Camino Day 7 - Viana to Ventosa

Same routine as usual, up at 6:00 after a noisy night with the French snorers! We hope we won't meet them again. We had ordered breakfast the night before and so far it always been excellent. When we got downstairs we found coffee that had been made the night before, dirty and clean plates on the table, a packet of toast bread next to a toaster and a jug of milk. No one to clear the plates or make fresh coffee and we ate almost the last toast so very disappointing.
It was pouring with rain and we debated whether to set out or wait since we had planned only 23 km (14 miles) for today, but it did not look like stopping soon so we set out. My back felt better and I took my backpack with me and my new poncho.
The trail went out of Viana and down to one of the main highways, fairly flat and on farm roads. Most were fine but there were some places where the tractors had churned up the mud where it was very messy.
We passed a sign saying that we had now left Navarra and were entering the province of La Rioja. This is the most famous wine growing region of Spain and if the wine is even better than the wine we have enjoyed in Navarra we are in for a treat.
On our way into the city we saw a storks nest up on a tower. It looked rather forlorn in the rain.
We pushed on in the rain through the vineyards until we got to the outskirts of Logroño. This is the only the second city we have encountered in a week of walking and it feels almost strange to be walking through a city with the people hurrying about their business. By now the rain had almost stopped and we could see that the hills around we're covered in fresh snow. The temperature was still in the 40's F at our level so must have been below freezing higher up.
We walked through some rather industrial areas on our way into the town. We passed the cathedral and stopped to look inside. I was feeling much better today but it was quiet in the church with a smell of incense which made me very much aware of the reason for this pilgrimage, thanks for all the blessings I have received over 70 years and asked for continued strength on our journey.

Outside the church there are inlaid pictures of various religious themes done in stone. Here a few samples.

We had been on the road for about 2 hours and ready for a coffee at the next café. It came soon and we had a coffee and a snack to keep us going. By the time we came out the rain had stopped and we were able to take off our rain gear.
We kept walking through the city finding the Camino signs most of the time but occasionally being put right by local people before we even realized we had missed a sign, just like in Pamplona. I suppose they have been doing it for over 1,000 years and we are immediately recognizable.
Some nice statues of pilgrims in a local square.

As we left the city we walked through a park area - a fuente - a drinking fountain. We find these everywhere in different designs and configurations. We have been told that they are safe to drink but I have not trusted it yet. I always start the day with enough water to last me for the day but it has to be carried and a full days supply on the hot days adds quite a lot of weight to carry. So far I have only run out once but most of the days have been cool. Our backpacks on the bench behind

As we continued on the trail alongside the freeway people had made crosses and attached them to the fence next to a wood processing factory.
We passed a vineyard with this pile of no not potatoes but stones in a corner! As I looked closer I saw that the soil was full of round stones like these. I am not a geologist and I would be interested to know how they are formed - glaciers during an ice age or water perhaps?

Our goal for the day was a town called Navarette to make a total for the day of 23 km (14 miles). On our way in to the town we passed the ruins of an old pilgrim hospital named "St Joan of Arc".

The town is built on the side of a hill and surrounded by vineyards.

We climbed up to the top of the town looking for an Albergue for the night. It was still only 12:30 and the Albergue did not open until 2:00pm. Next door was a café and they offered omelette and similar food which caught our appetites. It is the first time that we have actually had more than a sandwich for lunch and we enjoyed it. As we discussed our plans we agreed to go further today. We all felt fit and the next Albergue was in about 11 km (7 miles) so I made a phone call to make sure we could spend the night there since it was then too far to go to the one after that if they were full. The man who answered then phone only spoke French and Spanish so I had to dig deep for my French learned more than 50 years ago and he confirmed they would keep space for us.

This is one of the signs in the pavement showing the Camino trail. You follow the nose of the shell unless there is an arrow pointing the other way - all very obvious!

Off we went and after passing a graveyard with a very fancy entrance we left the town of Navarette and in about 2 hours were in Ventosa. We got to the Albergue just as they were starting to turn people away since they were full so it was good that I had called and reserved. At that moment the noisy snoring Frenchmen were just checking in and we were afraid that we would end up in the same room as them again, but fortunately we have a different room for tonight.
It is a nice Albergue with a friendly common room and heating so we will be comfortable even if the beds are close together without much space to put anything in between and no proper ladders to the upper bunks which we all have.
Since I wrote the above we have discovered that many of the " pilgrims" here are "tourist pilgrims" who have their luggage transported every day and take the bus from Albergue to Albergue. The Peregrinos dinner is usually a community meal, even if it is in a restaurant, at big tables all eating at the same time. Tonight it was at tables of two or four and many of the tourists showed up as late as 8:00 pm for the 6:30 meal! Also they were allocated all the lower bunks "on request" when it is first come basis for normal pilgrims. We hope we don't encounter this again!
Here is our room for tonight. 8 people and almost no room to put anything. The tourists have the lower bunks, we are all upper without a ladder!

The building from the back. We have the room upstairs with 2 windows

Dinner included a bottle of good Rioja wine. It was not really enough for the three of us so I asked how much a second bottle would cost. €4. In a restaurant? It must have come from the Fuente de Vino, but it was delicious.
Both Werner and Josef have bad colds from the weather and the unheated Albergues but the weather is supposed to improve over the next few days and we will stop at a pharmacy in Nájera tomorrow on our way through to get some medicine. It will be May 1 holiday but we were told one of the three would be open.
Today's total of 30 km brings us to 189 km total or 19 miles and a total of 123 miles, all on foot in the last 7 days. We think it is pretty good since much of it was in the Pyrenees. We are slightly ahead of our schedule so are very pleased with out progress so far.

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