The Way to Land's End



• Starting Point: Viana
• Ending Point: Navarrete
• Daily distance: 13.55 miles (21.8 km)
• Total distance: 110.83 miles (178.36 km)

What a difference a day can make! A cold front must have passed through the night. We woke up to cool temperatures. And after a good night of rest, Laura feels much better. 

The hike today takes us through a mid-size city named Logroño. We have a few errands to run (pharmacy to get some cold meds and cell phone store to add minutes to the phone), so we decide to leave super early again, in the dark. And we briefly get lost again. Laura and I have a good laugh at our ineptitude at navigating in the dark. 

Logroño was a beautiful city. They have a lovely park and everyone was so friendly, pointing us in the right direction and heartedly wishing us a “Buen Camino”.  The park had a conservation area with swans, fish, ducks and other birds I didn’t recognize. One had white markings and a very long tail. A Spanish gentleman was hand  feeding a squirrel. I asked him if I could take a picture. He said yes and then offered to let me feed the squirrel. I took off my backpack and softly approached. He handed me a walnut and I bent down next to him and held out my hand. The squirrel came right up to me and took the walnut from my fingers. It made my heart happy. By the way, Spanish squirrels are way cuter than the Florida variety. They have long fuzzy ears. 

Laura and I stopped to have an ice cream. We relaxed by the lake and enjoyed the beautiful day for a few minutes. As we continued on our way we passed a chain link fence along the highway that was covered in handmade crosses. It appears they were made with sticks found along the path. And it went on for at least a quarter mile. 

As we came into Naverette, we were passed by two pilgrims on horses. That would be quite a way to do the Camino. Instead of sore feet though you would have a sore bum! 

We had a special treat waiting for us in Naverette. We sprung a few extra euros and got a private double room. It was heaven to have some privacy for the night. 

After getting settled into our room, we had dinner with a pilgrim named Cam from Toronto, Canada. This is his second Camino. He read up on the history in Spain and shared some very interesting stories about the region. 

Mass that evening was a unique experience for me. The town has a special affinity for Mary, and though it seems that all of Spain does, their devotion in Naverette was even more evident. We participated in a novena prayer to Mary, which is a focused repeated prayer usually done for nine days. Countless Hail Marys were repeated. The priest then called us pilgrims up for a blessing – this time from Mary.  

A very memorable day, indeed!