Logroño is much bigger than I expected. I mean, I saw the layout on the map and still was sort of shocked at how long it takes to get to the city center. The hotel is located in the old city center by the main Cathedral and several of the more important churches. It is quiet and pristine, Logroño being the capitol of Rioja, there are photos of grapevines and root stock everywhere.
I stock up on water and some fruit juice and head to the farmacia to try my luck at getting some analgesics. Fortunately, between my rudimentary Spanish and some pantomiming, ibuprofen is secured. I then proceed to hole up in my room for several hours hydrating and largely elevating my feet.
Having resigned myself to not being able to replace my trekking pole gloves while I’m here, I’ve decided to send my old poles and my cold weather gear on to Santiago. Looking at the weather forecasts for the Next few towns, things are trending warmer, although I suspect I may have to hang close to my sleeping bag in the evenings for the next week to stay warm.
The next day, I visit the various churches and revel in the amazing beauty and craftsmanship. Outside, I’m enjoying the urban art and the way nature succeeds.
One of the women I met earlier in the trip arrived into town tonight and is staying at the albergue next to my hotel. We decide to meet up for tapas. It turns out she’s a linguistics expert and is writing a book on the interplay between food and language. We hit up three different bars where I take care of picking out the food and she manages the language. It’s a good pairing! Everything we had was amazing and it was especially nice to have a ‘normal’ night.
The bed race is really heating up. I’m hearing stories from multiple people about continued difficulties in finding a place to stay. I had hoped that my experience a week ago was a one off, but it appears that winging it isn’t going to be much of an option at this point. I start breaking out the stages to Burgos and plan out the next 6 nights of the trip. It takes almost two hours to work through all of the reservations and emails and confirmations. I have to admit, I didn’t think that logistics would be such a huge part of this trip! However, I feel better knowing that I can largely take my time each day, secure that I’ll have a place to sleep.
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