No Internet Thursday night in Los Arcos. EEKS! Perhaps a blessing in disguise? Visited this cathedral in Los Arcos. We'd been told it looks like Vatican City. Very ornate.
Another iconic experience on the Camino de Santiago is the wine fountain at the Monestary at Irache. Pilgrims can stop for a refreshing glass of red wine available from this fountain. It's a very popular stop!
We see a number of abandoned boot/shoes that have fallen off hikers' packs during the day. That would be a very disappointing surprise at the end of the day. Someone made the most out of this one.
At times we see other hikers along the trail, though they definitely spread out on the hills and toward the end of the day when folks are tired or have ouchies. We are soooooooooooooo thankful that Tenderfoot has no blisters this year! He covers his heels and forefoot with moleskin every morning. Brilliant! And the calf sleeves (for cramps) are a sexy fashion statement, don't you think?
We are hiking through and above the clouds today as we pass Villamayor de Monjardin. It's a bit damp, but no rain.
About five miles out of Los Arcos we met the Policia at a cafe. This officer is with Policia Foral the Statuatory Police, the main agency in Navarre Spain. He and his partner are enjoying a break and some donuts (a universal phenomonon!). In some cases the police are willing to let us take their pictures, however some are adamently opposed. Really adamently opposed. We just smile and say gracias. This guy was great!
Today is the nicest weatherwise. Warm enough, but still cloudy...those clouds are going to talk to us later...
We've walked past a few olive groves. They may need to plant another tree after we leave. We may be eating more than our share of the local olive oil. It's so good!
These red poppies grow wild everywhere along the trail and in many of the wheat fields.
Usually there are a few poppies in the wheat fields. This field is covered.
If you look closely (like with a magnifying glass) you can see the men working in this vineyard. They were yelling something up to us, but we couldn't understand it. Probably, "Are you people lost?"
Jeff on a portion of the trail along the road to Viana.
Veggie market in Viana. Look at the size of that tomato! The soil here is so fertile, gardens are abundant.
The facade of this cathedral is across from the outdoor table where we had lunch in Viana. The inside is torn down and awaiting renovation. We arrived at noon and discovered that no one will serve you lunch until 1 p.m. They are very strict about eating times here. We improvised by finding a mini market. We enjoyed several items...not sure what most of them were, but they were good and we were hungry. All part of the adventure!
This dapper gent has his groceries and bread and is headed home for the day. We see people every day carrying a large baguette like this one. Fresh bread is big in Spain.
We arrived in Logrono in the middle of a torrential rain, thunder and lightening storm! At least it was the end of the day, not the beginning! We have two days here. Thought we deserved a rest day after hiking 101 miles in the last 7 days.
