Heading towards Santo Domingo de la Calzada on the
Camino de Santiago, you come upon the golf club of Alta Rioja. This
is alongside the small town of of Ciriñuela, not long before the
larger town of Cirueña. The course was empty at 13.30 but there were
signs of people arriving either to play or to have lunch. Opposite
the golf course is what the maps call an urbanisación, or
what you and I would call a ghost town. One of the many sad victims
of Spain's construction madness. With block upon block of unoccupied
flats, it's an eery testament to this mania.
I've never broken a bone but it can't be far off.
I've fallen 3 times this week - in each case when twisting an ankle
on uneven ground - but so far I've escaped without even a scratch.
We've had 3 examples of the admirable Spanish
willingness to 'get involved' as Good Samaritan this week. Firstly in
Logroño, when I had my first stumble and at least 5 people leaped to
pick me up. Secondly in Alesón, when a young lady went out of her
way to take some of us a kilometre or two to where they really should
have been. And thirdly today, in Santo Domingo de La Calzada when a
young woman stopped her car to ask if I was OK after falling on a
zebra crossing. Missing a trick, I said 'No, thanks', rather than
'Please take me home and massage my bruised shoulder.'
Since its inception a thousand years ago, the
Camino has been a money-spinner for some. Here in Santo Domingo de La
Calzada, you have to buy a ticket to enter the cathedral and, for
this, you have to pass through a shopful of junk. Mostly religious,
of course.But you can store your rucksack for free.
Needless to say, the WiFi speed in this cafe - in
the street - is immeasurably better than mine at home.
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