Ron and I left Sydney on Sunday 18th November to start our Camino de Santiago walk in Spain. Our starting point was Logroño about 600kms out from Santiago de Compostela. We have a lot of walking to do in 24 days.

Leaving Sydney and arriving in Lorgroño below.

Two men smiling at Sydney Airport in front of a colorful 'Departures' sign. — I’m promoting IGA through Spain too

A view of the Logroño welcome sign on a sunny day, with a clear blue sky and a few clouds in the background. The setting includes green grass and autumn foliage. — Arriving in Logroño

Everything is quiet this time of the year and there are very few pilgrims to be seen about. Even the albergue we went to to buy our passports was locked up, looked closed with no one around. We went to the information office of Logroño to ask where we could purchase our passports and they informed us that the albergue was in fact open but we had to ring the door bell to get an answer. If only we’d known. Ron and I were only discussing later that we should have knocked or rung the bell rather than walk away in defeat. Knock and you shall receive. That theme came up later in a reading we did together. Anyway, we bought the passport and here it is…

Close-up of a Camino de Santiago pilgrim passport featuring an illustration of a seated pilgrim. — My Camino Passport

A close-up of a Camino de Santiago credential opened to display the pilgrim's details on a wooden table. — My passport with the stamp of the Logroño Albergue

A tree-lined path with benches and lampposts, surrounded by autumn foliage of orange and yellow leaves.

Feeling jet lagged we took advantage of the afternoon and continued to further explore Logroño and have a look around. It’s late autumn and the colours are quite beautiful.

A view of a bridge leading to a historic building in Logroño, Spain, surrounded by autumn foliage and clouds in the sky. — View of the church from the bridge

View of a river with a bridge in the background and a building along the riverbank, under a partly cloudy sky. A person is kayaking in the river. — View of the river from the bridge

It was back to our hotel for a sleep to recover from our flight from Sydney. I think I went to bed at about 6:30pm and woke up the next day at about 5:30am. What a well needed sleep after that long haul flight! After a couple of Café Americano grande y doble and a small egg and bacon roll we set out for our first days walk from Logroño to Navarrete.

It was raining and chilly but not uncomfortably so. Once we got going in our wet weather gear we warmed up fairly quickly.

A narrow cobblestone street in Logroño, Spain, lined with buildings featuring balconies and shop signs, under a cloudy and rainy sky. A person wearing a blue backpack and carrying a walking stick is walking down the street. — Walking through Logroño

Bronze statue of two hikers with backpacks standing in a rain-soaked plaza, surrounded by autumn foliage and urban buildings. — Statue of pilgrims

It wasn’t long before we started to see Navarrete in the distance. We weren’t doing a long walk on our first day as we wanted to get used to the gear we were carrying and also give our bodies enough time to adjust to the new time zone we are in.

A scenic view of a cloudy landscape in autumn, featuring bare trees, bushes, and dry grasses in the foreground with a distant lake and hills visible under the overcast sky. — Looking back at Logroño

A person walking along a dirt path surrounded by autumnal vineyards under a cloudy sky. — Walking through the vineyards

A person walking along a wet pathway with the word 'Santiago' spray-painted on the ground, surrounded by trees. — We’re on the Road to Santiago!

A hiker, wearing a backpack, stands beside a barbed wire fence along a roadside on a cloudy day. — This fence had crosses attached from passing pilgrims

Entrance of Posada Ignatius, a historic hotel in Navarrete, with a wooden door and a stone wall. — Our hotel for the night

Interior view of a hotel with stone walls, wooden beams, and a staircase leading down to a cozy seating area. — Looking back to the entry

Interior view of the Posada Ignatius featuring a decorative map, wooden beams, and a staircase. — The entry to the hotel beautifully restored.

A cozy interior space featuring two black armchairs, a small golden coffee table with games, a wooden cabinet displaying white ceramic objects, and a potted plant. — Common area

A dimly lit cellar with stone walls and a tiled floor, featuring a staircase leading down, wooden chairs and tables, and large stone basins. — Down in the cellars

A staircase leading down into a rustic stone cellar with an arched ceiling and soft lighting. — Stairs to the cellar

An interior view showcasing an archway made of brick and stone, leading to a well-lit room with a dining table and chairs. The floor is a mix of stone tiles with a glass panel revealing a lower level. — Dining room with all the restored building exposed

Interior view of a rustic dining area featuring a wooden table with decorative table settings, surrounded by chairs. Exposed brick and stone walls describe the historical charm of the space. — More of the dining room

The town also has the most elaborate church. It was once a very wealthy town. The church is dedicated to the assumption of Mary.

Interior of a church featuring wooden pews, a decorative altar with religious imagery, and stained glass windows. — Inside the church of the of the Assumption

Interior of a beautifully ornate church featuring intricate gold leaf decorations and an altar, with rows of wooden pews facing the altar. — All gold leaf, amazing

Interior view of a church featuring wooden benches and a richly decorated altar. — The pews give the altar some sense of scale

Map of Australia with paper tags indicating locations and names of people, pinned on a blue background. — We pinned our names to a map inside the church and stamped our passports with the church stamp.

Now it’s time to shower and find a place open for dinner. The towns are really quiet now and everything looks closed. Hopefully something will be open. Till tomorrow…

For stats and a map of today’s walk, you’ll find them below.

Adios Logroño – El Camino Day 1

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