Sleepy Dave left the Parochial Albergue this morning after a good breakfast but a bad nights sleep. Young Patrick overnight had according to Sleepy Dave become the Olympic Snoring campion. Even downstairs in the bathroom young Patrick could be heard. Me. I didn’t hear a thing. Guess my hearing-or lack of- has its advantages so I had had a good nights sleep.

It was 7:30 before we left this morning because of the wonderful hospitality supplied by hospeleras Pam, an Aussie from Sydney and Maria, a fun filled Spaniard.

On our way and passing through an underpass I was happy to see at the end a familiar mural. This huge mural was here four years ago and has aged well. So many things make me feel like I am coming home again.

We passed through Ermitage de la Trinidad de Cuevas near a tributary of the river Ebro. It was once the site of a pilgrim hospice run by the Trinitarian Order of nuns. The low meadows of this area during the 16th century were also notorious for gatherings of witches covens.

We have now entered the wine region of Rioja. Vineyards aplenty and now a gradual but long climb up the northern side of a Cantabrian Hill Cerro de Cantabrigians. This is near the Roman excavation site of the prehistoric city of Cantabria.

Logroño. One of the larger cities on the Camino and not easy to traverse. But the people here would have to be by far the friendliest and nicest peoples we have met. Passing locals would give us a friendly Buen Camino. Several times when locals saw us uncertain or studying a map they would point us in the right direction or explain, as in one case, that we had the map backwards. Oops.

We are spending the night in Navarrete, another historic town with many original period houses. The Church of the Assumption is the center piece of the town and its interior quite spectacular.

We finished the day with a home cooked meal and a bottle of Rioja…of course.