Najera 2

After a longish siesta in my hotel Duques de Najarra, I was pretty hungry, but I knew it was no use looking for dinner before 7.30 pm. The hotel recommended a place just round the corner, El Buen Yantar, which turned out to be the No 1 restaurant on Tripadvisor. It was a homely place, not grand at all, with a friendly young waiter. I ordered Stuffed Red Peppers, a speciality described in a newspaper article on the wall. The chocolate dessert was luscious, a bit like tiramisu. Also dining there was a Belgian woman who is a volunteer hospitaller at the Municipal Albergue. She is one of 3 and they all get time off on a rota and a meal paid for. There is no cooking done in their Albergue because there are 80 beds!

Today is a "day of rest" for me because I'm not going anywhere! I've been so lucky with the weather on this trip: it's warm and sunny as I sit having a coffee in the main square. I've just visited the main monument in Najera: the Monastery of Santa Maria La Real. This was founded in 1044 by King Garcia, who was out hunting one day and observed a dove fly into a cave in the sandstone cliffs. He followed it in and saw the Virgin Mary with a vase of fresh lilies. This cave is still to be seen inside the church.

The  Monastery is known for its beautiful cloister, with intricate carved filigree stonework in the arches. In the adjoining church are the tombs of the royal family of Navarre, the main one being Queen Bianca, who died in childbirth at the age of 18 in 1156. The scenes carved around the sarcophagus include the queen on her deathbed, with an angel above, and the grieving king supported by his courtiers.

Another treasure of this church is the high choir, with carved wooden choir stalls from the 16th century. It is closed to the public unless on a group tour.

Next on the agenda was a visit to the local museum.  The building was formerly the pharmacy for the monastery and later became a prison.  There are two wooden doors on which prisoners carved their names. The artefacts on display are similar to those in Logrono and there is a good explanation of the distribution of Terra Sigillata ware throughout Spain and further afield.  Some has even been found in London.

Choc cake 

Red sandstone cliffs with caves at the back of the town

These pilgrims are father and son from Italy, travelling in a cart made from a cut down Fiat 500. They do about 10 kms a day and camp out with their donkey!

Santa Maria Real cloister 

Puerta de Los Reyes

Statue of virgin in the original cave

Royal tombs

Queen Bianca's sarcophagus 

The high choir 

Man charring red peppers

The church taken from outside the museum

Prison door

Lunch spot

Najera

Last night I enjoyed one of the best Pilgrims Meals on the Camino: I remembered the place from last time!

I had Garlic soup, followed by Vegetarian meatballs and Santiago Cake to take away "para llevar". The soup was served boiling hot, literally: I had to ask for ice cubes to cool it down! It was a very congenial place, serving dinner at the pilgrim friendly 7.30 pm. It was full of pilgrims, including a group from Britain, 2 Welsh ladies and their friend from Bradford who claimed to have a friend in Holmfirth. Small world.

The Church has a huge and famous  Baroque Retablo, if you like that kind of thing!

Today's walk promised to be a tough 17.5 kms. I was keen to get off early and left town at 7.30 am, looking out for the yellow arrows on every street corner. I passed the cemetery and the Romanesque gateway which had been rescued from San Juan de Acre pilgrims hospital.

Looking back to see the sunrise, I also watched the rising sun illuminate a distant mountain range to the north and the mist in the valley below. It was impossible to take a photo which would do it justice on my little phone.

There was to be no refreshment opportunities on the way, unless via a detour of 1 km to the village of Ventosa. Although longing for a coffee, I didn't take it. Most other people did!  I was annoyed to find that my Fitbit had run out of charge, so there was no record of my mammoth achievement of the day.

The Camino did provide on two counts. Firstly, someone had thrown out an old sofa, so I had a rest in the shade. It was becoming very hot after the sun came out. Later, at a fountain there was a selection of grapes and figs left for weary travellers. Just what I needed to help me on my way!

Last night's restaurant 

Vegetarian meatballs 

 Baroque retablo in the church at Navarrete 

Looking back at the sunrise over Navarrete 

Distant mountain range to the north

 Vines thriving on stony ground 

An old sofa by the track; just what I needed an hour from Najera!

Navarrete

I left my hotel at 9.00 am, having once again arranged to send my backpack with Jacotrans. It was a 13.5 kms day, ideal for an elderly pilgrim!

The way out of Logrono was well marked. The city has its own style of way marks set in the pavements. Through green parks, the Camino was well used by locals out for their morning constitutional- groups of retirees, keep-fit ladies, and all manner of dog breeds.  There were benches every 100 m and a few flowerbeds planted with a pink rose named Camino de Santiago. I was still on this well used track at 10.30 am, when I came upon a recreational area and possibly a camping ground.  The smell of the pine trees and the dry Spanish dust reminded me of all the camping trips we did in my 20's.

Then the Way crossed a reservoir embankment. I could see something was going on at the far end.  It turned out to be a demo by oldies demanding larger retirement pensions! There was even a police presence on motorbikes! (On Breakfast TV, I had been watching all the police violence during the Catalan Referendum and I thought it was part of that).

I soon came to a cafe overlooking the reservoir and enjoyed a second breakfast of coffee and an omelette sandwich. The sun was coming out and the day was getting warmer. Autumn colours were everywhere.

Nearer to Navarrete, the track runs nearer the highway and pilgrims have put lots of little crosses on a fence.

Street art in Logrono

Water for pilgrims 

Pensioners protest

Refreshment stop

No picking the almonds-though I picked up two off the ground 

Acorns

These bulls used to be everywhere, advertising Veterano Osborne, but now there are hardly any left 

Remains of an old pilgrims hospital San Juan de Acre - 12th century

Approaching Navarrete

"Pellets for sale". These are compressed wood pellets for wood burning stoves. They are made here from all sorts of rubbishy plywood.

Logrono

I reluctantly said goodbye to the luxurious Hospederia, a beautifully-done conversion with every mod-con imaginable.  I specially liked the floor of the shower, which had pebbles set in concrete.

The weather was like yesterday, with a shower before breakfast. As I waited for the 10.20 bus into Logrono, I read the last of the information signs, which described how Laguardia was riddled with subterranean wine cellars. It's a wonder the whole place doesn't collapse!

There is a saying "the Camino provides" and I forgot to describe yesterday's provision.  As I walked from Elciego, I kept finding bars of chocolate which seemed to have just fallen off the back of a lorry. It came to me afterwards that they were probably gifts to marathon runners, surplus to their requirements. One was added to my emergency rations, together with the remains of my roast suckling pig from last night's dinner.

Arriving at the Logrono bus station at 10.50 am, I took a taxi to Hotel Calle Major - not very far but I just didn't know the way. This is a very stylish modern hotel, an award winner, with enormous bedrooms and enormous bathrooms!

My plan for the morning was to visit the Museum of the Rioja, 5 minutes walk away, and a model of how museums should be (from one who knows!). The prehistoric and Roman sections were very well-done, with paintings of daily activities to bring the exhibits to life.  There were also objects from San Milan de Cogolla and the Monasteries of Yuso and Suso, which are on my itinerary for later in the trip.

Looking out at the Rioja from Laguardia 

Diagram of subterranean wine cellars in Laguardia 

Roman central heating

Fragments of Roman wall paintings 

Terra Sigillata Hispanica - red samian ware 

Roman glass

Roman weaving

Carved wooden Christ from Suso Monastery and funerary Stella 

Panels of St Aemilian rescued from the old Suso Monastery 

16th century Spanish-Moorish tiles