Our night at the Albergue last night was uneventful. We woke up and packed up our stuff. Our new friends from the cafe where we had our afternoon snack promised to make us a special breakfast. We headed there after leaving our Albergue. Upon arriving we were greeted as old friends. We ate a hearty breakfast and got ready to head out. Dan was not looking forward to the decent of the day, I was telling myself the “alto” of the day was going to be nothing but a small hill compared to what we had done already.
As we exited the city we began to see the famous Rioja Vineyards in the distance.
The houses we were passing along the road had small gardens of tomatoes, potatoes and more. For this city girl it was fun to finally see potatoes being grown.
The beginning of the trail ran along side of the highway for a bit. Their highways are clean and efficient. Soon we got further into the trail that separated from the road and got deeper into walking along the vines.
The beauty of the scenery continued to make the walk a pleasant one. We spent our time singing, talking and laughing. I designated that every mile I would take a five minute sit down break. This strategy proved to be helpful in the end.
During our second stop of the day we came across a food truck. Hard to believe that this lonely food truck in the middle of nowhere Spain could be such a popular spot for an impromptu social gathering.
We sat a bit and enjoyed refreshments while we spoke to other pilgrims. After getting our credentials stamped, we headed onward.
After passing a fork in the road we decided to take the road less traveled. Dan had figured out it would save us about 1/2 mile.
I was torn since heading the other direction was passing through a town. However less miles appealed to my feet.
As we walked for about an hour I did not feel good An my sweet husband sat with
me and made sure I hydrated.
When we hit the high spot of today’s walk I realized it was cake. It was not a straight incline, it was a rocky zig zag path that was better for me than other inclines we had faced. At the top we sat and admired the road behind us and ahead.
Sometimes in looking back where we came from makes me feel incredulous of our accomplishment. Looking ahead after seeing that has made me feel hopeful of the fact that the destination in the distant can be reached.
This is a valuable lesson. Sometimes back in our daily life we just get so caught up with living the day to day. We allow daily pressures to capture our minds and distract us from our goals.
I have heard so many people say, this is on my bucket list, some day I will do xyz. I can attest that some day for some people never comes. It is important to make it happen. Take the first step and move toward it.
Last year when life got in the way of letting me come back to the Camino I realized that we can allow our jobs, and excuses to rob us of opportunities. I am glad I planned, saved and made it happen.
This trip has been amazing. I am so glad Dan has shared this and we have so much more to experience.
As our destination approached, we enjoyed a picnic in he middle of the vineyard. Later on we came across a stone hut dating to the 1st century where legend has it Roland of El Cid game defeated a giant who was a descendent of Goliath.
Our last 2 miles included crossing a small foot bridge and a rest area. Dan sat for a while with me but I then sent him ahead. To ensure our last Albergue did not give away our room. While sitting for a while I had a lovely conversation with nice young woman from Germany, she told me her name is Nicole. She had a wonderful friendly demeanor and she greeted other pilgrims as they walked.
It looks like she is traveling with another woman that we saw filming earlier in the vineyards. She offered me some snacks but I declined. It did make me think that she is a kind generous person I would love to spend more time with. The ladies soon left me and I sat for a few more minutes stretching my feet and making sure I was ready for the last few steps.
As I walked into town, I noticed that the guide books were right, the town of Najerra has a very industrial entrance into it’s center. As you walk the last mile and a half, you see factory after factory. However what I found charming was that some of the homes in this path were charming large homes with beautiful rose gardens filling the air with my favorite scent.
One house in particular had a small hut set up with a water fountain where restless tired pilgrims could take a drink and grab shade from the sun.
As I walked away, the rain began to slowly fall again. The entrance into town was also not as charming as other cities and towns we have been in. I knew I was not in the old city but soon the view would change. As The rain got stronger I was having a challenging time finding the familiar markers that indicated the Camino.
As soon as I started to wonder the right way to go, a familiar tall handsome guy came into view with his dazzling smile.
Dan said he was afraid I would be lost so he walked to get me. Here he was again backtracking and putting me first. I am a lucky girl. I was enchanted with our Albergue last night. It was a delightful charming home decorated with antiques and memorabilia of pilgrims and more Camino adventures.
We walked around town and saw that Najarra’s old city is charming and is nestled along the banks of the city as we ate we heard the river in the background.
Tomorrow will be our last stop on the Camino. It is hard to think that for now we will leave it all behind.
We have met amazing people, we have grown so much together and have learned a ton about life and people.
Tomorrow one last adventure before we hit Madrid.
NY RedRose 