Day 11: People – Past and Present

Today’s route will be unusually interesting, in a historical and cultural sense; our path will be passing the archeological site studying the oldest human remains ever found (a UNESCO heritage site). The remains found here date back over 900,000 years, with more artifacts pointing to human activity 1 million years ago!

This roughly translates to: Ever since the pilgrim came to be in the mountains of Burgos of Navarra and saw the expansive fields of Spain, he has not enjoyed a view as beautiful as this.

When we reach our final destination of the day (Burgos), it will be another experience altogether. Burgos has a population of approximately 200,000 people, and is teeming with activity. Many pilgrims, after traveling over a week through quiet, secluded hamlets, find themselves with culture shock, and get overwhelmed by activity. I am not sure that this will be my experience because I am used to life in the city, but it will be interesting to gauge our reactions to all the people I am sure we’ll encounter.

Photos, Between There and Here

Day 7: Logroño – Capital of Rioja

We are walking a relatively short distance today of 9km (5.6mi) because we want to be able to spend some time in Logroño. We should be getting into town just as the wine harvest festival of San Mateo is starting!

Editor's Note: We missed the festival by one day, but by all accounts of it, we were glad (it sounds like the city was fully of the "over-boozed.") We had a WONderful time in Logroño, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone. We stayed in a pension for a night (what a treat, after staying in bunk beds in the pilgrim hostels), near the section of town that seems to be devoted to tapas. There we said goodbye to one friend (who will continue the Camino next year), and enjoyed a wonderfully downplayed city atmosphere. We explored a bit, went to the markets, enjoyed a lovely breakfast in a cafe, bought some cheese and bread, and saw as much great graffiti as we could (Spain has some GREAT graffiti) before heading out the next day.

Can I say, once again, how happy I was that we stayed in a pension, and didn't have to share a bathroom with 100 other people?

With the Sun, There Also Came Rain....

A Few Photos to Tantalize...