To the Ebro at the edge of Rioja, from Estella to Logroño, day 25

Friday, August 11, 2023, Day 25
Since we reached Spain, we have been experiencing summer, rarely any headwinds, clear sky, no threat of rain, intense heat. To be honest, that's what I wanted, but it's exhausting on the bike. So, we started at 8:00 am today because we know it gets warm after 11:00 am and becomes difficult, almost unbearable after 12:00 pm. When we get on the bike at 8:00 am, the pilgrims (peregrinos) have already covered 5 km. They have the same problem as they can hardly walk in the afternoon. We have the utmost respect for them because they are bravely walking, and while we sometimes struggle uphill for five or ten kilometers at a stretch, only to roll downhill with a tailwind for the next 10 kilometers, the pilgrims have to walk downhill for these 10 kilometers. We did not leave the Camino de Santiago in Pamplona, I just thought that, in reality, we have been on the Camino de Santiago the whole time, and probably our paths will separate here in Logroño. Then we will have covered almost 500 km of the Camino de Santiago by bike. We had a beautiful route today, look at the photos, deserted, almost empty country roads, breathtaking views of vast nature. There are two things I want to highlight. Firstly, after our start today, we crossed a small plain that obviously lay exactly between the Pyrenees and La Rioja because we could see the mountain ranges on both sides. In the north, we could see the Pyrenees about 50 km away, and in the south, we could see La Rioja about 50 km away, where we were heading. Panoramic view of almost 100 km. Secondly, the closer we get to Rioja, the more vineyards there are. We rode through extensive vineyards today, the vines full of dark red grapes, and we suspect that the famous red wine from Rioja will be made from them later. It is a stark contrast, on one side impressive vineyards, on the other side dry and barren landscape with dried roadside plants (see photo: thistle). And then we arrived in Logroño at noon (thanks to the early start) and crossed the Ebro, which is Spain's largest river with a total length of over 900 km before it flows into the Mediterranean Sea. A very beautiful city, we are staying in the middle of the old town, a very beautiful old town, which you can tell has not been bombed in past wars at least. And before that, on the outskirts of Logroño, we found a very nice bike shop that spontaneously and modestly refilled the hydraulic oil on Andrea's bike, which we lost yesterday when changing the brake discs. So, Andrea's bike is also in good condition again. We will stay here for one more day tomorrow because otherwise, we wouldn't have found accommodations in the mountains over the weekend. So, tomorrow we will check-in again from Logroño with a forced rest day.