Pilgrims on the Way

We left our albergue in Ventosa at about 7:30 am. I slept well after what ended up being a late night. Turns out the albergue owners also owned the nearby vineyards – possibly these vineyards – and made an amazing wine. Of which we shared many bottles. Many. Bottles. Somehow, we were up before dawn and soon stumbling down the […]

For dinner, we headed over to the Café-Bar Buen Camino. A no-brainer, since there was only one other place to eat, and it was closed. For some reason – possibly the early hour – we had the place to ourselves. Three years later, Francine and I would have lunch here. From left to right: Eamon, me in the back, Patrick, […]

Here’s the view from the choir loft. Certainly not bad for a tiny village church. The reredos were completed in the 17th century, though several of the statues are much older, perhaps dating to the 14th century. The images include San Saturnino, the Blessed Virgin Mary, San Roque, San Juan Bautista, and the four Evangelists. At the very top is […]

Eamon and I decided to explore what there was of the local village before dinner. We climbed up the short hill to the church after which our own albergue is named. The Iglesia de San Saturnino seems to date from the 16th century, with the tower being built about a century later. Some of the interior art, however, is considerably older. […]

It was early enough in the afternoon that I spent some time wandering around the Albergue de Peregrinos San Saturnino. I’d love to know the history of the place. It’s a private albergue, owned by a local vintner – more on that later – but it’s named after the local parish church, and it has this lovely small altar on […]

This photo is pretty self-explanatory, I think. This is my journal, which I am updating in the albergue courtyard while I imbibe a beverage, provided by the nearby vending machine. Yes, beer from a vending machine. No, it wasn’t very good. Date: 08 April 2013Place: Ventosa (La Rioja, Spain)Today started: in Logroño (La Rioja, Spain)

Our albergue had an inner courtyard, sheltered from the relentless wind. In my journal, I described it as a “tranquil walled garden”. After our showers and settling in, we all retired here. There’s a vending machine with cans of beer. It’s not great beer, but it’s absolutely perfect for the moment. From my journal: There are a few conversations, both […]

It had been a tiring day. The wind, already gusty for several hours, now cranked itself up to 11. We began to understand why the nearby village was called Ventosa, from the Spanish word “ventosos” meaning “windy”. We hoped there was an albergue there, because we were rapidly running out of steam. Date: 08 April 2013Place: between Navarrete and Ventosa […]

After Navarrete, the Camino continues to closely parallel the N-120 highway. On the way, it wanders through ancient vineyards and low, rolling hills. The wind picked up noticeably as we went, leaving me to wonder if this is a more or less constant feature of La Rioja. After two pilgrimages through the region, I’m more and more convinced that this is […]