Day Six - Pain was the name of the game...

Day Six - Saturday - March 30, 2013 /// Torres del Rio to Navarette /// 22.8 miles

Strava data: http://app.strava.com/activities/46769793

Bring on the pain, the wind and the rain!  More of the same today.  Amazing views, awesome fellow pilgrims with endless comments of, "Buen Camino" and scenary to enjoy.

Storm clouds in the distance on the verge of greeting us as we approach the big city of Logroño, Spain.

This day we were on our way to the biggest city yet and the guide book warned us not to be overwhelmed by the cars, noise and fast pace.  I thought this was particularly strange because I have been living in big cities for the past eight years (Chicago and now San Francisco).  It wasn´t until we entered Logroño that I felt the awkward feeling of the people being much more impersonal, disinterested in your journey and who you were and many fewer people saying "Buen Camino".  This isn´t to say that many people didn´t acknowledge us or say "Buen Camino" altogether, however the vibe was very different.  Everyone had somewhere to be and had their attention buried in their smartphones.  In the previous small towns all the people were more interested in speaking with us about the Camino and our lives back home and of course where we were from.  The city was full of noise, loud conversations in the cafes and less patience among the people in cars.  I see this nearly everyday back home, but just a short week away and I could already see the radical difference between the two lifestyles just a day´s walk apart.

Look!  We found a rainbow as we were walking into Logroño, Spain.

Logroño was a great city and very beautiful with wonderful architecture.  For me, the best part was ducking off into The Drunken Duck bar/restaurant for a beer and late lunch with Francesco from Torino, Italy and the two Joe´s (Ireland and Germany).  We ordered some pints of weissbier by Paulander.  Joe from Germany said it was one of the best beers from Germany.  I would have to agree in this case.  I haven´t enjoyed many beers from Germany, but in San Francisco we have our fair share of imported beers easily accessible.  The weissbier was perfect and just what we all needed after a long, tiresome day.  "Sunshine" from Denmark is a real pilgrim.  She continued on as we made a break.  I ordered a delicious spinach and cheese tortellini.  The first real meal in two days.  The thing about small towns and the Camino is that most of the options along the path are "Bocadillos", sandwiches typically with ham and cheese on a long French-style bread.

My fellow pilgrims and new friends enjoying a good meal and liquid calories in the form of a Paulander Weissbier.

After two tall pints each and a good buzz we walked on another 10-14kms to reach Navarette for the night. We were all dealing with some tired feet and potential blisters and such.  It was a small pity party for our feet that evening.

Pictures and videos to come.  I know I am saying this a lot, but none of these computers are SD memory card friendly.  Keep enjoying photos on the Facebook Fan Page until the day comes that I come across a sound computer.