Camino Day 5 ~ Los Arcos to Torres del Rio

Monday, September 5, 2016:

Scroll down for a short video of the day.

We take our time getting started since I (Joyce) added kilometers in my head incorrectly and we have a short day of only about 8 kilometers. It’s tricky finding beds these days even though it’s beyond the summer rush. It’s still unseasonably hot and challenging to beat the speedier Pilgrims for the Municipal beds in Viana while Logrono would be a long haul in this heat. We need an easy day anyway, right? Divine intervention, for sure.Oh, well… on the plus side we stayed in a small apartment last night that was very nice and we even heated up paella from the grocery store in our cute little kitchen. Not bad at all and easy on the budget.

I can see why it’s called Church of St. Mary of the Arches.

Survival of the fittest in arid, dry conditions; snails crawl up a live plant stem to obtain moisture. Hey!! It’s the brother/sister pair from Israel! We last saw them in Estella.

What? We are here already? Cross the river right after leaving Sansol and we find our home for tonight at the San Andres Hostel.

This village is best known for its 12th century church, Iglesia de Santo sepulchre (Church of the Holy Sepulchre) linked with the Knights Templar and based on the octagonal church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The cupola with its cross-ribbed vault forming an 8 sided star, is particularly notable and emblematic of the Knights. ~ Brierley guidebook (Its locked so are unable to tour the interior.)

Time for the Pilgrim Menu and we are lucky enough to share a table with a delightful couple from Italy. Thanks to Google Translate we are able to communicate, but I think their smiles say it all… Chow!