We left our campsite, but not before having a magnificent demonstration of the very high-tech toilet cleaning machine!! Unfortunately, our toilet was not a standard size so we were unable to benefit from it, much to my disappointment! The campsite owner explained how careful they had to be about the local water supply, which was why he had bought this machine, which dealt with the toilet waste in a totally separate area and had cost him €21,000, so he was very committed to the cause. Luckily, I was able to pass my token to another English couple who went on their way with a fragrant toilet!!
We headed off to Santo Domingo saw loads of walkers on the way. We had not seen quite so many walkers all at once up until this point. It was clearly a major section of the Camino de Santiago between Burgos and Logroño. When we got there, the place was well set up for Pilgrims on the Camino, and as the morning went on, there were more and more people arriving to visit the town. They were easy to spot with their walking poles and sensible shoes and many of them had the shell hanging from their rucksacks which is the symbol of the route and used as a way marker along the way.
We had a good look around, took the tour of the cathedral, which also provided an excellent audio guide, and then climbed up the tower, which is the highest tower in the La Rioja region. The most quirky element of the cathedral was the fact that it houses a cockerel, so our visit was punctuated by cock-a-doodle-doos! It had a very ornate coop, and was there due to another miracle. The popular Spanish saying “Santo Domingo de la Calzada, cantó la gallina después de asada” is a reference to the miracle by which a cock and a hen were revived to prove the innocence of a young man who was wrongfully hanged and who survived his sentence.
We decided to head onto San Millán de La Cogolla so that we would be there at a proper Spanish lunchtime. This turned out to be an excellent plan as we managed to settle into a campsite and then stroll into the town. By this stage, we were really hungry but it appeared to be totally deserted. When we turned the corner, however, the monastery appeared in front of us opposite a square, with several restaurants. We chose one at random, Asador San Millán and were very surprised when it was quite ornate, absolutely huge, and there were quite a few Spanish people already eating there. we were later joined by a large family party celebrating a first communion, so the noise levels went up even more. It was a very enjoyable typical Spanish lunch which set us up for the rest of the day.
I had tuna, anchovies and lettuce salad, followed by pork steak and chips in a Roquefort sauce and Dave had chorizo and potato soup followed, by cheeks with oranges. This was followed with flan for me and Dave discovered a new desert typical of the Alava region called Goxua, which was lovely. It consisted of a base of whipped cream, a layer of sponge cake soaked in alcohol and a final layer of cream that is caramelised on top. Yum!
We walked back to the campsite and chilled out in the relative heat and had a very small tea! We then watched Ted Lassso on the laptop and retired to bed
We stayed in the parador in La Calzada, don’t suppose it was the same cock, or do they run a recording?
It was definitely a live one!
Delicious food, in fact glorious food.
We have a way maker here which is a shell sign. That is very interesting.
Having a large family in the restaurant would have made such a great atmosphere.,……Jx 🥛🥛