Day 10

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From Nájera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
2 1,2kms. 5,5h.

 

With no more delays or wait, we left Logroño the 17th (Jorge, Isabella and me), decided to set about doing a 31 kms stage. The last ones under a scorching sun and a dull landscapes almost desperated us.

We arrived Najera hating it already and it got worst as we had to cross the whole village to get to the hostal. My feet were boiling as well as my head. I promised myself to not do this kind of stage anymore.

But this belongs to the past, now. Today, it’s with a lot more of satisfaction than pain that I completed the stage’s 21,2kms. The La Rioja’s landscapes were dressed with resplendence and the path crossed beautiful and colourful wheat, oat and grapefields…

A callus seems to have taken form on my right foot, where there was a painful blister, so even though I was in pain, I wasn’t limping not getting desperate. I begin to think that my body is adapting. I arrived full of energy to Santo Domingo de la Calzada and for the first time, I could enjoy a taciturn stroll to know the village.

 

Words of the Way

Moments of the Way

When Isabella tries her first wine earthenware jug, in Santo Domingo de la Calzada…

Day 9

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From Logroño to Nájera.
31kms. 7,5h.

Isabella

Very fine features, an elegant silhouette, a body that seems to like running and fitness center, she is only 24 and already possesses a licence, a master degree and a scolarship for a PhD in Oceanography.

We met on Day 5, when she arrived to Estella crying. She got to the same hostal than me, with an injured knee. She looked very frustrated and sad: “I can’t stand not moving”, she said. Her energy and will to live life to the full reminded me an Oleñka of the passed times, full of energy, with so many questions. The only thing I could tell her was to be patient. Isabella was doing some kind of sprints and 30 kms stages or more without any problem : she was feeling good, her body let her. Until one day…

We met again one stage later (Day 6): her leg was still hurting, but she didn’t stop flying on the kms. With her reluctances and mine, we started to walk together. We forced ourselves to stop at Viana (Day 7), but it perturbed Isabella. Her heart and her objective is to get to Santiago, and even further, to Finisterre, but has a time limit to do it, because she needs to come back to Puerto Rico and she’s realizing she doesn’t have a lot of time. We forced her to rest and to see how she could complet the stages.

Next morning, Isabella had to leave very early to fulfil the 30 kms quickly ; as for me, I planned to rest a day in Logroño to see a doctor, and this, for her, was impossible. So we saw off at 6AM, very movingly. Each one of us had to follow our own way.

Her stage begin as mine did.

I walked aside Jorge to Logroño. I directly went to the Health Center – it was already 11AM. One inside, some noise rose and someone knocked the door. The nurse opened and I could hear them whispering ; I didn’t get what was going on, but next thing I knew, Isabella entered into the doctor’s office. I couldn’t believe it.
Her eyes were crying, as well as mine. “Since I left and arrived to Logroño I am waiting for you; I told me that the Way was there, but when would I met so nice persons again…?”
Isabella arrived to Logroño before us, and sat to wait for us; as she didn’t have any means to contact us, she went to two hospitals asking for some pilgrim with blisters problems. She found me at the third one. So since she found me, we are walking together again.

We both know that at some point, we’re gonna say goodbye for good: she needs to go fast and I need to live the Way at my rythm and my way. But we both were sad to know that that day had to come.

I’d like her to get to Finisterre to – with her own words – “see the face of God into the see”. I wish she could live the Way quieter… but this, she’ll have to learn it by herself… at a different age… I just wish her to arrive safe and sound and with no more questions…

Words of the Way

 

 Moments of the Way

The other Way: the Logroño’one. It is to do all the bars of the Laurel street to follow the wine route.

… And Oleñka found a Llaollao… Pure happiness at Logroño.

Oleñka resting the feet at the window. She finally got stuck outside for a while…

Day 8 – One week on the Way

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From Viana to Logroño.

11,5kms. 2,5h.

Today, the Way wasn’t going to be full of kms. The time has come to rest my feet, so I did a short stage, but full of beautiful encounters and celebrations.

What am I celebrating ? Today 16 of may, it’s been a week I’ve been on the Way of Saint James. A week ago, it began at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port ; Cédric Hernandez did a beautiful report about these first moments. And I’m still here.

So today I’ll dedicate my lines to show you these moments, words, anecdotes, but most of all one picture that has never left me today : the Way.

I heard by chance someone listening to it and it became the anthem : “Si quieres cambio verdadero, camina distinto” by Calle 13 (“If you want a real change, walk differently”).

 

Cheers for all of this, cheers to all of those who laughed or cried these last days with my stories and we stay in touch here…

Anecdotes of the Way :

Las chicas solidarias: INT. Hostal. 18h.

Enters a chinese pilgrim : Free bed ?

Attendant 1 : No, sorry.

Pilgrim : Oh, thank you.

In front of me, two pilgrims were having a dinner. They watch each other, chat a while and one of them stands up.

Attendant 2 to Attendant 1 : Hey, this girl says there’s a free bed.

Attendant 1 : How is it possible, if we accounted an hour ago ?

Attendant 2 : (after checking the room with the girl) : It’s ok ! The girls told me her bed was free because she was going to sleep with her friend !

Attendant 1 : How so, in the same bed ?

Attendant 2 : So it seems.

Attendant 1 : Together in the same bed ?

The two attendants look at them, incredulous.

Attendant 2 : Well.

Attendant 1 : Well… miss it’s ok : there is indeed a free bed.

And the Chinese pilgrim had a roof that night.

 

The Pilgrim on the phone: INT. Hostal. 21:45.

In a dining room, a pilgrim talks to the phone:

– Yes, yes, I hang up.
(15 minutes later…)
– I wanted to tell you about the picture I sent to you – yes, the one with the boots – weel, this is because we have to take off the shoes at the entrance and we have to let them at some place, but nobody never steals anything… Aha, the other picture is the dinning room : all of this is so beautiful : we eat together, we serve each other… Yes, yes, I hang up… ah, wait, I didn’t tell you that I met a praiseworthy person. He’s doing the Way for the forth time. He fulfils a promise because his wife and daughter were about to die and he promised he would do the Way if they survived. He knows very well the Way. I’ll try to stay with him as much as I can…
(He keeps away the phone from the ear and say something to some pilgrim passing by)
– Yes, sorry, it’s because there’s this guy who was about to quit because of this knee, and I promised him I’ll inject him one of my steroids… He’s going to be like new…
(at 22:30, the pilgrim was still on the phone)

 

Moments of the Way

Drinking some wine at 8AM at Fuente de Irache. Day 6. With Carlo (Italy) and some Brazilian I forgot the name.

Enjoying a good fabada Oleñka made. Day 6. With Isabella (Puerto Rico) and Jorge (Spain) at Los Arcos.

Cheering while we’re doing a wine and tapas route at Logroño. Day 8, 1 week on the Way. With Isabella (Puerto Rico) and Jorge (Spain).

Words of the Way

Saint James, here I come!