Where in the world is David today? Santo Domingo de la Calzada

OK, short, quick post - the network connection here is rubbish and I can't upload my photostream till I have a better one. Maybe tomorrow. I had a lot of pictures to upload today from lots of interesting but it seems I can't even embed one or two here. [[Pictures added Tuesday afternoon in a cafe with free WiFi in Burgos!]]

Now that I am in proper pilgrim hostels, departure time will be much earlier. I was up for breakfast at 5.30am today and off by 6.30am. In about an hour and a half I was where the walkers intended to end their day - Torres del Rio. On the way I had seen the sun rise, I had visited a monastery and bodega where there is a tap with free wine for pilgrims. I had climbed lots of hills. And I had visited another octagonal church with a similar background to the one at Eunate - this time in Torres del Rio. This one was equally captivating and atmospheric. More hills took me on to Viana, and I was now definitely into Spanish church territory with truly magnificently gaudy gold altar backgrounds (reredos for the knowing) and imagery. Not long after that, I was crossing into Logrono, my original destination for the day, where I enjoyed the peace of San Bartolome church, and then the grandeur of the cathedral. A different style is emerging for major Spanish churches - a retrochoir (choir at the back) so that the high altar is much more closely linked with the nave.

Perhaps more fun than the cathedral, because I wouldn't call that fun, however grand, was to hear what sounded like a swing band playing in the square outside. In fact, it was just a talented clarinettist with an amp playing a backing track, but having the soloist live made it sound 'real'. I wanted some dancing friends there and we could have whooped it up in the street. It would have felt right in the atmosphere of the place. He played swing tunes, tunes that would have been great for Charleston, he played tango - the lot. And you could hear him inside the cathedral, which I thought was great! As I set off to leave Logrono, following a recommended long-cut to avoid the new motorway, I stumbled on today's event - another demo, this time about something local that I simply didn't understand, but it involved trumpets, whistles and fireworks. Very Spanish. And that reminded me that I had again enjoyed hearing someone practising trumpet in Viana - very well indeed.

On my long cut, I saw my first live snake crossing the road - a small one - and nearly ran over it. I had seen a large squashed one yesterday, and had made a note to take care! Apart from my goat the other day, that makes snakes, snails, slugs and lizards that I have seen crossing the road at different speeds. My long cut worked out quite well and took me to Navarrete (with another church with an amazing reredos) for lunch. From then on it was serious riding to make it to Santo Domingo de la Calzada for tonight so that I can now follow the stages in the book and have a good chance of making it to Santiago when Kate arrives on the 18th June. It was a hard ride today - partly because it got very hot again, and partly because it was a long one (102km) - so my legs are tired. I am glad it will be a shorter one tomorrow, though again quite uphill to Burgos. After Burgos comes four days of crossing the Meseta - a high area of land with less hill climbing day by day.

Santo Domingo itself has been a very interesting place, and the pictures will tell the story well when I get them uploaded finally. However, suffice to say that this is the only cathedral where I have ever seen a chicken coop inside the church and heard the rooster crowing. I was very taken with the place - there was some really good interpretive signing and an excellent exhibition, so I didn't really mind the €2.50 entrance fee. I got to go on the roof and photograph snow on the mountains in the distance, and I got to go in the crypt and see Santo Domingo's tomb, all in the same price. I also liked the fact that they had moved the amazing gold reredos (which mingled mythology with the Bible in a really strange way) and opened out the sanctuary area so that the wonderful, wonderful stonework really makes the space work in a very holy feeling way.

Anyway, let me send you on your way by saying that you have to read about Santo Domingo and the Hen and the Rooster, so follow the link for some fun and scroll down to the section on miracles if you're feeling impatient.