On the road to Navarette, Ventosa and Beyond
The morning hustle to pack, unpack and repack had begun in the Logroño Albergue. I had iced my ankle all day and night. It was time to see how well it would stand up to the days travels. Today would begin with a 10k walk to the town of navarrete. Then another 10K to the town of Ventosa where I would stay the night in the Albergue San Saturnino. Having met with my Swedish friend Henrik from the day before at the Albergue, we decided to walk together starting at 6:30. Headlamps in hand we set out to cross the city streets and leave Logroño. We passed a bronze statue of modern day pilgrims illuminated by the street lamps, cross traffic circles, and small stores that had yet to open. Leaving the busy streets of Logroño soon placed us on well groomed paved walkways used by day hikers and picnics. Lined with benches we stopped shortly to have a quick breakfast of tuna and bread, before continuing to Navarette.
As the morning hike continued my leg began to ache and my pace began to slow. Knowing Henrik had 30 km to get to his final destination, I wished him Buen Camino and watched as he trailed off into the distance. Soon I would hear the friendly voices of Peter from the UK and David from Ireland from behind me. The two had stayed at a luxurious hotel in Logroño the night before and had gotten a later start. It wasn't soon later that we were all laughing and having a great time on the camino. But soon they would also fade into the distance and I would hope to meet up with them in navarrete. I passed the famous chain fence where pilgrims had formed crosses out sticks and reeds and placed them on the fence. I paused a minute to take in the creativity posed by so many before me. Not much longer I would come up to my friend Robert from New Jersey. The man who crossed the Pyrenees in one 15 hour stretch and would now accompany me as we walked into Navarette. We met a 84 year old woman named Pepe who gave us a tour of the Church of Mary's Assumption and provided yet another stamp in our "credential".
After touring the church and saying a quick prayer, I rejoined my friends Peter, Henrik and David at the local cafe and we enjoyed recountings our journey together. My leg was beginning to hurt even more and I decided it best to take a taxi to Ventosa. That night the Albergue did not provide a prepared meal but instead the small store provided all the ingredients needed to share a communal meal.
Our meal would be a feast of tortellini with both red and white sauce, salad, tomatoes with avacados, olives, ratatouille and 4-5 bottles of red wine. Myself and several friends sourced the integredints while Peter, a prior cook and several others would prepare the meal with all the luxuries of a stocked kitchen in our Albergue. There were never "Too many cooks in the kitchen". Instead of taking the food to the large table downstairs we all commmuned around the kitchen table representing Belgium, Canada, UK, Japan, and various places in the US. It was truly a joyous time.
Later I realized I would be unable to continue walking the Camino. My leg was beginning to become even more sore and I knew even 10km a day would bring even more damage. I wished my friends Buen Camino one more time before heading to bed, as I knew they would rise before the sun, put on their backpacks and set off for Najera and beyond. For me, I would pack and set off for the bus station in the morning to Legroño or Najera via taxi and begin my trip home.
