Judy's Camino 2023

 Another perfect day for walking: temperatures in the low 60s and overcast. I heard a new bird call today. It was the corn bunting. It was mostly a rural walk with fields of wheat and canola, and a few vineyards. I saw another “beehive”, and of course the raised aqueducts. There was some really interesting art on the walk today I arrived earlier than I expected in Santo Domingo, so I had the opportunity to play tourist. Santo Domingo was born in 1079. He wanted to dedicate his life to God, but was not accepted in seminary. So instead, he dedicated his life to making the way easier for the pilgrims. In this town, he built a bridge over the river, as depicted in the piece of art at the top. He also built a hospital for the pilgrims and a church. The hospital has now been turned into a luxury hotel call the Parador.  The city was once a walled city, and you can still see parts of the wall. The church has become a cathedral, and I visited the cathedral and the bell tower and the exhibits.

 The temperature has dropped by about 15°, which makes walking so much easier. I decided I could not walk the full 36 km today so I took the bus partway and just walked a very short way. Again, it was mostly a rural walk with vineyards, olive groves, and a sheep farm. The interesting feature today was the above ground aqueducts here, rather than the usual in ground drainage, system to water the crops. These are very ancient aqueducts, and they work wonderfully. The church at Azofra has an active stork nest! My first sketch that I don’t hate.  I have my own room and my own bed for the first time while on the Camino. How will I sleep without all the snoring sounds and lights coming on at all weird hours? 😂😂😂 The video for today is very short, because I only walked a very short distance. Pilgrims dinner tonight was yummy!

 Well, I have done the thing that I did not want to do. I have booked my night’s stays all the way to Santiago de Compostela. I find this very stressful. Now I will have to walk exactly the distances I chose today. No stopping at interesting spots etc.  I tried to get a bed for tomorrow 3 days ago, but was unable to get a booking for tomorrow night, except for 36 km away And that is too far for me. I will take the bus part of the way and walk the rest of the way. This experience encouraged me to spend the day trying to book the beds. I took an extra day here in Logroño. Even the Pilgrims’ office is encouraging everyone to book at least four nights out.  These poor pilgrims at my hostel have just figured out that there are no reservations within a 3 day walk of Logroño. They are all trying different tactics to make it work. One is trying to stay 3 nights in one place then walk tomorrow as far as he can then bus to his reservation then the next day bus back to where he had walked and con

 My first time walking before sunrise. When I left home, I thought I would not walk before sunrise but yesterday was so hot and I had to walk so much further today that I decided I better start before the sunrise as well. It’s still cool.  Several Spanish people that I spoke to today, said that it was unseasonably warm, and they were worried that there would be enough water for the whole year. I walked by a couple of small towns and lots of vine yards and  olive groves. I saw these small rock edifices that are commonly known as “beehives” and it is where workers used to stay overnight during the olive harvest Lots of community gardens outside small towns.

 Muggy start to the day turned into a very hot day with very little to no shade. I prepared for rain and cold, so this is testing my flexibility They were beautiful bird songs today from the Eurasian blackbird, the willow warbler, and the common Nightingale.  I have met some very interesting pilgrims in the last few days one was from Whidbey Island one was from Bainbridge several from Australia and New Zealand, and one from Grand Junction, Colorado. Lots of flowers blooming.  Two refreshments of note today were the free wine fountain to start the day and later in the day a cold drink truck just on the side of the path. It was wonderful. My watch stopped all when its mid day so you’re getting two separate videos today

 Another warm day. Today, and I believe for the next 2 days I walked through agricultural land. Lots of vineyards and olive groves, wheat fields and another plant I didn’t recognize.  As other days, I heard birdsong all day. So peaceful. I went through 3 hilltop towns today. They all have newer construction going down the hill.  Lots of places to stop for coffee and pastries. I stopped at one and had a Coke Zero. Nice and cold! Edit to add my evening, activities and exploration of the town. We stayed in the old part of town which had about four gigantic cathedrals. I explored one, and they are very beautiful. We had paella for dinner, even though that is not in the local dish, it was delicious I went out for dinner with 3 pilgrims from Lake Havasu, and one from Australia. And I also have my first fresh orange juice from the supermarket. It cost 1.59.