Day 29 - 30 : Logroño

Date	22 - 23 Jul 2025 ( Tuesday - Wednesday )

Total This Camino:	243 miles
Total All Caminos:	1859 miles

Lodging (Deb & I):	€ 60 @ airbnb
Total Lodging:	$ 2175
Total Airplane(s):	$ 1427
Travel Insurance (Larry):	$ 360
Buses / Trains / Taxis (Deb & I):
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 259
Food (Deb & I) :	€ 80
Total Food:	$ 1631

Wanderings

Tuesday

Tried two different cafeterías y churrerías but neither had churros.

Anyway, I finally decided to walk back to La Tertulia, which is where I got my churros yesterday.

They are very very busy this morning.

I learned today that I have not been having churros here but instead I have been having porras. I explained the difference later in the blog.

Morning temperature as I was walking to the cafeteria was actually 61° which is a temperature, which we never saw the whole month we were hiking.

From 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Deb and I were taking one of the free tours that are offered in Logroño. We got a really nice view of parts of the city that we'd already explored on our own.

It was nice to have it tied together in a coherent package. The tour guide was careful to make sure that we understood that the tour was advertised in Spanish.

I let her know that although not fluent, both Deb and I were comfortable with being on a Spanish language only tour.

She spoke with distinct and clear pronunciation so it was easy to understand much of what she said.

We really enjoyed the tour.

In the evening I went back to the cathedral to climb the North Tower.

Afterwards I met up with Deb and we did a little souvenir shopping and gift shopping.

Following that we got a seat in one of the plazas and enjoyed coffee while a busker played great guitar for everybody walking by.

Deb struck up a conversation with the Spanish ladies next to us about a particular song that he busker was playing. It was a light-hearted moment that brought laughter to all of us as we talked about the song.

This was everything that is typical and great about an evening in Spain. It was everything that is atypical and housebound about an evening in America.

We are continuing our evening by tapa hopping. The bars and restaurants are either opening or have open for the evening crowds.

The people are in the streets. And Deb and I are sitting and ready to enjoy our pimientos padrones and gambas al ajillo.

Wednesday

Today is the day to head back home.

Starting out with breakfast at a local porras shop.

Check out is noon so we have some time to kill in the morning.

Our train leaves at 3:00 p.m. so we have to lug our bags around for a little while, and figure out something to do.

But tonight I should be in Barcelona.

Tomorrow night I should be home in Rochester.

Heading back to the Airbnb now to pack.

Headed out to a bookstore to get something to read while I'm back in the states to exercise my Spanish.

Deb and I are at the the plaza in front of the cathedral having an agua con gas and just enjoying the beautiful weather this morning.

Temperature in the '60s with matter of cloud cover.

And the hum of dozens of people sitting nearby having conversations and enjoying this Tuesday morning.

After we checked out of the room, we had some time to kill so we stopped by the Museum of La Rioja. It was nice to enjoy some of the industrial technological history of the area, primarily agriculture and animal husbandry.

But they also had nice displays of paintings from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.

See pictures below.

Sitting outside the cathedral and just relaxing

Meaningful Moment

Just an overall beautiful day in Logroño, Spain.

Enjoyed the free guided tour, the general walking around and taking in the city, climbing the North Tower of the cathedral and the evening tapa hopping with Deb.

Random Thought of the Day

Tried two different cafeterías y churrerías but neither had churros. How odd. It does seem to be very hard to get churros in Spain this year.

I wonder how much this is a regional thing.

I also learned that here they don't do churros, but instead porras, which are similar to churros, but the dough is prepared to be a little more thicker and a little softer on the inside.

So of course that makes me wonder if I had asked for porras that the other two cafeterias, if I would have had more success than asking for churros.

Early morning walk around to get churros

Modern part of town

Lots and lots and lots of apartments

Walking tour of Logroño

Paseo del Espelon: The city's most emblematic square began to be designed in 1757 as a public promenade outside the city walls. In 1809, it was expanded with gardens belonging to the Seminary, located at that time in what is now the Government Delegation

Monumento a General Baldomero Espatero

Dedicated to his illustrious military service and the first Spanish civil war, 1833 - 1840

Concatedral de la Santa María de la Redonda

The current church is not the first to be built on this site. Previously, there was a Romanesque church with a round or polygonal floor plan, from which it takes its name, "La Redonda."

The new Gothic temple, in the "Catholic Monarchs" style, began construction at the beginning of the 16th century, with three naves of equal height, separated by eight slender columns that open out to form beautiful ribbed vaults.

Iglesia de San Bartolomé

The oldest church in the city of Logroño. Its construction dates back to the 12th century. During the 13th century, the Gothic style was developed, with the construction of the magnificent pointed doorway, which contains some Romanesque sculptures that narrate the life of the saint and other passages from the Bible.

The basilica plan consists of three naves separated by octagonal pillars covered by a ribbed vault, highlighting the transept and the Romanesque apse.

Bodegas La Reja Dorada : Always known as La Reja Dorada (The Golden Gate), the winery houses the wine press and various elements related to viticulture. A steep staircase leads to a large cellar forming a barrel vault without transverse arches.

Winemaking was simplified by the difference in level between Ruavieja and San Gregorio streets.

The grapes were introduced through Calle Ruavieja, and the freshly crushed grape juice, including the skins, seeds, and stems of the grapes, descended into the vats by gravity. The depth, the proximity of the Ebro River, and the ventilation through air shafts generated ideal humidity and temperature conditions for wine aging.

Puente de Hierro (Iron bridge) across the Rio Ebro

Iglesia de Santa María de Palacio

The decision was made in 1520 to build a new church, the current Santa María de Palacio.

The oldest part is the footwell, which dates back to Romanesque works completed in the late 12th or early 13th century.

Above the central nave stands an octagonal lantern, known as "the Needle" , which is one of the most significant elements of the city.

It is a Gothic work built well into the 13th century.

Iglesia de Santiago de Real

It is located on the Camino de Santiago, on the site of the previous church, which was destroyed by fire around 1500.

Construction of the new church began around 1518. It has a single nave, chapels between the buttresses, a transept, and an octagonal five-paneled chancel with a crypt.

Lunch

Sliced tomato, anchovies and tuna

Sheep's tripe, grill fried

Finger licking good shrimp.

Gambas a la Plancha

Tuesdays Night Tapa Hopping

Croquet de Bacalao (salted cod) &

Salmorejo - Spanish cold soup similar to gazpacho, but it's typically thicker and creamier.

Pimientos Padrones & Gambas al Ajillo

Morning routine

Porras, café con leche and zumo de narranja

From the North Tower of the cathedral

The North Tower is nicknamed San Pedro.

Churches feature prominently in the logroño skyline.

South Tower

The Sierra Cantabria mountain range is an important geographic border for the city of Logroño and The autonomous community of La Rioja.

The Sierra de Cantabria is a mountain range in northern Spain, forming part of the larger Cantabrian Mountains. It marks the northern border of the La Rioja region. The range is characterized by steep rock faces on its southern side and extensive forests to the north, creating a significant climatic barrier that influences the wine-growing region of La Rioja.