June 16, 2025 : Viana to Logroño
Day 11: A Short Walk, a Great Airbnb, and the Mystery of the Missing Zurracapote
Today was going to be an easy day on the Camino—only about 10 km—so, naturally, we took full advantage of that fact and moved at the pace of people who had absolutely nowhere to be.
We finally made it out of the municipal hostel in Viana around 7:30 a.m. and decided breakfast was in order. We picked up cappuccinos and a couple of pastries and took them to a park near the hostel. It was a beautiful way to start the morning, sitting outside with our breakfast while watching the sun slowly appear behind the mountains in the distance.
Once we finished eating, we hit the trail.
The walk was a pleasant mix of farmland and commercial areas, and the cool weather made it even better. We kept looking back over our shoulders at the views of Viana, which seemed to get prettier the farther away we got.
Along the way, we passed vineyard after vineyard, their rows of green vines stretching across the landscape. We even saw a few people out working among the vines.
Little by little, Logroño started getting bigger. The quiet farmland gradually gave way to commercial buildings, roads, and more traffic. Eventually, we made our way into the old town.
Since we still had about an hour before we could check into our Airbnb, we decided to do some sightseeing. We visited the Concatedral de Santa María de la Redonda. The name “redonda” nods to the site’s original circular church. Elevated to a cathedral in the 20th century, the present structure is highlighted by a pair of ornate bell towers.
Our next stop was the Church of San Bartolomé which is the oldest church in Logroño dating back from the 12th century.
Then came one of the biggest surprises of the day.
Our Airbnb was easily the nicest place we had stayed in so far—and it cost only $55 a night. It had a queen-size bed, a sofa, air conditioning, fridge, cooking range, and, perhaps most importantly after days on the Camino, a washing machine.
At this point, clean clothes felt like luxury. Hand washing can only do so much.
After getting settled, hunger took over, so we headed out to explore Calle Laurel, Logroño’s famous tapas street. Our host had given us some recommendations, so we decided to make an afternoon (and evening) of it and sample as many different things as possible. Since there were so many options, we decided to do a round of tapas in the afternoon and return later in the evening for a second round. Also, we got a glass of the house red wine at each place because not only it was just €2 but also some of the best red wine you that could get and only sold at that specific bar.
Our culinary adventure included:
Zurracapote wine with Brioche de butifarra trufada (truffled pork sausage brioche) and Brioche de costilla ibérica (Iberian pork ribs brioche) at La Tabola. Both tapas were delicious and went really well with the wine. Keep reading below for The Great Zurracapote Mix-Up!
Pincho de careta de cerdo (crispy pork) at La Tavina. This was my least favorite tapa as it was too gamey and too salty.
Bocatita “Tío Agus” (mini angus beef sandwich) at Bar Tío Agus. This was an excellent mini sandwich with perfectly seared angus beef.
Pincho de champiñones at Bar Soriano. These cremini mushrooms came dripping with butter and garlic and were piping hot.
The Great Zurracapote Mix-Up
The highlight of all the drinks was definitely the zurracapote at Bar Tabola, a local drink with an amazing cinnamon-and-lemon flavor.
Or at least, eventually it was.
The bartender offered us a sample and poured me a glass.
“Can you taste the cinnamon?” she asked.
I took a sip.
“No,” I said. “This tastes like rosé.”
Her colleague standing behind her immediately started laughing.
Apparently, she had accidentally poured me rosé instead of zurracapote.
The bartender realized what she had done and started laughing too. “You pass the test!” she said, before finally giving me the correct drink.
Apparently, my Camino journey had unexpectedly turned into a wine-tasting exam.
The real zurracapote was fantastic—sweet, refreshing, and full of cinnamon and lemon. Definitely worth trying.
One Mushroom, One Bar, and Apparently That’s Enough
The food highlight was probably the mushroom skewer at Soriano.
The bar was tiny—basically standing room only—and they sold just one food item: mushroom skewers. That’s it. No giant menu with 47 choices. No complicated ordering system. Just mushrooms and wine.
And it was packed with locals.
Everyone inside was cheerful, talking, laughing, eating mushrooms, and drinking wine. It was one of those simple experiences that ends up being more memorable than a fancy restaurant.
It was also another reminder that in Spain, apparently, wine can be cheaper than beer.
We went to Calle Laurel in the afternoon rather than at the traditional evening rush, and that turned out to be a great decision. It was much less crowded, which made it easier to actually talk with some of the shop owners and enjoy the atmosphere.
After eating our way through Laurel, we did some exploring and shopping.
Ashley needed more contact solution, and I needed more ibuprofen. That led to one of those moments where you realize how different seemingly simple things can be when traveling.
Painkillers were only sold in pharmacies, and 10 ibuprofen tablets cost almost $7 USD.
Suddenly, my little bottle of Costco ibuprofen back home seemed like one of the world’s great bargains.
Finding contact solution involved us looking for it in supermarkets and pharmacies without any success. Turns out that optical and cosmetic stores are the best places to routinely find them but the prices vary significantly from store to store.
Salad, Rioja, and a Little Taste of Home
After all the tapas, we found ourselves craving something we hadn’t seen much of lately: vegetables.
Since we had a kitchen in our amazing Airbnb, we decided to make a nice salad and pair it with a bottle of Rioja.
We found a tiny wine shop run by a sweet older man who clearly knew his wine. We bought a €7 bottle, headed back to the apartment, and enjoyed a relaxing dinner.
After another glass of Rioja, we decided we needed dessert.
We had read about a place called Melt that was highly rated for cheesecake, so we walked over—only to discover that it was closed.
The hours listed online apparently had very little relationship with reality.
So we wandered around looking for another option and stumbled upon a place with a photo of cheesecake. Logroño is apparently well known for its cheesecake, so that seemed like a safe bet.
We ordered one.
It tasted… pretty much like cheesecake we could get back home in the U.S.
Still good. Just not exactly a culinary revelation.
Then came another funny moment.
The bill was €9, which seemed ridiculously expensive for one piece of cheesecake. But when the server brought out our order, we realized there had been some confusion.
She apparently thought I had ordered a plate of cheese.
Somehow, despite this, we ended up with the correct cheesecake.
And, even better, they refunded us €4.50.
So apparently the international cheesecake crisis worked out in our favor.
Back to Laurel
We finished the day by heading back to Calle Laurel for one last drink and simply soaking in the atmosphere.
By this point, the street was much busier. Locals were out enjoying the evening, bars were buzzing, and the whole area had that wonderful energy that makes you want to stay just a little longer.
It had been a short walking day, but somehow a very full day.
We walked through vineyards, explored historic churches, discovered an incredible little mushroom bar, accidentally tested a bartender’s rosé-pouring skills, found an amazing $55 Airbnb, bought outrageously expensive ibuprofen, ate cheesecake that may or may not have been worth €9 errr… €4.50, and finished the night with Rioja and the lively streets of Logroño.
Not a bad day on the Camino.
Distance: 10 km
Walking Time: About 2½–3 hours
Weather: Cool, comfortable, and perfect for walking
Highlight: Exploring Calle Laurel and discovering the tiny Soriano bar with incredible garlic butter mushroom—and, of course, finally getting the correct zurracapote.
Simple Pleasure: Sitting in the park with cappuccino and pastries in Viana while watching the morning sun over the mountains. Bonus simple pleasure – eating a homemade salad at our Airbnb.
Best Surprise: Finding an incredibly nice Airbnb that was 2 min walking distance to Calle Laurel for only $55—and it came with a washing machine!
Camino Lesson: A short walking day doesn’t necessarily mean a short day. Sometimes 10 km on the trail turns into another 10 km of walking, sightseeing, eating, drinking, shopping, and accidentally ordering cheese instead of cheesecake.
