Day 10, Sunday, September 1st, 2019: Ventosa to Cirueña
So I made the mistake of telling Terri the if she was up early, say around 4:30 or so, to wake me. Given the heat of the night and the lack of airflow, neither of us slept very well, so early it was...4:22 to be exact! After getting dressed and caring for our feet, off we went around 4:45!
In the dark, it was so much cooler than any day previous. We ambled on for a few miles, relying on our little yellow arrows in the dark to guide us on our way. About 6 miles in, we made it to a larger city called Nájera. We stopped for a snack of dried fruit and trail mix, as other Peregrinos hit the trails as well as the sun was rising.
Out of Nájera, the road got very steep for a bit. A good, lung-pumping, leg stretching mile up, up, up. A few miles on, we came to Azofra and stopped for coffee and a bite to eat. It was so much easier walking on a cool, cloud-covered day! We felt light and the load was easier to bear.
The final 5 miles of the daily total of 16.63 miles was not as hard as other day-ending miles and were were soon in Cirueña, a fairly surreal community planned around a golf course! It did not look to be heavily populated, but those who were there seemed to be enjoying to city.
We made our way to Albergue Victoria, our home for the night, where we enjoyed our own room with private bath. Terri was looking forward to a soak, but there was no plug for the bath drain. When I asked for one, I was told no. No reason, just “No.”. So we improvised. A plastic ziplock worked just fine!
After a nice nap, I updated this travel log and then we joined a group of Peregrinos for a nice pilgrim dinner. We met two couples from Australia. One couple, who’s names we did not get, were retired and making their way to Santiago at a leisurely pace. He was retired from government service as a “ball-buster” (his words!). The other couple, the other couple, Geoff and Makayla, were very enthusiastic and personable. We learned a bit about their journey and Makayla (and I hope I am spelling that right) told us some interesting facts about the peaceful Aboriginal people of Australia. Did you know they have history going back over 40,000 years with no evidence of tribal wars? Amazing for a people to live in peace for so long! Most developed nations could take a lesson, eh?
After dinner, it was off to a peaceful rest, looking forward to a shorter walk tomorrow!
Today’s “Camino Lesson:” The temperature can make quite a difference in you journey.
We often face all kinds of weather and temperatures in our life’s journeys. Sometimes even the long stretches can be easier in better temperatures. We don’t always plan it that way, but appreciate those days when a drop in the heat makes the journey less arduous.
Crossing the river in Nájera
Made it to the top of the hill out of Nájera!
Our coffee break in Azofra
When you can’t find a place to sit for a few miles, you improvise! This was our rest beak on the bumper of a vineyard irrigation pump!
