Almost There: A Travelogue of Surrender and Flow: La Rioja

Section II: La Rioja

September 28 - October 3

77 miles from Logroño to Burgos, 183.5 miles total.

The second week had a completely different energy to it. I met up with friends from the US who were here to disconnect from the world and reconnect with themselves. But there were no albergues on the agenda. It was hotels, wine tours (replete with a vineyard housed by a Frank Gehry building), upscale restaurants, and jacuzzis to soothe our feet at the end of the day. The miles were fewer and we were gentler on our bodies.

It took a week to cross La Rioja region. The scenery was gorgeous — filled with vineyards (the one grape I plucked from the vine was delicious), rolling hills, and decaying sunflowers. While apparently this is part of the sunflower lifecycle, it’s a little creepy walking next to field after field for miles.

I had been using a Garmin watch to track the miles, and became particularly obsessed with round numbers. If the watch said we walked 16.8 miles, I kept going around the corner until the counter hit 17. Somehow I lost it one day. I remember putting it on my wrist and then it wasn’t there. Whether it fell off or someone managed to swipe it will remain a mystery. But I’ve had to let go of my mileage obsession and trust that the next town will eventually appear.

I took a night away from the Bougie Camino for a unique experience at an Albergue Donativo, where you pay what you can and take what you need. The one in Grañón is known to be particularly special as it is located inside a cathedral where peregrinos sleep on mats on the floor in a sideroom and everyone pitches in to make the community dinner. Afterwards, folks gathered in a room where we sat in a circle under candle light, recited mostly non-denominational prayers in multiple languages, and spoke of our hopes and experiences for the Camino. Breakfast the next morning was again communal and everyone hugged goodbye before walking to their next destination. While unfortunately I missed a night at a Parador hotel and Michelin restaurant, it was worth it.

By Thursday I was getting nervous about starting off on the next section, so I said farewell to my friends and pushed on (as in two 18-mile days in a row) to make up for lost time. My Camino friends took a rest day in Burgos so the timing just worked out.

As I suspected, people began to fan out. Some ended their journeys in Burgos while others kept going without much or any rest. But there’s still a solid group of us from the beginning traveling to the next station together. And I’ve been meeting enough people along the way that we’re starting to recognize each other as our paths weave while walking, resting in a town, or staying at the same Albergue. The default is always friendship.

This wraps up the first section of the Camino, which is meant to challenge the body. And it has. What I quickly learned is that when you don’t take a rest day, your body rebels with blisters and carpal tunnel flare ups and that the only way I’ll be able to continue is by slowing down (and porting my pack a few days; there’s no need to be a hero).