Apr 5. Day 10. 29.0 km. Departed 0724 hours, arrived 1530 hours.
2 days of 28-29 km in a row is tough. We met and/or heard of two cases, a gal had to bus to the next stop and a young man was using two poles to slowly walk. Latter had been dashing off in the early stages. Keeping a pace that the body is not over stressed into muscle or tendon strain is important.
The walk today is through the countryside. It took us about 45-50 mins to get out of Logrono, typical for big cities.
This is the park on the way out of Logrono, into the countryside.
We passed a pedestrian tunnel where the grafitti was somewhat pleasing.
The large lake cum reservoir (Pantano de la Grajera). We saw a fisherman catch a fish as we passed by. Amazingly, as we entered this park, we saw squirrels, rabbits and a duck within immediate vicinity of each other!
You can just about spot the fishermen on the banks
It’s easy as the days go by, for the countryside landscapes to become indistinct from each other. One tactic I employ as I come across a great outdoor scenery is to imagine I am going to paint that exact scenery. I am not much of an artist, but going through this mentally and visually, I help my eyes pick up the layers, the randomness of nature and the various colors and hues. See whether this tactic works for you.
Love how the yellows adds that special touch to the outdoors.
This is the ruins of Hospital de San Juan de Acre, just before Navarette. The floor plan revealed a Romanesque Church with a Gothic semi-octagonal apse, unique in the Rioja.
Iglesia de La Asuncion is the jewel of Navarette. It contains one of the most stunning Baroque retablos in all of Spain. There is so much detail that one needs time and eye to appreciate. The central panel is the Assumption of the Virgin, which gives the Church its name.
The Virgin Mary and baby Jesus
A steady pace and serendipitous pause allowed us to spot this chestnut tree.
The distant clouds finally sprinkled some blessings on us, about 5km away from Najera for a km or so.
A view of the Najerilla river.
In this region, one has more options in terms of dorms and room sizes in the albergues!
It must be a pleasure to carry this backpack!
Both of us were starting to get chaffed thighs from our hiking pants. The inseam stitching rubs against our thighs as we walked hours in it. So, we switched to softer options.
TIP: The athletic work out pants (plus rainproof pants when it gets windy) worked out really great. It’s lighter too!!
We will rest early this evening and let our feet and joints recover.
Journey Within 