Our Strange Camino (Part 6) – Don’t Miss a Michelangelo & What We Found Under a Spanish Church!

In this episode, we wake up in the vibrant city of Logroño—rested, well-fed, and ready to explore. This stretch of the Camino is full of surprises: from a rumored Michelangelo masterpiece in the co-cathedral de Santa María de la Redonda to a hidden church with mysterious carvings, shadowy altars, and unexpected legends.

We venture off the main route to visit the Iglesia de Santiago el Real, where a sweet elderly guide reveals strange and fascinating treasures—like an underground altar with the “Mysterious Mother,” and even a face of Jesus etched into cement. We also check out the Church of Saint Bartholomew, famous for its unusual (and slightly unsettling) sculptures of the apostle’s martyrdom.

Our walk from Logroño takes us past the Grajera Reservoir—home to squirrels that will steal your time and fish that may or may not be carp—before we reach the historic ruins of the Hospital de San Juan de Acre just outside Navarrete. Along the way, we reconnect with the magic of Camino friendships, discover a poncho that changed our rainy-day walks forever, and have a small-world moment when we meet a pilgrim with ties to our past in West Africa.

📍 Route covered in this episode: Logroño → Navarrete

Highlights of this episode:
👉 The rumored Michelangelo painting in Logroño’s co-cathedral
👉 Hidden underground treasures in Iglesia de Santiago el Real
👉 The striking and intense sculptures at the Church of Saint Bartholomew
👉 The playful “Squirrel Sirens” of the Grajera Reservoir
👉 Ruins of the 12th-century Hospital de San Juan de Acre
👉 The joy of Camino connections—old and new

Whether you walk the Camino for faith, history, or the adventure, this episode is packed with the strange, beautiful, and surprising moments that make the pilgrimage unforgettable.

#CaminoDeSantiago #OurStrangeCamino #Pilgrimage #Michelangelo #SpainTravel #CaminoHistory #Logroño #Navarrete #TravelVlog #CaminoMagic