I left the hotel at 08:10. On the way out of Navarrete. I caught up to the lone backpacker whom I'd seen the day before. The Korean girl said there were only two other people at the albergue in Navarrete. I passed her up as she could not keep up with me. Today was the first day where it rained. I finally had to used my rain jacket and pack cover. I walked by Ventosa, then was walking through vineyards for as far as the eye could see. Then it was a descent into Najera.
I made it to Najera at noon. It was a good-sized town. I crossed the clear Najerilla River and headed toward the red cliffs that border the town. There was the Monastery of Santa Maria la Real. I paid €4 to enter. The church is built into the side of the cliff with access to a cave. In the cave is a statue of Mary that was found there in 1044. I left at 13:00, knowing I still had slot of walking to do.
I walked out the backside of Najera through the red clay and over the hump. Then, it was miles of vineyards until I got to the town of Azofra, which seemed kind of dead; I saw few cars and few people. The vineyards eventually turned into hayfields. It was a long gradual ascent into Ciruena. First I passed a golf driving range, which was busy. The rest of Ciruena was like a ghost town. There were fairly new apartment buildings, of which less than half seemed to be occupied. Some of the apartment buildings seemed to be completely vacant.
I trudged on toward Santo Domingo de la Calzada. I walked past alot of farm equipment on my way into town, giving me the impression this was an agricultural hub. I finally reached the Confradia del Santo Albergue, the only albergue open, at 07:00 after it was dark. I should have not stopped off in Najera earlier in the day. The albergue was packed with maybe sixteen people, not including myself, and I did not recognize anyone. I guessed that I caught up to the group that had left the day before my original group. One skinny Korean girl helped me find an open bed and asked me what country I was from and where I had walked from.
