Day 9

Thursday September 23, 2010

Day 9 on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela

Navarrete to Najera

Dear Blog Readers,

I did not get to a computer yesterday - so this blog is one day late.

After a quick tea and croissant at the hotel bar, I take a photo of the beautiful church doors as I leave Navarrete heading to Najera.  It is a short walk today, only 17 kms. and at the end maybe a little rest.

Not too many steep up or down hills today - stop for a hot tea 6 kms along the trail. A steady climb uphill now.  This is the Rioja region - Spain’s wine country, so still passing lots of vineyards on the path today.  Grapes are on the ground, not from pruning, but actually cut off and dropped on the ground, even though the vines are heavy with more grapes. Seems like there is a glut of grapes on the market. Have I mentioned how inexpensive wine is here?  

Walk part of the trail with a giant French pilgrim who ambles along the Camino and still gets there at about the same time as all the other pilgrims.  He takes long strides - one of his is three of mine. Feet holding up well, but for a few days my left knee has been painful when going uphill, will get a knee brace in Najera tonight and try it tomorrow.  Steading downhill into Najera, which is visible for miles before I get there.  Strange city built into the ´red clay´hillside.  There are actually look outs in the hills, seems back in the 1930s people actually hid in the hills during the Franco reign and Civil War.  Here too there are stories of Charlamagne and the Knight Roland.  Pilgrims pass a large rock said to have been thrown by Roland as he killed the giant, Ferragut, a descendant of Goliath.

Arrive at 1:30 p.m. - early but laundry to do so it dries for the morning.  There is a Templars cloister build into one of these clay banks.  Teresa and I check it out after laundry.  The church has a fantastic statue on one of the altars of St. James.  Gosh he was so young!  Trek 17 kms. my steps still not working, I think it has quit the Camino.  My clothes are beginning to slip off, I think I’ve lost weight.

Blessings from the Camino,

Yasmin

My personal thoughts for today - I am surprised at the Knight’s Templar churches and crosses used across Spain.  A Spanish King asked and got permission from the Catholic Church to killed the last Templar and take his land and wealth, yet Spain seems to have embraced everything Templar, a little hypocritical in my view!