Slogging My Way to Logroño

Final notes on Wednesday night. . . 

A new saint was found last night, Ste. Elizabeth of Germany. She is now the Patron Saint of Massages. She gave me a great back and neck rub at the albergue last night for only 15 Euros, well worth it inded! 

Julie from Canada and Ste. Michelle cooked a spaghetti dinner for 12 of us after shopping for provisions with Jean Pierre of France, as if you couldn't tell. At the table were people from France, America, Canada, Spain and Germany, great times. 

Good local red Spanish wine made me sleep soundly. It rained this evening, I hope it doesn't last.

STAGE 7

Los Arcos to Logroño 27.8 km/17.3 miles 6 hours and 22 minutes

Total Distance Walked 163.9 km/101.9 miles Total Time Walked 46 hours and 24 minutes

Distance to Santiago de Compostela 634.7 km/394.4 miles

I'm really into a groove now. My plan is physically and mentally easy for me. I get up at about 6:00 a.m., eat some breakfast and drink a liter of water. At the crack of dawn, about 7:00 a.m. in northern Spain at this time of the year, I'm on the road. I walk for two hours, take a five minute break to eat and rest and then start another two hour cycle. I keep going like this until I reach the day's goal city.

What I like about this plan is that I get about 17 or 18 straight hours in our new town to relax until I start the process over again. It works for me and, after all, this is my Camino.

A few mileposts today, it is the end of my first week on the Camino, only 26 days to go!!! Today I also cracked the 100 mile barrier on the Camino. . . I walked 100 miles??? Is that possible?

About 2 km from the town of Viana, it started to rain heavily for about 30 minutes. My poncho, which could double as an illegal weight cutting device for wrestlers, came in handy. My only real problem during this storm was that the mud and hay combination turned my shoes into two 8 Lbs. adobe bricks after ten minutes. About 360 years ago, if Junipero Serra had seen these two perfect adobe bricks, he would have lovingly whipped a Chumash Indian to pick them up and use them for the cornerstone of the Mission San Buenaventura!

Lots of farmland and vineyards today, Logroño is wine country.

Logroño, population 145,000, is also where I first heard about the Camino two years ago when Joe Mollica, Laurie and I stayed here on our way to the running of the bulls in Pamplona. Who would have thought then that I'd be walking the Camino today? 

I had a great, ice cold caña (beer), sandwich and killer patatas bravas while waiting for the rest of my "Camino Family" to arrive in Logroño. We all made it to town, so we'll be off to a tapas bar to replenish our souls soon.

VIVA ESPAÑA!!!

BUEN CAMINO!!!