Day 18: Venta de Santa Lucia to Piña de Ebro to Zaragosa

Date	Jun 9th ( Friday )
Today's Distance:	12 miles / 19 km
Venta de Santa Lucia to Piña de Ebro Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	195 miles
Total 2023 Caminos:	195 miles
Total All Caminos:	1918 miles
Lodging:	$ 45 @ apartment in Zaragosa
Total Lodging:	$ 813
Planes:	$ 1350
Total Planes:	$ 1350
Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 25  Bujaralos to Venta de Santa Lucia $ 70 Piña de Ebro to Zaragosa
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 0 / 30 / 247 = 262
Food:	$
Total Food:	$ 355

Meaningful Moment

What can I say? 

First completing the Camino Barcelona to Montserrat.

Then completing the Camino Catalan from Montserrat to Piña de Ebro. 

The two combined for 193 miles over 15 days of hiking. That an average 13 miles per day.

And although we had some shorter days, we never took a rest day.

Random Thought of the Day

Two different guides give different end points for the Camino Catalan: Piña de Ebro or Burgos de Ebro.

So in order to have time to see Zaragosa, and move on to the Camino Finisterre/Muxia, we are ending the Catalan today.

On the Road / Notable memories

The sun was out again today. Although we started walking at 7:30, by 9:00 a.m. with the sun on our backs, we were hot and sweaty. I suppose it's a fitting way to remember my last day of walking in the desert.

Not a long day in the sun - just under 6 hours, but the sun was pretty constant the entire hike. Just a reminder of how hot it gets or how hot it can feel, even when the temperature is only in the high 70s.

The day was spectacularly unmemorable as we spent our last day in the Los Monegros desert. I'm still amazed that so much land ... so much rocky arid land is farmed, but that is miracle of irrigation.

Deb and I rolled into Pina de Ebro around 1:00 p.m. We found the church which was open, but unfortunately did not have a stamp for pilgrims. 

Not a big deal because I can get a final Camino Catalan stamp at the bar where we're having lunch. But the church would have been nicer. ... Lol, forgot to get the stamp at the bar.

Sat down at a bar right near the main plaza and had the Menu del Día. So we've had a good lunch and when we get to Zaragoza, we can chill out and then maybe do something later tonight.

Arrived in Zaragosa.

More on Zaragosa tomorrow. We walked around a bit. From the outside, we saw the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Pilar and the central public market.

My very first impressions are how lively and energetic this city is. After many days in small towns of hundreds or a few thousand people, the streets of Zaragosa are so alive with activity.

The fashion sense of the Europeans is just amazing. Sad to say, that Deb and I in our baggy hiking pants and loose fitting shirts don't match up with the local ethos. :-)

The narrow European streets, the wide pedestrian boulevards, the architecture mix of a few hundred years back to many hundreds of years back is all so overwhelming.

I'm going to enjoy our rest day here.

	Our last day in the Los Monegros desert
	The one constant architectural feature was the number of abandoned houses.
	It was really small inside. But then, I imagine, living in town now must be so much better.
	Another abandoned structure, but it made an outstanding rest stop for something to eat, while allowing us to get out of the sun for a while.
	There were so few trees that any chance to stand under one for a couple of minutes was worth a break.
	Piña de Ebro from a distance
	I counted nine cranes on the tower.
	Iglesia de Santa Maria
	195 mi from Barcelona. All on foot. Lol, except for 6 miles in a thunderstorm.