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It
is quarter past six when pilgrims leave the cemetery of Los Arcos and go
towards Sansol along a calm plain.
Neither
in Sansol nor in Torres del Río is there an open place where we can have
breakfast. We, who trusted would have breakfast in the pilgrims’ hostel
of this last village, leave it disappointed. Its Romanesque church did not
disappoint us. It is wonderful.
Before
sighting Viana, the way goes through precipices and all time we go up and
down. The partridges sing, we see a hare running and the pilgrims, like
ants, go up and go down, go up and go down, go up and go down…
Paca at
Cornava.
In
Cornava, Paca and I, like Roman legionaries, drink some water and take
photographs.
We
arrive at Viana at ten o’clock a.m.. We have a hearty breakfast at the
Bar del Bordón: just cooked Spanish omelette and a glass of wine. The
Camino goes through this nice town, we like the town and it makes a good
impression on us. People tell us where the pilgrims’ hostel is and they
want us to remain here. However, we want to arrive at Logroño today.
On
the route from Viana to Logroño a Brazilian walker teaches us about his
philosophy of life for a long while, but he suddenly leaves us almost
without saying good bye.
A
lot of cyclists on the Xacobea cycling tour leave us behind when we are
arriving at Logroño. We find a wonderful pair of sun glasses that a
cyclist must have lost because of the potholes of the route.
Near
Logroño, beside the Camino, there is a house with several fig trees that
provide a good deal of shade. Under one of the trees there is a table with
a tray plenty of figs, a seal for stamping and a book. An old lady is
beside the table. The lady stamps our pilgrim’s passports, ask us to
write in her book and gives us figs. Lady Felisa, the one of the figs,
advises and invites and, in addition, she informs pilgrims about Logroño.
Finally, she stamps their pilgrims’ passports with a lot of authority.
Arriving
at Logroño is pleasant and fast. We cross the Ebro river and immediately
we are in the old town. We arrive at quarter to one p.m.. We stamp our
credentials at the hostel and go for a room in Hostal Sebastián.
The Camino
goes through Logroño along its old streets...
The
pilgrims’ hostel is still closed and the cleaning women stamp our
credentials, but, before putting the seal on our pilgrim’s passport they
ask us a lot of personal questions. Spanish people are like this !
Saints smile
to pilgrims when
they go through Logroño.
We
have a meal in a cheap restaurant on San Juan Street. We come across other
pilgrims, they are colleagues, that spent the night before in Torres del
Río. They do not speak very well about the pilgrims’ hostel or the
person in charge… However, they speak very well about Logroño’s
hostel and people in charge of it. They say that its computer works, even
though Internet does not and they say that all the computers in hostels,
from Burgos onwards, are working properly. At least, so they say.
Stage
6  Stage 7 |