Santo Domingo

I left Ciruena early in order to get to Santo Domingo in plenty of time to tour the church museum and possibly go to Mass. I arrived at 8:30, had a coffee and was able to attend mass in the little chapel beside the church. Afterwards, I went to the entrance to the cathedral museum to find, to my delight, it was open. I spent two hours learning about Santo Domingo and his dedication and devotion to improving the physical route for the pilgrims. Born in 1019, he came from humble surroundings and is said to have been a giant among men. He built a pilgrim hospital, now a Parador, and a church which has evolved over the years into a cathedral. Both are situated in the Plaza del Santo, and like many religious structures have been renovated over the centuries, therefore combining many architectural styles. I was so happy to have had the opportunity to wander the winding streets of this ancient town. Just before I made my way back onto the trail, I decided to get some cash out of one of the ATM's on the main street. I happened to run into three other pilgrims I had met the day before and was chatting with them. I got my money and off I went, wishing them "buen Camino"!

My intent was to walk to walk to Viloria de la Rioja where I had heard there was a really great alburgue. I passed Casteldelgado for the last 5km to Viloria del a Rioja, population 70. When I arrived an hour later, I found myself in a ghost town. The tiny village had only one place to stay....which turned out to be closed for the weekend. Rotten luck for me as by then I was tired, my feet ached and I was ready to stop. There was nothing else to do but to turn around and go back to Casteldelgado where I ended up staying in a hotel by the side of the road. What I didn't know was that it was a truck stop and frequented mostly by men. I had dinner in the restaurant and made my way up to my room only to find I was being followed by a spaniard with ulterior intentions! Apparently it is not unheard of for "ladies of the evening" to frequent these places. Somehow I must have pulled off this look but heaven only knows how he could reach that conclusion given my pilgrim appearance. Despite all this, I had a good sleep in a room by myself in a real bed with sheets and a shower with real towels. Lovely. When I woke up, I decided not to have breakfast but to just make a start. I went to reception to pay my bill, opened my wallet to find that my bank card was not there. I remembered at that point how I was talking with the pilgrims at the ATM in Sto. Domingo and realised I must have left it there. I did not panic (what is the point in that?) I went into the bar and ordered a coffee and to ponder what I should do about this. What were the chances that someone would have turned it in to the bank? Pretty good, I thought as it is exactly what I would do if I saw a bank card left behind. I decided to find out if there was a bus back to Sto. Domingo and see. I had to wait an hour for the bus but it took only 10 min to get there (it would have taken 2-3 hours to walk). I got to the bank, and while I was waiting in line, I prayed that my journey was not for nothing, but knew whatever happened, I would be fine. My turn. I asked the man if he spoke English, he said no. I attempted to explain why I was there and he asked me if my name was Jennifer. I was thrilled! I showed him my passport and he handed over my bank card. Back to the bus station to find out that I had 2 hours to wait so I went back to the cathedral for a quick visit, had a cafe con leche in the sunshine, and got the bus back to Casteldelgado, where I had begun that morning. All was well. Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery and today is a gift - that is why itis called the present -- unknown

Ciruena (pronounced: theer-wen-ya)

Whenever you stay at a really nice alburgue, it seems inevitable that the next one will be.......interesting, to say the least. When I got to this town, it was as if there was no one living there. I followed the signs to the hostel, and after walking 26k, was really hoping it was open. It was. The hospitalier spoke no English and it appeared I was the first guest. He barked out the rules, in Spanish of course and I had to work out a vague translation - he pointed to the toilets and said "pee pee and po po". Okay, he was trying to communicate..it was hard not to laugh. Dinner was at 8:00 for 7€ and breakfast was included in the 13€ fee. I looked around at the simple, but clean surroundings and decided to stay. Just then, Burt from Tazmania, who i met on the road earlier, came in and I was relieved to know I wasn't alone (this was before I knew how much he snores!). Anyway, I asked the man if I could get something to eat...was there a cafe/bar in town? He shouted at me, pointing at his watch and holding up 4 fingers, indicating the bar closed at that time. It was around 2:30. He shouted again, and started pushing me towards the door and I deduced that I wouldn't be able to get food past 4:00. Of course, I took his advice and Burt and I headed to the bar for a salad and beer. By the time we got back, 11 more Peregrinos had joined us and everyone was settling in. I had a shower that started out warm and ended up freezing and I never fully recovered as there was no heat in the place! At 8:00 we were all called into the tiny kitchen where the man had made us a fine stew made of lentils and chorizo. It was really good and the portion was huge. Fruit for dessert and then we were shuffled off to bed. I shared a room with Burt (the Tazmanian devil snorer) and two delightful women from the Netherlands. Turns out Burt was born there so they all spoke Dutch and had a great time though I don't have a clue what they were talking about. I put in my earplugs and hoped for the best. Burt kept us all awake half the night! Breakfast - tostada and cafe con leche was at 7:00 am promptly, and we all made our way out into the crisp, cold morning. It was a beautiful 5km to Santo Domingo where I planned to spend the morning before walking the next 17km

Ventosa

So far, I've met some lovely people: Bill from USA, a very kind man; Kate and Jude from Australia; a really nice couple from Germany; a Spaniard who speaks English about as well as i speak spanish but we somehow communicated; and Ceaser from India, the first Indian I've met here.  I decided to stay at a private Albergue for my second night and it is very nice and very clean. I haven't washed my clothes in over a week and there is a washing machine so I was delighted. Being a Sunday, everything is closed so I couldn't cook but shared pasta with Kate and Jude at the Cafe Bar. It was adequate. All is well.

Camino Again!

After spending a week in Valdelavilla, I hitched a ride to Soria with one of the Spanish participants. My intention was to board the bus and head to Logrono that day. I was so exhausted, I decided to stay one night in Soria and then get the bus to Logrono the next day. After sleeping 12 hours (!!!) I am now in Logrono, ready to start walking tomorrow.  It is a very different scene from last fall, weather-wise. It's quite cool, which I don't mind at all, but it is raining. In all the time I walked last fall, I cant remember even one drop of rain. Let's hope the weather improves over the next day or two. My intention for doing this is partly to walk the bit that I had to take the bus through because of my blisters, but also because I have signed up to walk Hadrians Wall starting May 4th and after spending a lot of time in countries where it is difficult to exercise, feel the need to do some training. I really love the Rioja area and I am looking forward to spending some time exploring Santa Domingo and other villages where there are some monasteries and places off the beaten track which are worth seeing. I plan to walk about a week and this should help get me and my feet ready for my next walk.  Buen Camino!