After a fairly restful night in Viana, I headed out towards Logroño, the first real city on the journey. I stopped to grab a “café solo” and a sandwich and juice for later. Ham and cheese…which seems to be the only sandwiches the panaderías are familiar with.

Longroño was less than 7 miles and I was glad to have a “short” day. This time I was carrying my pack. I was back in my Tevas (and socks) again to give my toenails a break. It was another beautiful day…chilly and sunny; great walking weather.

The path was flat and paved for much of the way. I came to a little rest stop, had my “breakfast” and took off my down vest.

Longroño is a common stopping place on the Camino and I was surprised to see very few other Pilgrims…however, many people walk all the way from Los Arcos so they would likely be along later.

This was not a particularly pretty walk; the area had many industrial buildings and much of the path was right next to the main highway.

I came across a number of these pairs of standing stones…a tall and a short one. I assume they are some kind of markers for the Camino but I haven’t been able to find out more.

The wind had really started to pick up and I was walking straight into it. As I rounded the crest of a hill, a German woman I had seen before passed me. “Such wind,” she said forcefully. “It was such a nice day and then this WIND!” She seemed personally affronted by the weather. I smiled, nodded, and carried on. I could tell I was getting close to the city when I saw a sign advertising my alburgue.

Right before the city proper there was a quaint, old-fashioned lane and a girl selling Camino swag and offering to stamp our Pilgrim’s credential. I bought a cute little change purse.

I took a wrong turn finding my alburgue and ended up circling the block. But I persevered and arrived. It’s a modern building in a kind of plaza. There are only a few other pilgrims here, so we can all spread out and have some privacy. I was famished and found a fantastic Turkish restaurant where I had “tantuni cordero” a delectable dish of lamb cooked in yogurt.

I’m not loving Logroño. It’s a city lacking in any real charm and it doesn’t have that Camino “vibe.” I went out and bought some snacks for tomorrow and some stuff at the pharmacy. Now I’m having a “Cerveza Alhambra Rojo” in the evening sun.

So far, I have met pilgrims from Korea, Norway, Germany, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Finland, Australia…and of course the USA. Everyone is on their own journey. Tomorrow I head to Navarette; another 7+ miles. And then I have to figure out my “plan.”