Day 11 Camino Navarette to Azorfa (23km)

This was a relatively flat (terrain wise) day and the weather was surprisingly cold in the morning. Our weather forecast had predicted warmer weather but it took a whole to arrive. John resorted to wearing his woolly hat and gloves.
The only town we passed today of any note was Najera which is quite an important medieval town in the Navarre region. The blip you see is the monastery Real. It is slightly different from the other churches/religious buildings we’ve seen so far. According to legend, it was erected on the site of a cave (which in fact can still be accessed from the church) where the monarch found an image of the Virgin Mary. Early interventions are purely Romanesque but, given the continuous expansion and renovation from the fifteenth century, its appearance becomes more Gothic and Renaissance. On the exterior its tower and rounded buttresses give it a solid appearance of strength. Not my words but taken from a website describing this town.
We are in a public albergue tonight. It is only 15 euros p/night so excellent value if a little basic. Lastly, we had one of our best meals this afternoon in one of the two bars/restaurants in the town. A set menu of lentil stew as a starter, entrecôte as my main followed by lemon chocolate mousse very much like a posset. All washed down with a bottle of locsl Rioja wine. Delicious!