It was a beautiful day to walk today, meandering along country lanes with rows of grape vines on one side and rows of olive trees on the other. These two fruits of the earth have provided sustenance to many for centuries. It was a short walk of only 11 miles with not much elevation change.
Viana is an ancient village that was especially active with pilgrims back in the 15th century. narrow streets are still vibrant and lively today. We stayed at a restored palace, aptly named the Palacio de Pajudas, across from the ruins of the massive San Pedro church.
When booking our hotel for Los Arcos yesterday I failed to note its exact location. Usually I would book the lodging close to the Camino Trail, which is usually in the historic part of a city. In this case, our hotel happened to be more than a mile away from he city. When we arrived in Los Arcos we had to walk out of the city to the hotel on a busy road with no shoulder, with traffic buzzing by. I hope to not make that mistake again! However, the hotel was nice and had a restaurant attached. On the next day we taxied from here to the town center instead of trying to walk it.
We’ve noticed that some pilgrims have a loose idea of how to walk the Camino. Some will taxi from one town to another if they are tired or injured. Lots of the walkers have developed bad blisters on their feet or heels, or have some pain in their ankles, knees or hips. We talked to a few others who are only walking certain segments at a time, and plan to return. Everyone does the Camino in their own way.
Digital Postcards 