Days 11 – 13: Sansol – Viana – Navarette

Day 11
The walk from Sansol to Viana was a very leisurely 12kms. I ran into Ineke, a pilgrim from Port Augusta whom I had met in Saint Jean, so we walked together and caught up on the last few weeks. Our early start was rewarded when we arrived at our destination of Viana by 10:30am. There was nothing to do but to enjoy a few cold beers in the plaza overlooking the cathedral! I had heard that we are supposed to drink beer everyday after walking to replenish minerals lost in our sweat, so we thought it very important to look after our health. We tried our hardest to keep the smirks off our faces as pilgrims walked past, with another 10kms to go to the next town.

We were joined by Inga, an Austrian cougar of indeterminable age who terrified both of us, as well as every male who walked past. Kathryn, whom I had met previously, also joined us; she is a former private investigator and crime novelist from Oklahoma who shares a similar taste in books to myself.

We followed this up with an afternoon of shopping; I bought a very glamorous (read: hideous) pair of hiking sandals.

The albergue in town was fine, but it was very unfortunate that the mattresses and pillows were covered in a lino-like plastic, which was not particularly pleasant for the hot night ahead.

Upon leaving Viana, we found out that one of the Borgias was buried in town, and we were so involved in our sangria and tapas that we missed it! Ho hum.

Fashion. I wear them with socks too

Day 12
Today was one of the hardest days of walking yet. It was 24km from Viana to Navarette in over 30 degree heat. I walked with Ineke, and we agreed that we would have passed out on the side of the road if we weren’t together! We left at 4:45am, and stopped in Logrono for delicious breakfast. It seemed to be a beautiful city, and because the cottonwood trees were in bloom it looked like everything was covered in snow.

Most of the walk was on a concrete path through industrial/city areas; it is so different to what we are used to, and was very hard on the feet and legs. It was also much less motivating without beautiful scenery! We collapsed on a bench and were having a laugh (bordering hysterical) at how much we were struggling when a kind Spanish gentleman who was walking by reminded us that it is a very, very long way to Santiago. Cheers.

I was so relieved when we could finally see Navarette ahead of us, although I was wishing it wasn’t on a hill. We saw a sign saying seven minutes to an albergue which put a spring in our steps. Twenty minutes later we were still hobbling along when we saw a sign saying it was only another three minutes. Fifteen minutes later, at 1:30pm, we found a hotel and decided to stay – I’m not sure if we were walking much, much slower than the average pilgrim or if the albergue is a myth.

Regardless, I am a very, very happy little walker, as Ineke and I decided to split a room in a nice hotel. There is not a lino bed in sight.

Impressive local gardens

Logrono

Day 13
I had very good intentions for a solid day of walking today, I really did. However, after a twelve hour sleep and delicious breakfast, it was decided that we couldn’t bear to part with our lovely hotel room, so decided to explore the sights of Navarette. There is a cathedral, a bar lined plaza and a lookout, and not much else; I now know the three pretty well.

This afternoon we had a real taste of Spain; when the air conditioning stopped working, Ineke, a Spanish speaker, went to ask about it at reception. The girl at the desk said simply “I’m not sure why it’s not working, but at least it’s not too hot”, and that was that. We laughed ourselves silly.

After a day of rest and sangria I’m feeling a little sad at the prospect of leaving tomorrow. All of this walking really is starting to interrupt my camino lifestyle.

Navarette