Feets Do Yo Stuff: Day 9: Najera to Santo Domingo de la Cazada

Numbers: 13.2 miles per Garmin GPS and 33,732 steps per Fitbit, along with 112 floors

Dave voice:

Yet another thrilling early start to a trek through farm land. At least we have a good idea where Spain’s bread and wine come from. Although rain was a possibility, we beat it to Santa Domingo, checking in at the El Corrigedor in time for a little shopping and the usual pilgrim lunch/dinner. There was a street fair of some sort going on nearby, so we ambled out to see it in time for the rain to start. Thunder, too. The forecast is now for rain through Wednesday (today is Saturday).

All these early starts may have cost us a few prepaid meals, but they’re getting us finished for the day at 2:00 PM or earlier (11:15 today). Plenty of time to transfer pictures, read, listen to the kids play in the street and do other low stress activities. This may seem like a monotonous schedule of walk-rest-walk, but, what it lacks in variety, it makes up for in practicality. Both Tucker from Tennessee and Julie from the Netherlands have been hobbled by leg and foot injuries. These are young, fit-looking people who were just unlucky. We’re trying to do better by avoiding the warmest/rainiest parts of the day and by resting a lot. Either it’s been working so far or we’ve been lucky. We’ll take either one.

A shorter day with easier, drier terrain, and conversations with two young women: Julie from The Netherlands and Marina from France (and Madrid for now). Both sane, independent women out on their own. Good for them. Interesting, smart, and all things good.

Stopped for Cokes a few miles from Santo Domingo. The vendor was selling drinks and other treats for a donation. "Pay what you can," he said. Probably a good business model since Peregrinos generally have the money to afford a lengthy time away from work, home, etc. Although the guide book talks a lot about sleeping on church floors, in doorways, etc, those staying in the albergues (I.e.., barracks-type hostels) are mostly doing it as part of the "experience" and seem well connected to credit cards and other resources. Nothing wrong with this, of course. Still, I’ve yet to meet anyone who "bummed through Europe" who was ever more than a phone call away from cash and/or a plane ticket.

Us neither, of course, but we aren't "bumming," we're adults spending money we earned during a lifetime of work. So we paid 3€ for the drinks and went on our way.

As noted earlier, we meet and lose people – and sometimes meet them again. Marie, our Korean pal from days one and two, resurfaced on days eight and nine. The Britishy Jewish women we met yesterday, are nowhere to be seen today and Julie, the Hollander we walk with this morning, is pressing on to another town further up the road. Metaphor, anyone?

Perhaps the day’s most depressing moment comes in Ciruena, a tiny and unremarkable old town surrounded by a collapsed building boom, row upon row of unfinished or abandoned condos that were probably never going to look anything but cheesy at best. There’s a golf course, too, the first one we've seen, and a few higher-end cars parked out front as if the building bust actually did bring in money. Doubt it. One last sad thing, the new development is set in wine country so it seems that vineyards were cut back to make room for dumpy condos. There’s gotta be a special – and painful – place in hell for real estate developers.

Deb voice

As days go, this was relatively easy. We left at 6:40 am with a "lunch" packed courtesy of our hotel since we left too early for breakfast (which was prepaid): nice touch. Terrain was excellent, mainly paved roads and wide dirt paths that we often call fire roads in the U.S. Luck was on our side again as we got to Santo Domingo before 11:30 am, were able to check into our hotel, "El Corrigedor," buy food (wine and chips for later), and eat lunch at a place a few doors down from our hotel. As we walked into town, we had the same problem as always. Neither of us could remember the name of the hotel and were too lazy to pull out the cheat sheet (laminated spreadsheet with all info. about the trip). As we passed Hotel Corrigedor on the old calle mayor, I said, "All I know is that it's not the Hotel Corrigedor." Yes, so much for memory. After lunch while looking at the monestary and main town church, the rain started. Yes, we lucked out again on our timing. Besides a church, monetary, and typical old town Spain, I thought this story about the town was interesting. What d'ya think? A last note on injury status: my back was fine today with no pain for 10 miles. The ten mile mark is usually when I start to feel it, so all good. Dave's rib injury/pain level is "good enough" in his words.

And, a few pictures, if the Internet is ok