Walking Day 8:
30 kilometers
40,605 steps

Today was a very nice day. There was no threat of rain, and there were a few intermediate towns allowing us places to rest, get food, or explore a bit. (But we seldom feel as if we have time to explore intermediate towns on days where the overall distance is great.)

Time is a bit short today so I’ll keep my comments brief. Tomorrow is a shorter day to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, at only 21.5 kilometers, so I should have time to get everything up to date…we shall see.

Before we move forward to this day, here is a picture I finally got of the group with whom I walked on the first day over the Pyrenees as we just crossed the France-Spain border. We had quite the multinational group with people from Spain, Australia, Denmark, Germany, and the United States. It was raining off and on and fairly cold, but we were happy to have only about 8 kilometers more to Roncesvalles:

As we left Logroño, we go through a long park, and then on to a reservoir. A way marker on the sidewalk as we are near the end of the city of Logroño.

An older way marker with the newer stylized Logroño local graphic nearing the reservoir:

And the reservoir, big and blue, like the sky today.

Soon we are in the vineyards of La Rioja. We shall see vineyards for several days. LA Rioja is a major wine producer in northern Spain. The Bierzo Valley, which we shall walk through for three days between the hill at La Cruz de Fero and that of O’Cebreiro, is another major wine producing region in northern Spain. I have been told that the grapes grown in the two regions are very different, and produce different wines.

In the town of Viana, population about 4000, is this massive church. The inside is very impressive:

How can a town of 4000 support this church…partly the pilgrims that come through, and partly because it serves not only the town but the region. It is a stunning church,dating back several hundred years.

We took a diversion to get away from the highway on an alternate Camino path to a small town of Ventosa. On the way, we are in vineyards…long, long rows of grapes.

The church Iglesia San Saturnino in Ventosa is supposed to be quite striking. It was locked when we climbed the hill to have a look. We were disappointed, but at least the diversion was only about an additional 1.5 kilometers, and we were away from the highway.

More vineyards and rich landscapes as far as we can see. It is a difficult walk, but the scenery is uplifting.

Then we climbed a very rocky pass between two hills to get on the plateau to get to Nájera.  Not much more to see after that. The path into Nájera was rocky and through some tedious industrial areas. It was uninspiring, but we finally got to Nájera.

A Camino way marker on the sidewalk in Nájera. We crossed the bridge and entered the rather nice old city. A very long day with a tedious ending. The weather was very good and the town inviting us to relax and rest up for the next day.

Next: A shorter day Nájera to Santa Domingo de la Calzada