Day 9: Najera to Santo Domingo de Calzada

Day 9: 14 Oct 2024

Distance (kms): 20.9
Elevation gain / loss (m): 379 / 232

Started from Najera when there was not enough daylight and had to look for the arrows pointing the way inside Najera. Finally exited town and saw the Camino winding downhill out of Najera.

Chicken in someone's backyard in Azofra.

It is interesting to consider all the things one sees while walking. Sometimes it feels as if the Camino gives a window into the lives of other people. 

An old coat of arms on a wall:

In a house, just outside Azofra, the pillars look wavy from the side:

But look perfectly straight from the front:

Looking back at Azofra:

This pillar (based on reading on the Internet) used to mark an old cross road and was also used to hang criminals from:

Gravity fed irrigation system watering, among other things, sugar beets:

Just when you think the path is never going to end:

There is an encouraging sign:

With a man offering fruits and other goodies from the back of his car on a 'donativo' basis:

After a brief rest stop here, came to the modern town of Cirueña and stopped for lunch. I walked past a house with a beautifully manicured front yard. The lady pruning roses insisted that I carry one of the roses from her garden!

A memorial, on a modern bridge over a highway, to Santo Domingo and what he did to ease the crossing of Rio Oja (which gives the region of La Rioja, its name) for medieval pilgrims:

Crates of potatoes on the outskirts of Santo Doming de Calzada:

Beautifully ripe quince in a front yard garden:

And the obligatory 'Chinese' store that every medium sized town seems to have:

The town of Santo Domingo is famous for its Cathedral. 

Dinner was soup ("Riojana" -- which turned out be a potato soup!), pork chops and more potatoes and flan:

The local bakery in Santo Domingo makes a famous "hanged man" pastry in remembrance of a medieval legend (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_de_la_Calzada#Legend):