Distance: 21.5km (219.9km).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 545m / 729m / 745m.
Weather: Good.
I was wrong yesterday about getting a night without snoring; Jo, who slept in the bed next to me, snored like a drunken sailor. If it was strange walking from Najera in the morning yesterday, it was if anything even stranger today. Yesterday morning, I was after all in company with most of those that I had became familiar with; today, I sort of started again with a clean slate. I walked to Granon, where rumours went wild about the albergue. If I have not made the decision to stay behind, I would have missed the fantastic afternoon and evening at the albergue.
A purple gleam of light on the sky in the morning, the lights of Azofra twinkling in the dark.
Off in the dark again, but this time, some other pilgrims and I got some problems finding the correct path. We found The Way in the end and passed by La Picota XVI (columna justicia), a medieval waymark, in the dark. And when the light began to appear on the sky, it was with a purple gleam, behind me the windows in Azofra was twinkling.
Sunrise at an area de descanso, there were seating inside the dome where you could sit in shelter for potential bad weather.
The surrounding landscape was an undulating farmland. Before Ciruena, I chose to walk through a rest area instead of where the Camino went, the small detour seemed nicer. A building looking like an igloo of stone was erected on the rest area (area de descanso). The sun had just managed to get up when I got there, and rays of the sun were the first light who shone in through the door of the building.
An undulating farmland between Azofra and Ciruena.
I believe that the Camino brings a lot of good to the areas and places it passes through, but that there are probably some drawbacks concerning having the route close by. I walked past a signpost where it stood 'prohibido defecar', meaning do not shit here. It should be unnecessary to put up signs telling people not to do that in public spaces. Ciruena is mainly a golf resort, which seemingly explains why the place looks like a ghost town. Rows and columns of empty houses, no life. There is only life here during the season.
Alto de Matacon.
In the horizon, a hill rose up in front of me, with different patches of land forming patterns in the tawny acres. A gravel track goes straight up towards the hill and then wears off to the right before disappearing over the ridge. On the track, I could see small figures moving forward in unison, pilgrims on their journey to Santiago. This is Alto de Matacon and I had seen the image numerous times before I stood in front of it myself.
A shepherd with a herd of sheep crossing the Camino after Alto de Matacon before Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
On the way down from the ridge, with Santo Domingo de la Calzada in sight, a large herd of sheep crossed the Camino further down. A solitary shepherd walked in front of the critters. Alongside the route, Alto de Matacon was the highlight of the day.
Walking between the buildings of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, it was not a distant thought that I should have walked here yesterday too. Not just to spend more time together with my group, but also because it was such a nice town with a historic atmosphere. I had a long break here, ate lunch and visited the biggest attractions in the town with 6600 inhabitants.
Santo Domingo de la Calzada, in the top of the bell tower of the cathedral.
The bell tower of the cathedral stands separately from the church itself and it is possible to climb up in it. The view from the top of the tower offer the town from above and the barren landscape around. In the cathedral, I walked through narrow and small labyrinths. During my visit to the cathedral, I could also hear a cock crowing. It is said that those who hear this will reach Santiago de Compostela. In probably one of the most adorned henhouses in the world there is a rooster strutting inside the cathedral, there is a legend associated with this custom.
Ornaments and decorations on the facade of the cathedral in Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
Out of Santo Domingo the la Calzada, I crossed an impressive bridge over Rio Oja. The river was completely dry, as the landscape around; it was like walking on a bridge used only for decoration. You pass the Cruz de los Valientes, a cross in memory of two combatants from Santo Domingo and Granon in a dispute about ownership of land.
The bridge over Rio Oja, there was no water in the river.
I arrived at the albergue in Granon, Albergue San Juan Bautista, before it was open. I put my backpack in the line of backpacks forming the queue to get a place and then went for a cold cerveza in a local bar in the village. The albergue is in the same building as the church, has two dormitories where you sleep on mats and a very nice and cozy living- and dining-room. The laundry was in the bell tower, where someone had drawn the outline of a dead man on the floor, in the same fashion as you see in the movies.
Dinner in Albergue San Juan Bautista. The elder Korean man in the background called me superman, without me never understanding why.
The albergue is donativo as most of the hostel run by the church, which means that you choose yourself what you want to pay for the stay. A communal dinner and breakfast is served for the pilgrims staying at the albergue. What you donate goes to the dinner and breakfast for the pilgrims arriving on the next day. It is a great concept.
Eric playing for the pilgrims in the albergue.
The afternoon and evening at the albergue became one of those seldom experiences you remember so well. At the albergue there was a French musician, Eric, who ran a music place in his hometown, he had also played together with Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden). So far on his Camino, he had not wanted to play, but on this day, he found it too good to play for us. In the living room, there was a piano and from the outside, you could hear the sound of music, good atmosphere and spirits, and pilgrims dancing. Tired legs and feet was quickly forgotten.
Yet another incredible day on the Camino.
Video from the afternoon and evening in the albergue in Granon.
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