Navarrete to Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Day 10 Navarrete to Najera (16 kms)

A misty, moisty morning and we have our rain jackets on and off from the start.  As the wind gets up, we decide to leave them on, as much for warmth as protection from the misty rain.  We are carrying a bit of extra water today as there are apparently no fonts between here and Najera.  The Camino has been rerouted through the village of Ventosa which is a bonus for those peregrinos who have not yet had breakfast.  The first of two bars on the main (only!) street is doing a roaring trade…the second one is empty…Location!  Location!



The way ahead



For much of the day the trail runs parallel to the main N120 highway.  We digress temporarily to climb a rocky pathway lined with many cairns…a tradition is for pilgrims to bring a stone from home to place on a cairn here.  We don’t have a stone from home but we find one to place anyway.

Here we also find a sheltered spot for elevenses and boil the billy before heading to the top of Alto de San Anton where we can see the sprawl of Najera, still 7 kms away, and the flat-topped hill called Poyo de Roldan, said to be the stone thrown by Roland to kill the giant, Ferragut.  Closer to town, we are caught in yet another brief, heavy shower of rain.  This time a picnic area with rotunda is nearby and we sit out the rain here while having a drink and snack. 

Waymarking into Najera is not good and pot luck is required to some extent.  Once again our hotel is right on the Camino and we find it with no trouble at all on the banks of the Rio Najerilla.

After the now traditional rest period and shower, we go for a walk and are entertained by a band of wandering minstrels…totally disorganised, alternately playing and chatting with passers by, but somehow providing  continuous entertainment on various brass and wind instruments as they stroll along.

With some difficulty, and no thanks to the street signage, we find the albergue to have our Credentiale stamped.  Here we meet Lauren, our Canadian friend, and together we search for the supermarket, which we walk straight past on the first run.  Sometime later, having retraced our steps, there it is!

Lauren recommends the Meson El Bueno Yattara for dinner and we enjoy the Menu de Peregrinos (€8.50) and the genial service.

Day 11 Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada (22 kms)

Breakfast today is most unsatisfactory!  Partaken in the dimly lit hotel cafeteria, no tables are set, and there is a very limited choice of sweet pastries.  We can choose one pastry each to have with a glass of orange juice and a cup of tea or coffee.  We have to request butter and jam…one of each is provided for us to share.  When we have the temerity to ask for another pastry AND another cup of tea and coffee, much banging of crockery and coffee machine ensues, so we don’t dare ask for more butter and jam!

Exit Najera in the shadow of the imposing red cliffs which have numerous man-made caverns carved out – goodness knows how they are accessed, or for what purpose.  The birds love the nesting opportunities. 



Lamb transfer



As we walk along the gravel road, we are passed by a small white van with lambs bouncing around in the back.  We round a curve in time to see it pull into a field beside another small white van.  From Van 2, we estimate somewhere between 12 and 15 lambs are transferred into the back of Van 1 to join those already there.  There would have been no bouncing when that van hit the road!!



Balloning on Sunday



As we continue towards the village of Azofra, a hot air balloon drifts into sight.  It disappears for a time as we walk through a cutting, but as we emerge, we see it poised over the village and watch as it makes a perfect landing in a nearby field, basket upright!  We continue along a dirt lane and pass a rollo…variously described as a boundary stone, a pillar used to hang villains, and a cross.  Rolling wheat fields, now mostly ploughed, on either side of the trail before the gentle climb to a picnic ground with concrete recliner ‘lounges’ where we boil the billy and enjoy the passing parade of peregrinos, and the company of Gunther and Hilde, probably for the last time as we are planning a rest day tomorrow.

Feet up!



The ‘resort’ village of Cirinuela is built virtually on top of the original village of Ciruena.  Cirinuela boasts a magnificent golf course, palatial club house, a complex with swimming pool, tennis courts, playgrounds, gymnasium and other sporting facilities, alongside many townhouse style condominiums.  Shortly after passing through Ciruena, we catch sight of the spire of the cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada.  Entering the town precinct, we meet a party of men, one of whom is totally blind.  He walks behind a friend and is guided by a strap.  What an achievement!  They are enjoying a celebratory wine before meeting up with ‘the missus’ or three in town.

We find the albergue for our stamp and a map of the town, and again find our hotel almost right on the Camino.  Our host is a genial fellow who speaks no English at all.  We manage most of the ‘check in’ without incident…room key, internet, breakfast, etc…but he phones his son, who speaks English, to ask us whether we want 2 beds or one big one!

A variation on the Menu de Peregrinos tonight…Pizza Espagnol with beer and cider in a bar with only locals and no-one who speaks English…being Sunday night, families are out and about – the adults inside mostly drinking coffee while the kids play in the street outside. 

Day 12 Rest Day – Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Who is Santo Domingo?  Briefly, Dominic Garcia spent his whole life assisting pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela.  Around 1039 he built a bridge over the Rio Oja so pilgrims wouldn’t have to wade through the river.  He also built a hospital and a church and ultimately retired as a hermit near to where the city would be built to his memory.  He is the patron saint of road, canal and port engineers, senior citizens and gerontologists.

A sleep in today, a delicious, leisurely breakfast, a visit to the lavanderia (laundromat), and a tour of the Cathedral filled in the morning.  A charge is made to enter the cathedral and museum area – peregrinos and those over 65 get a cheaper rate, so we qualified on two accounts – and is good value for money.  We spend some time exploring the rooftop and the crypt as well as the cathedral proper.  This is where a pair of white chickens is kept in the church as a reminder of a miracle. They are well cared for and are exchanged for a fresh pair every 15-18 days.

A young pilgrim travelling to Santiago with his parents caught the eye of a barmaid. When her advances were rejected, she put some silver in his bag and reported it stolen.  The young pilgrim was apprehended and strung up on the gallows.  The parents prayed and continued to Santiago.  On their return journey, they were surprised to find him still alive with Santo Domingo supporting his feet.  They went to the judge who had just sat down to a meal of roast chicken and couldn’t be bothered with them.  He said that if the boy was innocent, the chicken on his plate would sit up and crow…and it did!!



Lunch



After this uplifting experience, we find our way to an open bar for a coffee and lunch snack of specialite locale Tortilla Rellena…a potato frittata split in half and filled with tuna, peppers, cheese, cucumber, sour cream, and maybe a couple of other things, with sour cream and peppers on top.  Quite yummy!  The afternoon is spent catching up on blogs and generally resting before the next three days which are apparently quite tough.

Dinner sees a return to Menu de Pereginos and a relatively early night ready for an early start tomorrow.