Day 5: Viana - Navarette

Via LONGRONO

Approx 22km

Today was a real struggle. I had come down with the symptoms of a cold the night before and after feeling generally ok throughout the morning, I was hit fairly hard at about 1pm with a killer sore throat and heavy chest. Every breath felt like razors were being dragged down my neck. Thank God for small mercies, it was an easy, flat walk!

I spent the day walking with Cathy, Stefan and Harry. It was 9km to Logrono and once there, we found a lovely coffee shop where we proceeded to sit for over an hour drinking coffee and eating pasteries, all the while trying to summon up the energy to keep going!



Coming into Longrono, there is a famous 'stamp point' where an old lady used to sit all day, waiting for Pilgrims to walk past so that she could stamp their credencials. She did this until she died in 2002, aged 92. Legend has it that her daughter now does it in her memory, but when we walked past there was only a table with a stamp on it for us to do ourselves, which was a bit disappointing! There were so many cute, yet mangy dogs there who were chained up and desperate for a cuddle, but I just couldn't bring myself to touch the poor things!!

While we were in Logrono I went to the chemist to get something for my worsening cold...well, what an experience! I don't speak ANY Spanish! I had looked up in my phrase book how to say I had a cold ('constipada' for those playing at home), but that was it! The lady in the farmacia showed me some tablets that looked like the go, but when I went to pay her, she slipped the packet under the counter and proceeded to serve the next 6 people who walked in. I couldn't understand why, and when I tried to ask her, I realised that she had been waiting for someone who spoke English to come in and translate how many times a day I needed to take the tablets! She finally got her point across after some quality charades, and I left, tablets in hand and head completely fuddled!


The afternoon was a HUGE effort and just got harder as my throat hurt more and more. For the first time (but not the last) I felt like this was all too hard. I spent the afternoon walking in silence, praying to see the town of Navarette, and when we finally got there we were greeted by the news that the Albergue wasn't open. Argh! Luckily, my friends from the night before had charged on ahead and had booked us beds at a private Albergue. It was a bit more expensive but completely worth it for the hot shower and comfortable bed!

Cathy made me chicken noodle soup for dinner while I had a nanna nap. She's completely wonderful and I love her!

* Another strange thing I have noticed is that every single town we have walked through over the past couple of days looks like there has been a 'gas attack' (thanks to Cathy for the fitting description) - they are complete ghost towns and there is never a soul to be seen, whether or not it is siesta time....Very eerie!

* During the afternoon we walked alongside a fence that had a memorial to all the Pilgrims who had lost their lives on the Camino. For the next km or so, other Pilgrims had added their own crosses in tribute. It was a nice touch, but actually reminded me of the Blair Witch Project, and gave me the heebie jeebies a bit.