Day 5 - September 9
Day 5: Logrono to Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Christina found a great hotel on the outskirts of town last night and after a quick shower Amy and I were hoping for sustenance after our 33 mile day. We had our sights on the Thai restaurant across the street that said it would open at seven and as we showed up promptly the lights were all off. Plan B - we crossed the street to Crystal Bar where we sat with our favorite beer - Amstel Oro and watched to see if and when our Thai friends would show up. An hour later and two beers each we were in luck. We learned that it was a Thai couple that had immigrated to Spain and opened this wonderful restaurant. The wife cooked and the husband ran the front. We enjoyed delicious spring rolls, hot Thai soup and an assortment of main dishes. We couldn’t get into bed quick enough afterwards and all slept like dead people.
Hitting the Camino today both Amy and I are definitely weary; Very tired and little spaced out. Hence, not more than a kilometer away from the hotel Christina comes running up to us in her Birkenstocks out of breath - “Amy, you forgot to put on your sun lotion!!”
While we are feeling fatigue and achiness my expectation is that it will normalize today and hopefully not get worse over the remainder of our trip.
As we ran through the Rioja region, we saw expansive acreage of vines and since it is September, it is harvest time. White and red grapes bundles are exploding off the branches waiting to be picked and turned into vino. It is amazing that in the United States you can’t seem to find a bottle of wine at a restaurant for less than $50, while any bottle of wine in the Spanish region of Rioja is $10-$20 and every bottle I’ve drank has been really solid.
We are looking forward to our stay tonight in a Paradore as well as their dinner. Anyone traveling in Spain should check them out as they are state owned and run marvellous properties consisting of restored Castles, Monasteries, Convents, Fortresses, Manor Houses and palaces.
Lodging continues to be our single biggest challenge. Most nights we find only 2 rooms so Christina is working on reserving ahead.
I met a lost pilgrim on the trail today…see picture below.
All for today.
Cheers,
David.
