Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Tuesday 10 May 2016 - Day 13

Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada - 21.5km

Had a great yoghurt and strawberry breakfast before Becky , Elvira and I headed off out of Najera. Today's walk started out in quite heavy mist. We left Najera and its red cliffs behind and headed towards Asofra where we planned to stop for our second breakfast. New shoes performing well.

We stopped, along with many others, at the first café in Asofra and managed to catch up with our lovely Brazilian friend, Ana, from a few nights ago. It was shoes and socks off for a general airing and foot massage. We had a cafe con leche and shared a chocolate croissant before I bought a couple of bananas and off we went.

Today there seemed to be many pilgrims on the road, a lot of them unfamiliar with quite small packs and in large groups. This part of the way has many open fields and at times was quite close to the highway. We once again passed rapeseed/canola fields of brilliant yellow, vineyards and a grain I'm still not sure of. Every so often we saw a Santiago distance maker. Walked alone, but in company, along this stretch, listening to my brother, Jim Ottaway's new album 'Southern Cross'...perfect.

This next section of 8km headed towards Ciruena. We continued passing through rolling cultivated fields with fantastic views to mountains, still holding drifts of snow . Not far out of Ciruena we saw a sign saying that there was 60% unemployment for young Spaniards. An enterprising young man had a set up a donation stall with cold drinks and fruit, right beside a small park.

We all donated, took something and sat and relaxed. My shoes came off again . It was a stunning day and we all enjoyed the break.

Just up the road from for the rest stop was the village of Ciruena itself. Becky and I stopped at the golf club along with many others and enjoyed the air-conditioning, clean toilets and had an excellent lunch looking out over beautiful manicured lawns. The walk through the actual township of Ciruena was a little sad, with many modern apartment blocks looking very empty and neglected. The historic areas were just the same. Easy to get confused here, as some yellow arrows lead you to the doors of albergues, rather than direct you on your way.

Happy to be back on the road, though my left foot was in incredible pain, with my new underfoot and between the toes blister. Shoes still great, but I was hobbling by the time our destination of Santo Domingo de la Calzada came into view. Amazing views along this stretch.

On Camino, once you see a town in the distance you know that it's going to take you a lot longer than you imagine until you get into the heart of town We arrived on the first day of the multi-day festival honouring St Dominic, the town's patron saint. There was music, and folk in multi-coloured matching outfits and the narrow streets were thronged with people. No school for the rest of the week.These lovely people happily posed for a photo.

Once we arrived and made our way through the crowds, Becky and I decided to go straight into the cathedral as I was keen to see the live roosters that are kept inside, for historical significance. Caught up with Elvira before the three of us made our way to our accommodation at Pension Miguel. This was a bit of a walk off the Camino route, and in hindsight I would have preferred to stay in the old town, closer to The Way. Lovely salad meal and sangria for dinner. Becky and Elvira went out to join in the fun, but I returned to our room to rest my feet.

Festival happening right outside our room...parades seem to just spontaneously start up with music, and kids dancing. An amazing cultural experience...not much sleep tonight, I think. Foot very painful, hoping to be walking again tomorrow, though having trouble putting weight on it tonight.