Day Eleven: Logrono to Ventosa. March 23, 2013

I owe some thanks before I begin this entry.

First, a big thank-you to Mike Robertson of Ebony Kennels. Mike is taking good care of our dog, Max, while we are away. Max has his own good-sized pen (not cage) and he can go inside and outside as he pleases. Mike gives him and the other dogs lots of attention; we've used Ebony for two years and Max is always happy to see Mike when we bring him there. It's good to know our dog is in such good hands.

Another huge thank-you goes to Lisa Dalzell of Dalzell's House/Petsitting Service. Lisa is house-and-cat-sitting while we are gone. We are very appreciative of her services - it's good to know someone responsible is living in our home and taking good care of our cats while we are in Spain. Thank you for the updates and pictures, Lisa!

The final thanks for today goes to the online community of the Camino de Santiago forums (www.caminodesantiago.me/boards). Veteran pilgrims and people who live along the route frequently post helpful information regarding weather, albergues, trail conditions, etc. New folks ask questions and get sound answers, and current pilgrims use the forums to stay informed of any potential issues ahead of them while walking the Way. It's a friendly and helpful group - those who are planning their own Caminos might want to visit the site. We've gotten much use and enjoyment out of it.

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Our thoughts go out to the friends and family of the Canadian fellow who died on the Napoleon route a few days ago. His body was found yesterday a few kilometers from Roncesvalles.
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Total distance: 21.1 kilometers with about 200 meters of elevation gain (around 13.1 miles with about 700 feet elevation gain).

Today's walk took us through and past Logrono, through the small town of Navarette, and into the charming village of Ventosa.

The first third of our walk was on paved surfaces (ouch!) and the rest was on dirt or gravel track.

Leaving Logrono...

Going through a nature reserve, away from Logrono and toward Navarette...

Going through and beyond Navarette, then on toward Ventosa...

Minor hiking wound

Ventosa is a small village with a lovely private albergue called San Saturnino.

9.50 Euros for a bed, six to eight people per room. Lovely tiled decor, warm atmosphere, large communal space with wood-burning stove. Gorgeous patio with gardens and laundry facilities. Well-equipped kitchen and a little store on the first floor (no breakfast the next day until the next town...which is five miles away). It's beautiful...and it smells good too...a light smell of incense wafts through the air. We like it here! This is the second private albergue the girls and I have experienced. The public albergues are clean, neat, and inexpensive, but I think we'll try more of the private ones from now on. The cost is only a Euro or two more for a bed - in some cases, there's no difference in price whatsoever.

We sat at the local bar and watched peregrino after peregrino bypass this town -- as a result, we may have a room to ourselves tonight.

Tomorrow we will aim for Ciruena, which is 15 miles away. The girls are finding that they feel comfortable doing 12-15 miles at a time. Less than that feels too easy and more than that is doable but feels like a chore.

Misc. comments:

We felt like we were dragging our feet today, but we got to Ventosa before noon, which means we were walking about 3 miles an hour.

We enjoy spending a relaxing afternoon at our destination after walking all morning.

It was 60 degrees today and we all felt hot. We are very glad we are not doing the Camino during the summer - we'd never make it, we'd wilt into oblivion on the very first day.

Tomorrow is Sage's birthday! We already had parties for her before we left, so she's not missing out on anything by having her birthday on the Camino. That being said, we plan to tie balloons all over her backpack tomorrow morning and sing Happy Birthday to her as we walk.

--Trish

--Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Calle Mayor,Ventosa,Spain