Category: Map

Just past Azofra, we come to this stone column in the middle of nowhere. It is called the Crucero de Azofra. There apparently used to be a sign next to it explaining what it was, but when we were there, it was just a metal pole. Time to break out the trusty guidebooks! It turns out that this was a […]

One of my rare panorama shots, with Azofra behind us and the open Camino stretching out before us. You’ll want to click in for a closer look. And yes, that’s Francine far, far ahead of me. Date: 09 April 2016 Place: leaving Azofra behind (La Rioja, Spain) Map! Here’s our route out of Azofra, destination: unknown!

Like many of the smaller towns and villages along the Camino, in Azofra you come finally to a place where the sidewalk ends. Before you get there, though, you walk through this little neighborhood, which seems a throwback to a much earlier age, set amid modern roads. Date: 09 April 2016 Place: Azofra (La Rioja, Spain) Map! Here’s our route […]

Yes, it’s another coat of arms on a building in Azofra – but this time with comically grinning lions and some seriously intense-looking cherubs as supporters. This is one of two examples on this building – there’s a blurry photo of the building below as a bonus! A nearby sign identifies this as Real Casona de Las Amas. Built in […]

Cola Cao is a ubiquitous high-octane chocolate drink mix in Spain. It seems to be mostly for breakfast, but Spaniards will drink it at almost any time. On our first Camino, our friend Eamon (from New Zealand) positively fell in love with the stuff and drank it almost every day. It is definitely an acquired taste – and here Francine […]

Azofra is not what you would call one of those quaint medieval villages, although the rain probably helped. Nevertheless, the municipal Albergue is modern, spacious and features small, two-person private rooms. No bunk beds! It also has washers and dryers and working Wi-Fi. All this for €7? Yes, please. Date: 08 April 2016 Place: Azofra (La Rioja, Spain) Here’s a […]

Here we are coming up to the town of Azofra during one of the intermittent squalls that plagued us this day. As I recall, this degenerated into a steady rain when we finally got to town. Today was a good, strong walk despite the weather. The terrain was generally gently rolling hills: nothing too steep but varied enough to be […]

I‘m not sure what possessed me to take this photo of a well and irrigation system in La Rioja. They are ubiquitous throughout the eastern parts of La Rioja and throughout Castilla, and they are not small – that’s my hiking pole you see leaning against it for scale. The reason I’m posting it is this: in a week or […]

As I indicated in a previous post, most of the distance signs of the Camino seem to be pure guesswork – though at least a few are just maliciously wrong. On the road from Nájera to Azofra, you will see these particular signs very kilometer or so. Three years ago, they were brand new, and at the time we swore […]

The immediate path of the Camino out of Nájera is through a narrow gorge of the same red stone that you see in the nearby cliffs. When we walked, vultures circled overhead. Nothing creepy about that. Occasionally, the gauntlet widens briefly into the vineyards for which La Rioja is famous, as you see here. Dark clouds loomed, and we were […]