Day 25 : Rincón de Soto to Calahorra
Day 25 : Rincón de Soto to Calahorra
| Date | 18 Jul 2025 ( Friday ) |
| Today's Distance: | 9 Mi / 14 km |
| Total This Camino: | 217 miles |
| Total All Caminos: | 1833 miles |
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Route and Stats
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| Lodging (Deb & I): | € 70 @ Calahorra Centro |
| Total Lodging: | $ 1909 |
| Total Airplane(s): | $ 1427 |
| Travel Insurance (Larry): | $ 360 |
| Buses / Trains / Taxis (Deb & I): | |
| Total Buses / Trains / Taxis: | $ 234 |
| Food (Deb & I) : | € 70 |
| Total Food: | $ 1412 |
On the Road
6:15 a.m. Slept in almost two extra hours because we have a relatively short hike of 8 Mi, and the temperature is expected to be in the '70s the entire time.
7: 10 a.m. Coffee and toast with butter and jelly at La Tahona before starting out on our hike.
8:00 a.m. Finally hiking. LOL
9:15 a.m. 3 and 1/2 Mi under our feet. Temperature 75° f. Wind steady out of the northwest at 10 mph , which is a headwind for us, with gusts to 20 mph.
9:50 a.m. With four and a half miles underfoot, stopping for a quick sunscreen break and snack break.
11:15 a.m. One more stop to rest the feet and have a quick snack. About 2 mi to go to our lodging. Temperature is 77° with a continuing cooling breeze.
12:10 p.m. At our lodging and checked in.
Very nice hike this morning. Temperatures stayed in the '70s. We had a nice schooling breeze. Pretty much 0% cloud cover. Although some parts had traffic, mostly it was a quiet morning.
Memorable moment
Random walking through Calahorra. I am surprised, absolutely surprised, by how much my expectations had underrated this city. It is not the small town that I thought had nothing to offer. It is a medium-sized, cosmopolitan area with beautiful historical sites and a thriving, commercial and entertainment feel.
- Walking to a beautiful overlook of the surrounding area.
- Leisurely passed through a stylish commercial district.
- Next came upon a barrio of old European flavor with narrow streets and older style architectural housing.
- Stumbled upon the Jewish quarter. Recognized special plaques marking Sephardic Jews in the pavement. Then found the old synagogue, now repurposed.
- The Church of Saint Francis, where the holy week floats are kept, unfortunately was closed, but I was not surprised because I looked up their hours. I was still disappointed.
- Stopped for a refreshing drink in the albergue here.
- Next stop was the Iglesia cathedral, built in Romanesque style, a beautiful altar and amazing works of art and Romanesque style. We had a marvelous conversation with the lady behind the reception desk. We shared stories about our caminos with close family. She stamped our credentials and reminded me on the way out that I had not yet paid for the gifts that I had purchased. I was so engaged in our conversation that I got carried away in the moment.
- Stopped in a local bar for tapas to refresh ourselves. Spanish tortilla, goat cheese and strawberry jam on bread, and dill pickle stuffed with tuna.
- Shopped at two local food markets for supplies for tomorrow's 12 mile push.
- Back at our lodging.
- 8:00 p.m. Run for chipirones (squid), patata con salsa and more chipirones. Sitting on an outside pedestrian mall with a soft jazz band playing down the street.
Random Thought of the Day
We have a spectacular view of one of Calahorro's main traffic circles. Could be awful but the center decorations are amazing.
Photos on the hike
Irrigation ditches feature prominently. Just like when we were in the Los Monegros desert 2 years ago, this land is so arid that the farming would be practically impossible.
As promised by our online guide, today was mile after mile of cultivated fields.
Once again, we came across the Rio Ebro as we hiked along in its valley
We noticed how we had mountain ranges again on all sides, unsurprisingly as we kept walking north-westward through the Valley of the Ebro.
Because the city of Calahorra sites atop a mesa, we were able to see it much earlier in our hike than many of the other towns. This is still 4 MI out.
One of hundreds of yellow arrows that we have seen in the past month, guiding us us towards the city of Logroño, our goal. We are only one day away from ending our Camino de Ebro.
The ever-present constant scenery only changes when there are mountains far in the background.
Now on the outskirts. Iglesia de San Andrés dominates the skyline.
The Cathedral of Calahorra features prominently as we walk across the bridge into the city.
Photos from Calahorra
Church of St. James the apostle.
The old Jewish Quarter
Overlook of the area around Calahorra
Iglesia de Apostal Santiago
Church of the apostle St. James
These two friendly local police agreed to pose for a picture.
I had a conversation with them about one of the churches being open, but they confirmed it was closed.
Unexpectedly came across the old Jewish quarter, as indicated by this plaque in the ground with a reference to Sephardic Jews in Hebrew .
According to some quick research, this building, now purposed as a language school, was originally a synagogue.
Cathedral Church of Calahorra
Main altar
Sculpture known as a "Virgen Sedente," or Seated Virgin.
It depicts the Virgin Mary as an adult woman seated on a throne, with the infant Jesus resting on her lap.
She typically holds the child with her left hand and an orb or sphere in her right hand.
These sculptures are a common form of Marian iconography, particularly in medieval art.
Left Panel: The Adoration of the Shepherds - This panel shows shepherds gathered around Mary and the infant Jesus, often in a humble stable setting, emphasizing the simple and pastoral nature of the first visitors to Christ.
Right Panel: Adoration of the Magi - the three wise men are presenting gifts to the infant Jesus, who is held by Mary.
The style, with its detailed composition and warm colors, suggests a work from a Flemish workshop, possibly associated with artists like Frans Francken II, known for his depictions of religious narratives with numerous figures.
The painting depicts Saint Jerome, a prominent figure in early Christianity known for translating the Bible into Latin, a version known as the Vulgate.
The painting is by Jusepe de Ribera and features Saint Jerome in penitence, a recurring theme in Ribera's work.
Jerome is shown in a contemplative state, possibly in the desert, with a skull symbolizing human vanity and a lion, a common attribute of the saint, standing behind him.
Ribera, working in Naples, adopted Caravaggio's use of chiaroscuro (strong contrasts of light and dark) and naturalistic models in his depiction of the saint.
Spanish tortilla and goat cheese with strawberry jam on bread and dill pickle stuffed with tuna.
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