Camino de Santiago: Into Rioja

Many pilgrims walk from Los Arcos to Logroño in one stage. I divided it in 2 shorter segments and stayed a night in Viana – relaxing and enjoying vino rosado (rosé) with some other pilgrims on the main street in town.

Los Arcos to Viana – 18.5 km

Viana to Logroño – 9.5 km

The sun was rising behind me as I left Los Arcos. The flattering light set the landscape aglow in orange. And elongated my shadow diligently accompanying me. The landscape was changing. More and more vineyards with bunches of grapes positively dripping from the vines. The smell of fermented grapes perfumed the air. Some pesky little mosquitoes were also about so I quickened my pace to the first town, Sansol, picturesquely perched at the top of a small hill.

Torres del Rio was not far after where I stopped for bocadillo stuffed with chorizo tortilla. I was glad for the sustenance as the next stretch was back into some steeper hills, often in sun with pine and olive trees on the slopes. My shoulders were well tanned by end of day.

The 12 km stretch to Viana also had no services. So I thought. An oasis unexpectedly appeared. Casita Lucia tucked into the side of the hill, under a dense canopy of green. Cool and shady. Tables and chairs. Fresh squeezed OJ! It was too delightful not to stop.

This is not the first time I encountered a thoughtful rest spot. The Camino has a lot of friends. Volunteers will set up a rest area with food and drink, based on donations. Others run food trucks or snack shacks in these remote locations. Setting up for the season to support pilgrims on their way. Or simply placing some chairs under a tree or an encouraging note. The kindness I have encountered is touching.

It was a short jaunt into Logroño the next day. At some point the road turned a reddish hue to denote the arrival in the Rioja region. Shortly after passing a rose bush of Rosa del Camino de Santiago (pink petals with subtle yellow inside) I crossed the Ebro river into Logroño, capital of this region well known for wine. I stopped by the pilgrim’s information office on the way into town and the gentlemen told me about the San Mateo festival. He handed me the program. My rest day in the city happened to coincide with this festival to celebrate the grape harvest. The city was full of energy, song, dance and wine but I’ll leave all that for another post.

Let’s just say there’s a lively tapas scene to go with the great wine. There’s a saying “the Camino provides”. Lucky for me, the Camino provided me with fun tapas companions on both days in Logroño.