9. Nájera to Santo Domingo

Camino Frances - Day 10 - September 5th. 2013: Nájera to Santo Domingo (9th day walking)

Contour Map: Copyright John Brierley click here to see notes

Click here for Google Map and my starting point today
After a reasonable nights sleep I set off at about7:30am before stopping in Azofra for breakfast. I prefer to get on the road and have breakfast along the way. Mary from Canada sat with me outside the small cafe. She is travelling with her sister in law who is some way behind today. Lis, Tina and Alexandro were just leaving Azofra as I arrived. Alexandro was hoping to make it as far as Grañón
today because his blistered feet had healed and he was feeling confident he could pick up his pace. 

My camera setting were locked and I could not figure out how to resolve the problem. I sent a text to my son, Brendan, and asked his to google it and send my a solution. 

 I stopped at Rioja Alto, just before Cirueña to relax and take a few photos. I spoke with a very attractive older lady with her arm in a sling and a lot of facial bruising. She came from Germany and her name is Ute. I had heard about this lady already, about how she had taken a fall and been badly injured. It was not stopping her getting on with her personal journey. Tina came along and sat next to me. Ute expressed concern about her hand. Tina offered to apply a cream she had to help with the pain. Sabina and Karin arrived and they also decided to take a break here.  

Then the guy walking with his donkey came along and stopped to attend to his animal. I went over to take a look. The donkey's back leg was bleeding, it looked like a crack in his skin. Another guy, who was selling drinks and fruit at a stall came over and started to bandage the poor animal's leg. He did a good job. (I saw the animal many times after this and his leg had fully recovered.)  I took a long break here and by the time I left all the others were already well on their way. 
I came over a hill only to find Tina walking backwards down the hill. She has had a lot of problems with her leg and the only way she descend this step hill was to do it backwards. I was concerned for her safety and offered to help her but she said she wanted to do it by herself. I went ahead looking back frequently to make sure she got down OK. Once she reached the end I marched on. 

When I reached Santo Domingo I checked into Casa del Santo, a large, modern, spotless Albergue with every facility. (I would highly recommend) Stefanie dropped by and asked if I would join her and Daniel for dinner. After washing and changing I washed some clothes and hung them out, under cover, because rain was forecast. I went to the wifi area and checked my email. Brendan had sent me a solution for the locked camera, I tried it out and it worked : )

Going back to my bunk I updated my notes and then took out the guidebook. I looked at the next few stages to think about how I might break up each day. This included checking out availability of beds in each town. I tended to head for towns with lots of accommodation because I was not booking ahead. My plans often changed based on how I felt on the day and how much progress I was making. 

I went to buy some needles to burst a few blisters. I've read different accounts about how to deal with blisters with some saying to burst them and others saying let them be and they will heal in their own good lime. I had a few on my toes , they were small but very sore, that were not clearing up and decided to pierce them. I found a shop selling everything from a 'needle to an anchor' so I guessed they must have needles. After buying a set of needles  On the way back to the Albergue I

stopped off for a quick beer. The rain was pouring down at this stage. I sat outside under a very leaky umbrella sipping the cool beer. Everyone else abandoned their tables and gone inside once the thunder and lightening started. Despite my past history with lightening I still love being out in a storm. Adele was playing in the background, I had access to WiFi access, a cool beer and rain thunder and lightening around me, perfect. I placed a mobile call to Brenda but got no answer : ( . I left and went back to my room to treat the blisters covering them with plasters for avoid any infection. 

I spent some time today thinking about our 41st wedding anniversary due on September 15th. How was I going to mark this day with Brenda in San Francisco and me in some remote part of Northern Spain. 

Back in the room I met Bob from Oregon who was walking with Ger from Dublin and living in Rathoath and Jim, originally from May but living in Canada for the last 30 years. Karin and Sabina were also staying in our room.

I went to dinner with Stefanie and Daniel. We talked about a lot of issues and I got to know them really well. They are a fantastic couple who hope to get married next year. The food was not great but the company made up for that : )

Back a the Albergue my clothes were not dry so I had to take them in and worry about that in the morning.  
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Other Links, relating to this section of the Camino, you may wish to follow 

Nájera:

Images of Nájera on the internet

Wikipedia on Nájera

Santo Domingo de Calzada:
Images of Santo Domingo de Calzada on the internet
Wikipedia on Santo Domingo de Calzada
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Topic: Snoring and other nocturnal noises
Sleeping in large dormitories is all part of the shared experience and a great way to meet new friends. I always enjoy the interactions when I first arrive, are any of my friends staying in this place, getting cleaned up and heading for a relaxing evening. It's all great until the lights in the Albergue are turned out, often very early and well before I am ready for sleep. If I had WiFi I could check email inbox and send a few emails to family. If not  could review my photographs and hope that sleep would find me. Then it starts, the snoring and other nocturnal noises. 

There are many types of snoring sounds and I found that women, even young women, are just as likely to snore once they hit the pillow. I mentioned earlier that one of the first snorers sounded like a rabid gander, well I have since then heard every other type of snorer.

The Hierarchy of Snoring:
I am now convinced there is a hierarchy to snoring. It's an unwritten rule that 'he, or indeed she, who starts to snore first retains snoring rights and may continue to snore unchallenged until he, or she, takes a break. Others waiting to get into their stride seize this opportunity and may assume the elevated position of primary snorer and so on. Snoring is a selfish act and most primary snorers are very reluctant to stop, choosing instead to maintain their position at the top of the stack. 

In Harmony on the Camino:
Sometimes, this hierarchy is set aside and multiple snorers perform n harmony. It's really amazing as you listen to the different tones and pitch. You will not sleep through this performance and never get a chance to join in. 

Sleep Deprivation and Snoring, a lethal combination:
As you lie there, night after night, listening to the snoring and promising yourself a private room should one become available in the next town, your jaded mind starts to make something of the situation. One night, when the hierarchy of snoring was set aside I was treated to a unique experience. Initially a few snorers started up, then joined by those more experienced snorers and those who could snore for their country in the Olympics if it ever became part of the games. The snoring was interspersed with the sound of flatulence booming across the room. Thunderous ones and short squeaky ones. I lay there listening to this and the only thought that came to mind was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture Finale. I have no wish to insult this great composer of that breathtaking piece of music, I am simply telling you what the noises around me triggered in my sleep deprived mind.

In denial:
Once I was offered a bed in a room sleeping only four. I thought that would be great and the chances of finding a bunch of snorers was unlikely. I'm not sure what you call a gathering of snorers, like maybe a herd, yes, a herd sounds right. When I went to the room I found four single beds in a very small room with just enough space to squeeze between them. Two ladies, around my own age, were already in their beds, another bed had gear spread out on it so that left me with no choice. The two ladies, from the Netherlands, asked me if I snored, I told them that my wife tells me that I do. They were very serious and expressed their concerns about sharing a room with a man who snores. Then the fourth occupant came into the room to claim he bed. She too was from the Netherlands but very young, early to mid twenties. Well, when it came to lights out the ladies all went off to sleep almost immediately and guess what, yes, they started to snore, and snore and snore all night long. Even the young lady, called Hannah, also had a bit of a snore. The next morning the two older ladies said they did not hear me snoring during the night. I informed them that this was because they were too busy competing for snoring rights themselves, they were in shock. I was polite about it but felt it necessary to put them straight on their own snoring. Maybe next time they would not be so blunt and self righteous. I told Hannah about her snoring and she put it down to a cold she felt coming on. Hannah had just qualified as a medical doctor and was walking the Camino before taking up a new role in a local hospital. She was really nice.

The Dogs in the street:
On one occasion the snoring was so bad that the dogs in the street started to protest, barking their heads off obviously trying to wake up the herd of snorers and stop the noise. They finally gave up and ran off into into the night, I envied them having that option.