Camino La Rioja… Estella to Torres Del Rio
Distance: over 20 miles!
Weather: Started off nice and cool but it soon warmed up. Some of the group are sunburnt.
Health: we now have some minor blisters on a few feet in the group, and one person has a poorly back after lifting their heavy suitcase into the wardrobe. There were a few sore heads this morning (Walking in Rioja where the wine is €1 per glass has its consequences!). Overall, health is excellent for all of us.
The one with the wine fountain, the snake and an amazing sunset.
SUMMARY A long day, but we all made it to the end before 6 pm. I was distracted by getting people from the hotel back to the Camino first thing so completely forgot to write any notes, so here are a few highlights.
Today’s hike was a real mix of terrain and we walked through green wooded tunnels, vineyards and wheat fields. It was relatively flat compared to the last two days and I’m super thankful for that!
We stopped at nearly every cafe opportunity along the way to rest our feet and shade ourselves from the hot Spanish sun.
I’d forgotten about the goats and chickens that you see on the way into Los Arcos. Super weird!
Los Arcos cafe waitress service was terrible. Luckily I had purchased ham, cheese etc at the garage this morning but others waited nearly 40 mins for the waitress to take their order before giving up. They then found a little bakery around the corner which was super helpful. Most cafes seem understaffed at the moment. I’m not sure if that’s the aftermath of Covid?
I left Los Arcos and plugged in my AirPods. I was listening to episode one of Friends and was totally engrossed so I didn’t see the snake that was basking in the sun on the path. I screamed but there was no one around to hear me! He was quite a small snake and with my poles outstretched to protect me, I got a bit closer for a video. It was quite cute.
I caught up with LJ and Carol from the US and we ate snap peas together from the fields before making the final 4 miles into Torres Del Rio.
We all ate together for a pilgrim meal, and some people lazed by the pool or went for a swim. I was absolutely knackered by 9 pm so called it a night and let everyone else continue the party.
Tomorrow is our last day and it’s been a real blast so far.