Under the Milky Way 10: From Najera to Santo Domingo

June 7th, Day 10, from Najera to Santo Domingo, 21 km.

 7:15am. The map seemed to show a simple enough route. 

There would be two stops in between.

A shell this size! 

Arrows this clear! 

Soon after I got on the road, I ran into T again. She was reading a description about the church by the path. She understood Spanish. She later relayed the information to me about the church.  The two of us chatted while walking straight ahead intuitively, without intentionally looking for shell/arrow signs. We missed the turn, and lost our way! Fortunately, we realized it before too long. 

Creative woodwork. 

Artwork from recyclables. 

What a copycat I was!

I passed by a residential area, sweet-smelling flowers in sight. I couldn’t help asking the gardener for the name of the plant. He smiled, picked a branch full of blossoms and handed it to me. I didn’t find out what flowers those were, but so flattered I was, that I walked on with a lighter and happier heart.  

Poppies again. I never got tired of them – the more I saw them, the deeper I felt in love with them… Their pedals seemed so velvety, so intensely red and beautiful, so vulnerable looking yet so tolerant of strong wind, heavy rain and high heat from the sun! I couldn’t help but marvel at their spirit and resillience!

Loose rocks and hills.

A Tennessee couple and I dared ourselves a little by jumping as high as we could on a hill with loose rocks and with our backpacks on! Fine! J & J, did you see? Gravity denounced!!

A huge sculpture on a small hill.

Almost there. 40 minutes or so from tonight’s albergue. I passed by a place with a Chinese store name. I thought it might be a Chinese supermarket – Yeah! The feeling of “overjoy” took over, and I imagined all kinds of junk food I could buy there – O boy, o boy, you just wait!! When I walked into the store, however, I saw nothing but plants, flower pots, mulch and potting soil, etc.! How devastated and disappointed I was for a second! Well, my Ah-Q spirit (sour-grapes spirit) took over and comforted me by saying: at least you wouldn’t have to carry any of what you had wanted to buy!! Life could forever be oxymorons! Or did I see a silver lining?

Google Maps guided me through streets and alleys. Soon I arrived. The hostess and her partner were waiting for me by the door. I couldn’t find a mixed dorm room, so I got a single room instead, with a shared bath! My wallet hurt a bit… A good thing would be – a good night’s sleep again!

Showered, laundry done, out to make my tummy happy again. Food would be the No. 1 priority, and always will be! Today’s paella was the worst I had ever had. Against many veteran pilgrims’ advice, I ordered this dish to try my luck! Well, I only had myself to blame on this one. I had made this at home many times, and had served paella in different fanfairs, but none tasted like this – undone, watery, and tasteless… Perhaps this was a result of a kitchen trauma? Only the chief and servers there might know. I could eat some snacks later. No big deal. I vowed not to return to this restaurant, nor recommend it to anyone. I must learn to be more understanding and more accepting.

Street art, Santo Domingo de la Calzada

I bought an admission ticket to visit a local church. Its collections and related stories and tales were no less than those in a museum.

The main big hall resembles a gilded palace.

I went up another building to see the city at a bird’s eye view. Where I stood, there were church bells installed.
Santo Domingo, a.k.a. Santo Domingo de la Calzada, is a beautiful city by the Oja River, surrounded by mountains. It is said that the name of the city originated from an early settler,  Dominic de la Calzada. In order to accommodate pilgrims’ needs, he built bridges, hospitals and shelters, and later, churches. Eventually, when he passed away, he was buried in this town. The name of this church was thus named after him. 
A story had been told and retold here – There was once a pilgrim who was accused of theft, and was sentenced to death. After everything had been cleared and he was proven innocent, his life was spared. The local judge thought it impossible to grant the “criminal” freedom again. At the news (of the “criminal” being spared of his life), the judge pointed at the cooked chicken served in his dinner plate, and said, “Set him free? Not unless this well cooked rooster come back to life and jump around again!!” Guess what, miraculously, the rooster in his dinner plate did come back to life and jump around again! Thus the pilgrim who had been wronged regained his freedom! 

In the city of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, roosters are considered as creatures of auspiciousness and justice. When I walked into the church, I saw roosters walking back and forth in the choir loft, crowing, announcing to the world of their importance and dignity.

Quite an impressive view of a corner of the city from the top of a church. Population of the city: close to 2 million.

Some doors in a small alley.  

The city sign in sculpture form seems eye-catching. 

Camino shell art in the city. 

The respectful and beloved rooster in the cityscape.

Roosters, how the city adores you!

Not my creation, although I wished that I had.

29 km for today..
My next-door neighbors in the apartment were 3 gentlemen, one from Korea, two from PA, US. The 3-roommates walked 42 kilometers today! OMG!!!
The Korean gentleman was a chef in Korea. When I got back from the food-hunt, he seemed to be in his dream-state of cooking in full swing, beer in one hand, spatula in another. He bent his back and legs once in a while to relax a bit, but in the very limited kitchen space, he managed to whip up a full meal for three – pasta with chicken drums, salad and a dessert! How incredibly absurd and amazing!! How I admire his magic power!  

Today’s keyword:

Accept