Day 9 - Logrono to Ventosa - 20 km

This morning I started walking at 6:00 a.m. in order to get an extra hour in before the full heat of the day hit. For several km on the way out of Logrono we walk through beautifully kept park land and lagoona where I had a conversation with some ducks. Joggers and dog walkers joined us on the path and it was at least 1 1/2 hr before we were actually out of the Logrono area. Navarette was 13 km away and I reached it's little cafe at about 10:00 along with about a dozen other pilgrims. One of those pilgrims was Jonas, a German fellow wearing an Scottish kilt and a Texan cowboy hat.

Today I promised myself that I would love my feet. The tape is not due to an injury, only to prevent one because I know it would be quite easy to get plantar fasciitis. If read about a recommendation to stop every 2 hours to remove my boots, change socks and rub my feet. Today that is what I did and I do believe it made a big difference. Notice the nice pilgrim tan line.

Leaving Navarette the temperature was in the mid 30s. It was only 7 more km to Ventosa but it took me almost 2 hours with the sun draining my energy more every minute. Of course, as with every town, Ventosa is on the side of a hill with a steep climb to get there. On our way up the hillside we came upon these ruins from a pilgrim's hospital that was founded in 1185. The 2 hour wait to be admitted into the Albergue was well worth it. This place is like the Hilton for pilgrims. Very clean with ceramic floors and beautiful architecture. And the best part? There's a separate washroom for women and it actually has soap in it! I'm very excited and happy about this. I just came back from a lovely dinner (I'm using that Irish word from now on!) of Paella with friends from Germany, Ireland, US and South Africa.