Day 13. Viana to Navarette - 24 km.

It was hard to leave Viana because it was their fiesta weekend celebrating La Señora de Nieves.  The plaza was packed in the evening, a concert to start at 11 pm! Children and families crowded the plaza.  We had dinner near the plaza and were chatting up with some pilgrims.  

  

  

We started at 7 a.m. and arrived at about 3:30.  We were off to a good start enjoying the cool morning.  However when we got to Logrono we stopped first to eat our wonderful whole grain bread before entering the city.  With cheese and Pamplona chorizo, the bread was tasty.  Spain is killing us with white bread.  The whole grain bread we bought as we were leaving Viana was the first whole grain bread we found in Spain.

We saw the cathedral, ran into the two girls from Texas who we had met in the hostels several times.  One worked for American Airlines and they were ending their trip in Lagrono  and heading home.  We are meeting so many people from all over and unfortunately it is hard to remember everyone's names.  Some are very uncommon names which makes it even harder to remember.

This is Maritza from Turks and Caicos.  She has a bad back so not sure how far she can walk daily.  She and her husband have rented a house in Pamplona and evey day her husband drops and picks her up on the trail.  We have run into her a few times and she has a teddy bear on her pack and so she is easy to remember.  Her son gave her the bear for good luck.  Today, she said she still did not have a name for the bear.  I suggested Santiago, of course, but she said that name reminded her of someone she wasn't fond of.  I suggested Iago and that is now the bear's name!

She walked only to Logrono today because she had to pack and move out of Pamplona to another rental farther out to her next stage of walking.

  

             Before getting out of Logrono we made another stop as Dick was getting sleepy so we stopped for coffee and sweets.  

Walking out of town was a long walk through a trail the city folks also use as their running, bicycling and walking trails.  Since it was a Saturday, it was busy with families biking with their kids.  This was the first camino trail we were on that was also being used by the community for their recreational space.  The camino also headed to the park where music was playing and then to a lake where people were feeding a whole lot of huge carp fish.  It was very scenic with the bridge, ducks and swans swimming!

It was a long, hot day and we were exhausted by the time we got to the hotel.  My backpack was not there and our landlord traced it to the Alburgue.  I had written the wrong place to send it to.  I am carrying only a day pack with a water bottle, camera, IPad, rain gear, guide book and food.  For 5 euros my backpack is sent on to our next stop.  The service is great.  It is difficult enough to walk with a light pack and I am not ready to make it harder by carrying a heavier pack.