This morning found a panaderia that opened early so we could buy our lunch. Pizza today as a change from bread, and the usual apples and bananas. It was a grey morning and after about half an hour a light drizzle started. We held off putting on our rain jackets as long as possible but eventually gave in. Murphy wasn’t on the Camino today as one of his laws is that as soon as you get your jacket out and get it on, the rain stops.

The rain continued for about 4 hours but wasn’t so bad that you felt the dreaded cold trickle down your back or your shoes filling with water. The path became filled with a caravan of billowing tents as most people put on their ponchos. We didn’t think it was too bad and stuck with our jackets. The path became a bit muddy and sticky in places but most of the day it was excellent. We prefer walking in the rain rather than the blistering heat.

It was noticeable that all those wonderful hill towns that look so romantic and appealing in the bright sunlight look a bit dreary and drab in the mist and rain.

We haven’t seen our new best friends John and Carolyn for a couple of days but this morning we walked with an Irishman named Tom and his daughter Margaret. He was 76 and very sprightly, she couldn’t keep up with him. Talk about the Irish having the gift of the gab, you didn’t need to have much input to have half an hour of entertaining conversation. In reality more of a monologue.

There are a large number of different nationalities walking. The most numerous are the French, followed by Italians. Then a heap of other Europeans, Dutch, Swedish, Germans etc. Quite a number of Americans and Canadians and a few from South America; Brazilians, Columbians, Venezuelans and Argentinians. We have spoken to a number of Australians as well (just for the entertainment value) . There are asians and going by the flag patches on their packs they are mostly South Koreans. There are not many Spanish but apparently hoards of them join for the last 100km at Sarria. We learnt in St Jean Pied de Port there were at least two other kiwis but we haven’t seen them yet.

It is usual to great other pilgrims with a “buen camino” but from farmers or locals in the villages you get a “buenos dias” or an “hola”. The “buen caminos”  weren’t quite so chirpy today. Said more with a resigned sigh.

Two recent milestones. Yesterday we filled the first page of our Credencial, the Pilgrim’s Passport, with stamps. Today we completed one week of walking. We still can’t quite believe we are here and ask ourselves what the hell are doing walking all this way?

Today was a long stage with two short but very steep sections in and out of river valleys. We have left the Navarra region and entered the great wine – producing region of La Rioja. The fields of peas and asparagus have gone and now there are thousands of acres of vineyards and hundreds of acres of olive trees. We passed old stone “beehive” wine observation huts.

When the rain stopped we stopped to eat our pizza. The slabs were so big we could only eat half and saved the rest to eat later in the afternoon as entered today’s destination Logrono

Ipod theme song today in memory of Prince :

Purple rain, purple rain,
I only want to see you underneath the Purple rain.