We originally scheduled a rest day in Logrono but cancelled it so we could change two long days of walking into three shorter days. It all turned out for the better, but Logrono tugged at us. We instantly loved it and we would have enjoyed a full day of discovery.
Why Are You Walking?
Not long after entering the city we were stopped by a man and a group of young people who turned out to be visiting students from Sweden. He asked us if the students could speak to us and of course we said, “Yes!” We both knew what was coming – why are you walking the Camino?
The City of Logrono
The Camino de Santiago navigates right through the city of Logrono, twisting and turning this way and that. We decided to take our time. We visited the city’s two cathedrals and they were stunning. I love the art and the history of centuries old cathedrals.
We had coffee and juice in the plaza, we walked along the river and enjoyed a picnic lunch in the park with our shoes off. A good walk from Viana to Logrono – through orchards and vineyards – and a lovely couple of hours in Logrono and then…
Blister from Hell
All of the walking Abi and I do – and we walk a lot – I never, ever, get blisters. Wouldn’t you know it?! On Day eight I grew a small blister, which I cleaned, treated and from Viana to Logrono had no problem with it. Poof! From Logrono to Naverette it morphed into the blister from hell. Yes, I took a picture but I’m thinking most of you don’t want to see it so I’ll spare you the graphic details.
I added a pound of poor pitiful me to my backpack as it was the very last thing I thought I’d have to deal with, and I hobbled into Navarette. I’m not a power through the pain kind of girl. Nope. I don’t do pain.
No Shoe, No Walk
This morning, day 10, I could not put on my shoe – let alone walk – so we called for a taxi and rode to our next planned destination, Najera. First thing we did was head to the farmacia to buy Compeed medicated patches and a Compeed preventative stick.
It was then that I asked myself what would PollyAnna do? We decided to give ourselves permission to skip the 10 miles (without guilt or regret) and enjoyed the day. We sat at a riverside cafe and had lunch, followed by an hour well-spent exploring The Monastery of Santa Maria la Real, which was incredible.
More Shoes?!
Believe it or not I’ve purchased yet another pair of shoes, open-heeled hiking sandals, so I can walk. It was either that or spend the next few days hanging out in Najera. Tomorrow, we will get back on the trail and I will give it my best shot. At some point though, I’ve got to give away a pair of shoes as this is getting ridiculous!
April 20, 2015
Day 9
We walked 15 miles
Highest elevation: 1,800′
April 21, 2015
Day 10
Today we rested
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Well the blister sucks, but stopping to just enjoy is wonderful. The scenery is gorgeous. I love your “interview” as a good model for the students. At the rate I hike this walk might take a lifetime.
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Oh, Gaelyn, I am a turtle and would love to slow down even more, but I don’t want to be doing this for the next 3 months! 😉
Pati, another pair of shoes? I hope this nasty blister will not stop you for long. Lovely pictures of Logrono.
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Ridiculous, isn’t it?! The new open heel sandals carried me about 13 miles today though. Tomorrow I will try again to put on a shoe. We just keep trekking each day as best we can! Thanks for continuing to read and support us.
Yes, I know blisters. So I am glad you and your new friend?? took a day off. Good luck on the next day. I may do a drive the Camino sometime. Is that possible??/ Linda
You can’t drive on most of the trails, but we do walk a lot of farm roads and you can drive to each of the villages by highway/roadways. Some of them are just minutes apart by car. There are many options for the Camino. There are companies that will transport your packs each day and there are tours that will drop you off and pick you up each day, depending on how far you want to walk.
The blister made it possible for you to stop for a bit and enjoy the town. That’s a good thing.
I told Abi the same thing. If I had not gotten the blister we would have walked and most days we reach our accommodations and just crash, so we probably would not have seen the monastery and it would have been our loss. Although, this blister business sucks, so… 😉
Im curious – with all the energy you put out during the walking – how do you meet the energy needed when meeting people? Is it tiring or do their presence energize you ?
The answer is both. There are days when I’m so tired and feeling so beat up – such as the blister from hell day – I have no energy to give to anyone else, and then there are days when it’s nice to just walk along with someone for a while. Except going up a particularly steep hill, that takes all of my energy and I can’t talk. A lot of people go out at night – in the villages – cafes and such, but we’re usually in bed fairly early. We started out on day 1 with a good core group of people and we would catch up or follow up behind them each day and it was fun to see them, but we took a rest day and they moved forward so we don’t see them. People come and go every day. It just depends on how much energy you want to put out there.
Discretion is the better part of valor. Ouch. I hope the new shoes work for you.
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Agreed. We have no regrets, no way I could have walked. I did walk today. We just take each day as it comes.
I just found you after someone shared your adventure on Twitter! I’ve caught up with you now and am excited to see what this experience will bring to you next. My husband and I are talking about doing this one day. Although maybe bringing a friend with the same shoe size would be better! Do you plan to walk with your husband the whole time or maybe meet up at the end of the day sometimes?
So glad you found us, Jayne! My husband and I plan to walk together, we do not have the same stride/pace but we stay in eye contact with each other. I need his emotional support throughout the day and it’s more rewarding for us to experience this together. Thanks for reading!