets for albergues, and post cards from the places we stopped. So, in addition to the 10-15 lbs of camera equipment Sean was carrying, he had around 10 lbs of souvenirs in his pack as well, on top of all the things pilgrims usually carry. We had been attempting to send a package of these materials home to Canada for quite a few days, but until Logrono we were unable to find a single Post Office that was open while we were in town. Sean left Logrono with a much lighter pack than he entered it with, which was sweet relief for him.

Unfortunately, we managed to pass through Logrono in the early morning, which meant that the central church and the area's other attractions were not yet open. So, we headed out of town along a shaded pathway and through a municipal park. 

 

 

 
The remainder of the day's hike took place either along the roadway or through exposed vineyards and farmland. 

 

 

 

Given the rising temperature, we were grateful when we reached the of the town of Navarette. On edge of the city we passed by the remains of the Iglesia de Hospital, a historic pilgrim hospital, and soon after saw the winery of Don Jacobo. 

 

 

We continued through the city streets, climbing to the old section of town, where we stumbled upon the Hostal Villa Navarrete, which provided private rooms, a fan (!!), and a view of both the church and public square - all for 40 euros total! 

Once registered, we retreated to our upstairs room (every room seems to be upstairs), and commenced with luxuriating in front of our fan. I cannot in any way adequately describe the pleasure of a fan after hiking through 30+ degree temperatures in a country in which air conditioning does not seem to exist. In short, our room was heaven. After an hour of relaxing, we commenced with our daily routine of washing, shaving, showering, and cleaning our clothes. 

 

Regardless of the comfort or our room, we did not want to miss out on the chance to explore Navarette, so we soon set out to explore the town during Siesta, to enjoy the peace of the afternoon together. During our trek we also took the opportunity to go to the Supermercado, or super market, to refill our supply of granola bars, as well as buy yogurt and orange juice for the morning. After returning these items to our room, we ventured out to explore the central cathedral, the Church of the Assumption, whose walls and vaulted arches were covered in golden laden reliefs of grape vines, which reflected the wine culture throughout the region.

  

While walking around we also met up with a wonderful American couple from New Mexico and decided to go for dinner together at the central tapas restaurant, the Bar Deportive. 

As a result the rest of our evening was spent in wonderful reflection and conversation, highlighted by sangria and an amazing array of tapas. I think this was the best tapas we have had so far on the Camino! By 7:30 our 3 hour meal came to a conclusion with a bowl of delicious ice cream, after which we all attended the 8 pm pilgrim's mass. 

By 9:30 we had returned to our room, exhausted by the heat but elated by our friendship with those travelling with us. As we turn in for the night, our goal for tomorrow is to get to the town of Najara. 

________________________________________________________________________________
Practical information:

Distance: 22.1 km
Max Temperature: 34°C
Accommodations: Hostal Villa Navarrete (40 Euros/room)