Logroño → Nájera
Distance: 18.57 miles / 29.8km
Elevation: +1465ft, -1200ft
I woke up around 6:20am this morning and took my time getting ready. It was so nice to not wake up to other people packing their things, and then feeling behind because other people were getting ready to leave while you were still sleeping. When Tovin booked my hotel for me last night, he also bought me breakfast for this morning. They didn't start serving until around 7am, which is around when I normally leave, so took my time getting ready.
Right at 7am, I went down and got some food to eat. I had an espresso with milk, orange juice, some fruit, sliced meat, a slice of tortilla, and a sunny-side-up egg with some bread. It was a very filling and good breakfast. I checked out and left the hotel around 7:30am, which is later than I normally get going for the day.
For the first bit of the walk, it was walking through town and leaving Logroño. The hotel I had stayed was towards the entrance of the town, meaning it was a longer walk out of town. I walked alone for the morning, passing through the city and a big park on the outskirts of town. Eventually, at around the 3 mile mark, I made it out of town.
After getting out the city, there were lots of rolling hills and plains and it was beautiful. It was about 8 miles to the next town - it was a very nice morning and a nice walk. Finally, I made it to Navarrete, the town after Logroño. I stopped at a cafe and drank some water, stretched, massaged my feet, and went to the bathroom. The shoes I brought from home (REI Altra Lone Peak 9s) are really nice, but are meant to be barefoot trail runners and don’t have much padding - you really start to feel sore when you walk on rocks or pavement for a long time.
All things considered, I was feeling really good at Navarrete, so I didn’t take a long break. Even though my knee and ankles were hurting a bit, I still felt really good and managed to keep a really good pace for the next stretch. I walked at a less than 20-minute/mile pace for a while, and I was passing people left and right which I don’t normally do. I’m not sure why the walk was feeling so good today but I really felt like I was flying through it.
I kept up the pace for another 5 or so miles until I got to the next town, Ventosa. Ventosa was at the 12 mile mark, and it was where I had planned on arriving for the day and then reassessing to see whether I felt like I had it in me to go to the next town (6 miles away). Although I was tired, I was still feeling really good at Ventosa. I sat at a cafe and rolled out my feet and just rested for about 30 minutes. I was about ready to start walking again, when I ran into my friend, Adrian. I delayed my return to the trail, and talked to her for another 10 minutes before I got going again.
For the next 3ish miles after my break, I was feeling really good and flying past people. However, the sun was blazing at this point and the moderately hilly route today was doing a number on my knees. I started to slow down a bit, and by the time I was around mile 15, I really started to drag.
Right when I needed it, I came across a fridge on the path that was for pilgrims, and in it there was water, soda, beers, and popsicles (in the United States, many hikers call this "trail magic" but in Spain, it is more commonly called "hospitalidad"). I grabbed a popsicle and it gave me enough energy to keep going. Also along the path for much of today were huge grape vineyards. Myself and many other pilgrims had some grapes as a snack.
Finally, at around 2:15pm, I started walking into the city of Nájera. The albergue I’m staying in is towards the end of the city, so I walked through most of the city and I’m glad I chose to stay in the old town - the first part of town I walked through looked a little sketchy. The last half mile or so was really exhausting but I finally made it to the hostel.
I got a bed (bottom bunk!) and then sat for a bit and unwound. I eventually showered, did laundry, and then rested a little bit longer before walking around town. About 5 minutes away from where I’m staying is a river, and along the river is a number of cafes and restaurants. I walked along there and ran into Adrian again. She convinced me to get a knee brace after saying she got one, and it was a huge help. I went to a pharmacy around the corner where a very nice employee fitted me and got me a brace that provided some much needed support.
I then went to one of the cafes along the water where I got half of a tuna salad sandwich and a beer since I was quite hungry, but it was only about 4pm and not dinner time yet. As I was eating, another fellow pilgrim (Jack, a late-middle aged anesthesiologist from Cincinnati) started talking to me, and we ended up chatting for about an hour and a half. We made plans to meet back up at 7:30pm for dinner, so I went back to my albergue in the meantime. I did some stretching, talked to Tovin on the phone for a bit, and checked on my laundry. Around 7:20pm I walked back over to where Jack and I agreed to meet for dinner.
For dinner, we each got a hamburger. Mine had lettuce, tomato, ham, cheese, and a runny egg - it was so good! We got an order of fries to split and each got a beer. It was fun to have dinner with someone new and to get to know others doing the Camino.
On my way back to the albergue, I ran into another friend (Liz from Bristol) and she was watching this folk dance rehearsal going on in the square. We chatted for a bit and watched the dance group, who also were using castanets (hand percussion instruments). After watching for awhile, we went our separate ways. Once I got back to the albergue, I put my laundry away, used a washcloth to wipe off my shoes and clean them as best I could, and then get ready for sleep.
I was about to get in bed around 9:30pm but kept remembering stuff I wanted to do before bed, so I didn't end up laying down around 10pm. I spent some time journaling and texting Tovin, and then finally went to sleep.
