On Saturday, 9/16 we departed Estella to head to one of the larger cities on the Camino: Logrono. The terrain was green with many vineyards and other fields of agriculture. This segment comprises 49.6 km with a cumulative change of altitude of 785 m. and many pretty hamlets and villages along the way.
We stopped in the hamlet of Los Arcos to admire the Church of Holy Mary and the Gates of Castilla (c. 17th century).
Also Torres del Rio has a beautiful romanic design of octagonal shape: Iglesia del Santo Sepulcro.
Lovely lunch of pinxos in the village of Viana fueled us up for the last leg to Logrono.
Unbeknown to us the city of Logrono was celebrating their Feast of St. Mateo, with concerts, bull fights and much festivity in the old town streets.
The next day, Sunday, we departed Logrono to head to Santo Domingo de la Calzada. This segment comprises 50.9 km with a cumulative change of altitude of 845 m. We are in the Rioja province, known for its winemaking and then as we get closer to our destination, we see the shift to fields of grain.
Logrono has a lovely bicycle path into and out of their town that with the elevation gives one a great panoramic.
Unfortunately we encountered dirt roads that turn into clay mud with rain and/or irrigation.
Walking the bike through we made our way into town – slowly but surely. This small village cares for the Cathedral that holds the tomb of St. Domingo, much beloved for his care for pilgrims and making their journey safer.
After a long day, we hoped that the day’s obstacles did not foreshadow what was to come.