Day 8: Viana to Navarette

Day 8 after my psycho day of dehydration and meat tenderised feet I did wake up and still breathing.

The Refugio in Viana was a little more cramped than I´m used to - 3 bunks in triple tier.....in ONE room! Bathrooms with 2 showers and 1 toilet for women & same for men....the bunks are the basic mattress and pillow (which becomes my foot rest) and you use your sleeping bag on top. Earplugs are a major neccessity and something I could not do without.

This was a 22km day and a much needed rest day, kind of. The same early start is required as you must be out of the Refugio/Alburgue by 8am each morning and can only stay there ONE night.  Breakfast is usually at a cafe somewhere in town, if you´re lucky otherwise you need to walk to the next town and hope they´re open.

A cooler start was welcome and the strapping of my foot needed. We travel through the major city of Logrono today and with a 2hour walk to there and we spent 30mins in the cafe for brekky then 2.5hrs in the internet cafe catching up on my blog and downloading pics etc and a welcome relief for the feet.

Then we continue on to Navarette and was more than enough for a day after the nightmare and feet were so tender and bruised.

Navarette Refugio was the local Municipal one and a French man ran this and was very pleasant.  The beds were, as usual bunks, but I got a middle group and the top and it had no barrier and I was terrified all night that I was going to roll out....these bathrooms were like an ensuite to each room - 9 ppl per room, 1 single bed however 1 shower and 1 toilet to share - I´m slowly getting used to the "communal" facilities.

We meet up with Michel the French Canadian and given another warmish day, the evening was fabulous and it was Saturday. A wander around the town, after 2 vodka´s and we end up back at the same place for dinner - 3 courses is the usual Pilgrim menu for around 10euro - definite value for money and always great quality and flavours with local wine.

An early night as this Refugio closes at 9.30pm even on a Saturday night - lights out at 10pm and a small hiccup with the Europeans in the room not happy with my insistent request for a window to be left open during the night....there were 9 ppl in the room...HELLO!!! I won ;-)

Week ONE is done N dusted....bring on week TWO. Sorry the computer won´t upload the pics - tomorrow!!