Month: April 2026

The bridge

This was the first Camino over-the-highway bridge so far. There is a much larger and well known one just before Astorga. I saw the sign, interpreted it as “walk your bike”, and thought what else would you do?
When I got closer and saw the ramp I realized it was to help you do that. Wynette doesn’t like stairs and used the ramp. It was a little steep but she said it stretched her muscles and it felt good.
Wynette on the bridge with mountains in the distance.
The sign on the other side has been defaced.

April 20: Walking Day, Viana to Logroño

Miles walked: 10.4. Six of those were on the path and 4.4 of those were around Logroño.

Elevation gained in flights of stairs equivalence: 14. Not a lot of up and down.

Today we walked the short six mile distance between Viana and Logroño. We were out of the hotel in Viana by about 7:20 and in Logroño by 10:30. We are staying here in the big city for two days.

We crossed into La Rioja today. Logroño, population 200,000, is the capital of La Rioja. So, we have left Basque country.

We have an apartment with a kitchen. I was going to say “little apartment” but it’s actually quite roomy.

We enjoyed going to the nearby grocery store and buying good bread and cheese and tomatoes and a salad kit and made lunch “at home”. We also got food for breakfast in the morning. Logroño is famous for its tapas, but I have a feeling we are going to eat most of our meals in the apartment. We have such fun going to the grocery store and finding great things to bring home.

We did errandy things today like a post office pickup, grocery shopping, laundry. We are glad to have another day to spend in Logroño. Tomorrow we can tell you more about the city itself.

The walk was nicer than I expected since I knew we would be walking on the outskirts of Logroño. We went through some industrial stuff but not a lot. We went through a few tunnels to go under highways. I enjoy seeing the picture that gets framed at the end of a tunnel. The above is looking back.
And this is looking forward. There is always graffiti in the tunnels.
We passed this monument.
It says “In this place were assassinated on September 3, 1936, 25 residents of the Riojan towns of Ábalos and San Vicente de la Sonsierra, victims of the Franco repression. The people who forget their history are condemned to repeat it.”
This man was busy tending his window plants. He had grape vines growing all over the front of his house. We are in wine country!
We crossed the Rio Ebro just before entering Logroño. The Ebro is the longest river entirely in Spain.
Our home for two days.

April 14: Travel day, Pamplona to Uterga

Miles walked: 2.25 (around Pamplona mostly)

Floors of stairs climbed: 4, but just in our albergue in Uterga. (Seemed like more than that!)

I’m writing this post on April 19, five days later. But it seems like weeks ago!

We needed more time in Pamplona to finish our errands and I was still feeling a little poorly from the bug I had caught so we decided to make it a leisurely day. We spent the morning in Pamplona and then took a taxi to Uterga. (Since we pre-reserved all our nightly accommodations, we didn’t have the easy option of staying in Pamplona an extra day and then walking to Uterga the next day. Downside of pre-reserving: little flexibility.)

Hemingway spent a lot of time in Pamplona and that might be why Pamplona is known in the wider world. Pamplona is also famous for the Running of the Bulls, the Festival of San Fermín, which happens every July. It’s a pretty city with plenty to do and see. But we didn’t do that this time. We have been here twice before so didn’t leave time for sightseeing.

We were ready to get out of the city actually and were glad to get to tiny two-albergue town Uterga around noon. We thought our private room in Albergue Casa Baztán would be nice since it cost 60 euros and got 4.6 Google stars. It was also the only choice we had. The room shocked us. Large but no window, no place to sit. It was clean but very very old and shabby. We spent most of the afternoon having lunch and then hanging out in the bar across the street.

But, I ended up enjoying our stay at Casa Baztán. It had a certain charm. The simple communal pilgrim’s dinner they served us was quite good and it was fun sharing it with other pilgrims.

Fields of mustard seen from taxi on ride from Pamplona to Uterga.
Entrance to Casa Baztán. A big heavy door.
Reception area in Casa Baztán
Dining room/bar where we had the communal meal. A delicious fresh salad, choice of roast chicken or fish or pork, fried eggs on rice, ice cream, wine, water, bread.

Charlie photos 4/19

Shadows
Mural seen walking out of Torres del Rio
Their take on what pilgrims like to eat. Looks more like typical American fast food. They got the coffee right. They missed the French fries that seem to come with every pilgrim’s menu.
Seems like an odd sign to have to have on the trail among the wheat fields on a tiny gravel road which might get a few cars a day. Maybe left behind of some construction?

April 19: Walking and Travel Day, Los Arcos to Viana

Miles walked 7.73

Miles in taxi: approximately 5

Flights of stairs climbed equivalent while walking: 52

Flights of stairs avoided by taking taxi: approximately 100 (and that many down as well)

We got up early and left Los Arcos without breakfast or coffee. (I did take a caffeine pill.) We had breakfast/coffee in Torres del Rio after about 4.5 miles of walking. We enjoy starting out on an empty stomach.

Most of those 4.5 miles were fairly flat and then it started to get quite hilly.

It’s been interesting noting the things we remember from being here 12 and 13 years ago. And the things we remembered wrong. Both of us were SURE Torres del Rio was up on a hill and Sansol was down in the valley before Torres del Rio. Turned out to be the opposite. Sansol is on the hill, Torres del Rio is lower. How could we both get it wrong?

Torres del Rio has the most amazing 12th century Knights Templar church, Iglesia do Santo Sepulcro de Torres do Río. It was locked today. (There was a number to call if you wanted someone to let you in.) But we noticed birds building mud nests up along its roof line. This is the third church where we’ve seen this on this Camino, something we’ve never seen before. Perhaps this is something that only happens for a short time of the year? Birds flitting about either bringing mud for the nests or perhaps food for their chicks? I took a video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/XrGVtR16LgSUu2iU8

Maybe you bird people can let us know what kind of birds these are and what they are doing??

The walk we needed to do today to get to Viana was longer than we wanted to do in distance, heat, and extreme ups and downs. So, we decided to take a taxi the last 5 miles into Viana. I felt so sorry and admiring of all the pilgrims we passed trudging through the hot sun. Of course, we had done that walk twice before: in 2013 and then again in 2014.

We are staying in a nice hotel in Viana. Kind of a faded glory hotel. It hasn’t been updated in a while. (Evidenced by the wall phone missing a receiver next to the toilet.) But quite comfortable, and inexpensive (65 euros). We ate lunch in their restaurant and it was amazing (and not cheap by pilgrim standards, but not expensive by USA standards). The trouble with these menus is I always eat too much.

Last night in Los Arcos having fruit for dinner on our balcony. We weren’t hungry after a HUGE weekend menu del dia for lunch.
The church in Los Arcos. I remember it is spectacular inside but it was locked up tight this time, even on a Sunday morning. Most churches we pass are not open.
Leaving Los Arcos
Mountains in the distance. It looks like snow but it was just a trick of the light.
Path between Los Arcos and Sansol
Young pilgrims who passed us. I don’t think we’ve seen (certainly haven’t met) any pilgrims as old as we are. This surprises me since I know a lot of old people do walk the Camino. But guess we are a small percentage. I’d say 30 or 40 is about the average age.
Sansol in the distance. (But we thought it was Torres del Rio.)
An amazing breakfast in Torres del Rio. That omelette/cheese/tomato sandwich (warmed up) was on amazing bread. Good coffee, too.
Walking through Torres del Rio, passing La Pata de Oca (Foot of the Goose) where we stayed in 2013 and 2014.
How they did the menu was a new one for us. They served us, to share in the middle of the table, all four first course items (the 4 at the top of the menu above). Then we each chose a second course (we got the fish and lamb) and the desert (one of each for us).
Carpaccio de Salmon. I’m not sure how good it looks here but the sauce was amazing kind of lemony with pomegranate seeds. I didn’t mind the raw salmon too much. Charlie loved it.
Charlie enjoying the fourth first course. This they did serve in two separate dishes.
Old abandoned church outside our balcony in our hotel here in Viana
Now blogging in the hotel bar