Catching up a bit

Dear everyone,
We are currently in Logroño.  On the map it doesn´t look like we´ve made it very far, but please keep in mind that we are on foot and there are mountains.  We arrived to Logroño today to find out that it is the festival of their patron saint, San Mateo.  Not only that, but the city is the capital of the Rioja region.  The Rioja is a region of Spain that produces some of the best wines in the world, and we are in the capital....on it´s feast day!!!  Therefore this post will be short :) but we wanted to let everyone know that we are doing well.


Since the last posting, we have stayed in Óbanos, Estella, and Los Arcos.  Each place has been charming in it´s own way.  In Estella, the hostel fee was by donation.  It was located across the street from the town´s church and pilgrims were welcomed to a home-cooked dinner, provided they went to evening mass :)  The priest offered each pilgrim a blessing after mass (in about 5 different languages).  He also requested that when we reach Santiago, that we hug the statue and say a prayer for "the priest in San Miguel de Estella".  We had a great meal that evening and shared a room with about 14 people and 2 snorers.

A word on snoring.  If you are traveling, and you know that you snore, please do something about it.  Some simple suggestions are use those nose strips.  Sleep outside.  Sleep facedown in a pillow.  Before going to sleep tell people "I snore, wake me up if you can´t sleep on my account".  Don´t travel.  Stay in rooms without a dozen or more people.  Thanks for your attention.

In all seriousness, Jess and I are having a great adventure.  15 miles a day is certainly taking it´s toll on our bodies and, occassionally, our spirits, but the people and the conversations have been well worth it.  We are learning that we have many things in common with other people from different walks of life and different cultures.  We are also learning about ourselves and how we want to lead our lives going forward.  Lastly, we have learned that despite traveling over 135km and hiking through a mountain range, we have a very long road ahead of us...

We appreciate your thoughts and prayers....we´re off to celebrate ¡San Mateo!