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Published: June 26th 2013
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So an easier day today which has been great for Fiona. We will try two shorter days to see if her leg improves and then we will try stepping out again - hold that thought, we have just stopped in Logrono for lunch and a restful afternoon (which includes me updating our blog) and her ladyship now feeling good has just suggested we up route and carry on for another 13km to Navarette. I will continue later once we have made a CONSENSUS decision and I have done exactly as I am told. Back later.
Fiona and Father decided it was divine inspiration to head off again for another 13km what I wanted to know was how about some divine energy? None was forthcoming at least not for me. Both of them literally raced away, given they were both using narcotics I should have intervened but did not. For all you medical specialists out there they are now running on 400mg of ibuprofen with a hurt scale of 2 out of 10 when it kicks in. Before it was two lots of 800mg and still 5 out of 10. I think we are on the mend so I can look
forward to 20+km each day after tomorrow.
Today in the end was 24km starting in the, yes, 12th century village of Viana, through Lagrono where we left the Navarre district entering the La Roija district. We ended up in Naverette, yes, another 12th century village, for the night. Clearly the 12th century was very busy building wise in spain. Essentially the plague and crusades had cleaned out a very significant portion of the population which left the rest much more wealthy as they had everything those deceased had lost. Now they did not want to succumb to a similar fate so they built churches and cathedrals to appease the holy one and to bring them good fortune which of course duly happened in the 15th and 16th centuries when Spain became the richest country in the world after pillaging central America of all it's wealth - gold, silver etc. duly lost through picking fights with every monarch Spain could find! In the meantime in order to keep the church happy huge amounts of gold was lavished on each and every parish in Spain which lasts to today.
Ran into our first kiwis today. A father daughter combination heading
to Santiago, meeting Mum halfway who is currently enjoying a holiday at the beach in Thailand - right now that sounds pretty exciting.
By the way I got my first blister today so I feel like an authentic Camino Pilgrim.
While we have been walking I have pondered the likelihood that we are really walking the original pilgrims trail. You will remember yesterday that I passed onto you that in 2010, 250,000 pilgrims followed this route and that was only half the annual number experienced in medieval times. I now feel confident we are exactly on actual trail. Most villages we pass, if not all were here prior to the 11th century and are not much more than 8km apart. At many points between there are pilgrim hostel ruins dating back to the 11th century which is physical proof of past pilgrims passage. The land on either side of the trail is privately owned so in recent centuries the right to walk on this trail must have been there as titles were searched and properties changed hands. We have no doubt we are walking on trails that have had millions pass over them for 1400 years with each
person having their own story.
The trail is incredibly clean. We have seen far less rubbish than you would ever see back home on public trails. This part of Spain at least is very well cared for and respected by those that use it.
The trail is getting busier as summer holidays in Europe start and as other Camino trails join up with the main one which we are walking.
Tomorrow we walk 16km to Najere where we meet up with Father Brad - novice Benedictine monk - who is waiting for Father Ken to catch up.
All in all a good day despite the surprises and looking forward to a good sleep.
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