Day 6: From Los Arcos to Logroño

Once again, we left in the dark.  This time we weren't the only ones.  There were many people ahead of us on the road, and others close behind.  Everyone has figured out that you need to leave early to beat the heat.

And when you do, you're treated to joyous sites, likes these resting sheep, and the moon still afloat across the plains.

Sheep sleeping by the side of the road

Views of Viana at dawn

After a brisk 6.8 km walk, we arrived at a roadside cafe in a town called Sansol for coffee.  Of course, we were joined by many other pilgrims, all looking for the same thing!  We met a wonderful Spanish woman from Barcelona named Ana, who accompanied us on much of today's journey.  A veteran of many Caminos, she shared lots of great insights along the way.  She also helped identify many of the varieties of local vegetation we encountered: berries, tree fruit, grains, and more.  We asked what the locals did with the huge thistle plants that grew along the paths.  She said they peeled the coarse stems and sliced them thinly, serving this as a vegetable.  Who knew?!

We reached the beautiful town of Viana around 10:30.  It's a delightful medieval village of 4,400 people, with much of its historic nature intact.  We enjoyed a soda along the main road, across from the 13th century Viana Iglesia de Santa Maria.  The tomb of the notorious Cesar Borgia can be found just outside.

Paco at the Viana Cafe having a Coke

The stunning Viana Igelsia de Santa Maria

At this point, pilgrims have 2 choices: stay and enjoy the rest of the day in Viana, or set out for the provincial capitol of Rioja, Logroño, almost 10 kilometers further on.  We heard many people discussing staying in Viana for the day.  Paco and I chose to continue further. 

Midway along our path, we crossed into the province of La Rioja, one of the prized wine-making regions in Spain.  Previously, we had been in the province of Navarra, which also produces tremendous quality wines.  We've walked alongside many fields of grapevines, wheat, barley and corn.  This is a very rich and productive part of Spain.

Paco at the outskirts of La Rioja

Logroño is the capital of La Rioja.  It's a beautiful and fast-growing city of 155,000 with a cool mix of medieval and modern.  There's lots of construction and renovation all around.  This area is on a real upswing. 

Churches, of course, connect our path along the Camino  The crown jewel of Logroño is the Catedral de Santa Maria de Redonda, a 14th century Gothic gem that sits in the center of old town.

Gothic Cathedral of Santa Maria de Redonda

Old town has beautiful streets filled with artisan shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, and everything else imaginable.  Laurel Street is a 3-block stretch filled with tapas bars, where everyone hangs out in the evenings--Paco included!

We splurged tonight and stayed in our first hotel of the journey.  What a delight!  Air conditioning, fresh sheets, our own bathroom, hotel-provided towels, soap and shampoo--what's not to love?  We'll be back to our pilgrim albergues (hostels) tomorrow.

We hiked 29.3 kilometers for the day.  Tomorrow's objective is 30.4 kilometers.  Our feet are very sore at the end of each trek!