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Published: April 29th 2012
Friday April 27th
Villamayor de Monjardín is situated halfway up a steep volcanic peak so, for those of you who were wondering if it´s downhill all the way from the Pyrenees, there´s an awful lot of up and down on this Camino, at least until we get to Burgos. Then, at the end of Castile y Léon, it will get more punishing again, with the steepest ascent yet! The walk from Villamayor to Torres del Rio was another beautiful one (don´t worry there were still plenty of steep ups and downs!). All was improved by the fact that the sun shone brightly as we left Estella and we actually had to wear sunspecs and hats for the first time! The route now is dotted with very green expanses of barley oats and rye, interspersed with vines, olive groves, almonds and orchards. Then of course there is also the holm oak and pine on the higher reaches and, all along the way, the verges are crowded with poppies of the deepest red, stands of meadowsweet, wild rosemary, tamarisk and just about every other wild flower we would encounter at home, including heathers and hawthorn. So we are in tranquil and beautiful walking country and the sun certainly helps! For about half a kilometre we were led along by the tiniest bright blue butterfly as we approached Sansol. After the steep last climb to our albergue at the top of Torres del Rio, we were ready for the shower and obligatory clothes washing. Our Welsh friend Pat (a Greenham Common woman) stayed with us that night and we sampled the usual excellent wine and a very good dinner with the wild Debra and a host of other world citizens.
Saturday April 28th
What a change! At 5.10 precisely the heavens opened and it didn´t really let up all day. An extremely cold and wet walk to Viana was still quite pleasant because of the beautiful coutryside through which we passed. The old Australian man in shorts seemed to think it was a just another test for the pilgrims. The first thing that greeted us at the old Eastern gate into Viana was a large poster portrait of Cesare Borgia. It turns out that he died here defending the kingdom of Navarre against an onslaught of Castilians and is buried in the very pretty romanesque church.
After a welcome mid-morning snack we explored the beautiful old town and then proceeded along muddy sticky paths into Logroño, where we were led into the city centre by a yellow brick road through the park, by the lovely tree-lined banks of the Ebro. We were met by a crowd of miserable wet cold pilgrims, huddled in the porch of the police station opposite the municipal albergue. The hostel then proceeded to open half an hour later than advertised and there was a real possibility of yet another siege. On final admission the place proved so cold that we were confirmed in our decison to check into a hotel the next day! Later wonderful wine was enjoyed, with our friend Pat, in a local bar and we then repaired to the Café Moderno for a pilgim meal ( i.e. three courses for about 10 euro). Logroño is the capital of the Rioja region so it´s not surprising that the wine is now even better- nectar would be a reasonable description!
Sunday April 29th
We were among the last to leave the hostel but it was still so early that only pilgrims and street sweepers could be seen in the cold grey streets. We decided to leave our bags in the Hotel Portales and promply availed of an excellent breakfast there as well, since nothing else was open in the town. Mass in the cathedral at 10.00 was sung with excellent organ playing and, after exploring, we checked into the hotel for a long hot bath. Tomorrow we plan to go to Ventosa and hope for at least a glimpse of the sun!
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Filandaved
Felicity Jones
Hi Monica & Madeleine
Just negotiated travelblog so I can keep up with your progress. Sounds wonderful, despite blisters and rain. Can't wait for the movie!