Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada (Camino de Santiago)

I awoke at 5am, packed up my gear and sat outside while Tim, Mike and Greg finished waking and packing. I didn’t sleep very well as I kept thinking about bedbugs all night and the constant change of temperature that went from cold to stifling heat. As soon as I could get out of the alberque the better. The mornings start was rather quick paced as the temperature was quite low. It did help us cover the first few miles at a rapid pace until the hour was late enough to find a café that was serving espresso. It tasted wonderful. The remainder of the days walk meandered up and down through the rural setting which was quite nice except for one long stretch where the road reached out before us as far as we could see. Before noon we arrived at a golf resort community in the middle of what seemed as nowhere. The green course was surrounded by multi level condo buildings which had window after window of for sale signs. A few bottom floor units looked inhabited as the little front lawns were manicured and flowing with flowers. One large complex was a shell of concrete. This was the result of the real estate boom in Spain collapsing. The money just ran out. The days walk of fourteen miles ended in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. We arrived shortly before the alberque opened so with our packs placed in queue we wandered to a nearby tapas bar for a cold beer and snack. My favorite was white asparagus wrapped in ham with a dab of hollandaise sauce on a toasted piece of bread, ah delicious. One of the patrons bought us a small glass of sweet desert wine which complimented the tapas very well. That little snack was the most delicious food I had enjoyed so far. Once we had acquired our bed I showered and took a nap until 2pm when we were told that a procession was about to begin at the cathedral. Most of the local residents stood outside the churches massive doors. A group of teenage boys dressed in berets and traditional garb stood nervous clicking their casements. The doors opened and the elders carried a large statue of a saint on their shoulders. The procession began. The dancing youth led the troupe, then the saint, followed by a brass band. I found a good spot to watch and enjoyed our luck at arriving on this special day in Domingo de la Calzada.   Journal: “This is the third pilgrimage I have undertaken. I had thought that I would have found it providing the same emotional sensations as India but it hasn’t. India seemed so close, full of déjà vu and familiar as if another life had been spent there. Here, on this walk, I have so much time in my own thoughts, meditation with feet. Something is happening but it’s subtle and underwater.”