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Logrono to Navarrete - Bookends and Fiestas

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A Roman road by the old city wall runs past the front door of the Municipal Albergue in Navarrete. A Hospitalero friend was volunteering there so I decided to drop by.  The visit was a way of bookending my travels, at least informally helping out where I could, and revisiting my time as a hospitalero a couple of months back. We had a diverse bunch of pilgrims - all kinds, believe me, all kinds. I was grateful to be involved again.  Timing was perfect - a significant town festival and the feast day of Santiago happened while I was there! It was worth the walk - 12 kms west from Logrono.  Farewell Wine-derful Hostel! Hello Rioja grapes! The Camino is dotted with ruins of medieval buildings of respite and rehabilitation. Navarrete came into view, perched above surrounding vineyards and grain crops. The locals were keen to tell me this is festival time. I was thrilled too! The first night there was a community dinner. The following day on the Feast of Santiago,  there wa...
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Castro Urdiales to Logrono - The French (Re)connection

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Time to say goodbye to the seascapes of the Camino del Norte and reconnect with the Camino Frances. Logrono was the ideal point, and the cosy Winederful Hostel was the perfect place to stay. Castro Urdiales was clear and silent in my predawn walk to the bus station. Breakfast on the way was delicious. Farewell beach! The bus trip retraced my footsteps. Looking out going the other way felt satisfying. By lunchtime I had reached Logrono. Located in the heart of the Rioja region, there are monuments to wine and wine-makers. As well as the usual stuff. Sancho was impressed!. There is a sophisticated mix of modern and classic architecture.  Along with vibrant artistic and cultural elements, especially for devotees of St Dominic and miraculous chickens (see Chat GPT for more detail - if you are’game’). There are Michelin restaurants, Guitalele was in awe at the size of their wine bottles. Along with the scenic bridges and Beatle-free zebra crossings.  The only drawback was the weath...
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Portugalete to Castro Urdiales - Rapture, rigours and relaxation

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‘The sun also rises’ - Hemingway’s main character in this book, Jake Barnes put it so well: ‘You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.’ This walk proved it. It had everything, and at the end, I was still beside myself - relieved, somewhat exhausted, satisfied and even joyful. The initial path from Portugalete was paved with tar and cement, freeway vistas and to my bewilderment, a tribute to cyclists. At least the route was reasonably flat and I made good progress. Other peregrinos appeared - a school group with a guiding teacher. I reached the beach at La Arena and felt I was back on the Camino del Norte. The coastal vistas are inspiring - I glimpsed Castro Urdiales in the distance. There is a donkey on the cliff edge - oceanside!  And around the corner, two cows in close conversation - ‘Come on Thelma, let’s jump . . No Louise …Why not? … I can’t swim’. Just like Butch and Sundance. Enter at your own risk!  I did, and emerged to this. Which way to ...
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