16 - 31°C — Clear skies, hot, parching temperatures
By Jim
Our relief arrived and what a relief they were! Patrizia and Franco were experienced Italian hospitaleros and did not bat an eye when they saw twenty sheets hanging on the clothes line. They had been part of a team of four hospitaleros at the 48 bed Albergue de Peregrinos in Ponferrada. The changeover was so smooth that we were toasting with rosado in the dining room at 9:45 pm before setting up for our last breakfast (for 25 pilgrims). Franco was a bit distracted as his team, Inter Milan, were playing Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Championship. When we said good night, his spirits were low as Milan was down 2 - 0. They would get lower as the final result was 5 - 0.
I was up at 5:00 am and down to the kitchen to find a pilgrim already half way through her breakfast. I quickly made some coffee and she was on her way. Franco, Laurel, and Patrizia arrived and a steady flow of pilgrims trickled in. This group would be our walking cohort so we told then to look out for us in Montamarta, the stage end. By 7:15 a group of five cyclists had not yet stirred so I showed Franco the play list that we pipe through the Albergue in the morning. Starting with Cat Steven’s gentle “Morning Has Broken,” progressing through a thirty minute upbeat medley of Jesse Cooke’s Spanish guitar, and finishing up precisely at 8:00 with Michael Jackson’s “Beat It!”
We rejoined the Via de la Plata at 8:30 am and set our sights on Montamarta, 20 km away. The day was hot and dusty; a real shock to our systems but I loved it—Laurel not so much. Upon arrival we located our accommodation “Casa Rural El Molino.” After 18 nights in the Zamora Albergue, Laurel wanted a couple nights of luxury (towels, full bedding, and en-suite).
Having supper at Restaurant Rosa Mari across the street, we greeted four surprised pilgrims we had served the night before. A cup of tea at bedtime gave us pause to reflect on the past two weeks. We both agreed that it was a marathon but we found it a worthwhile experience. Would we do it again? Laurel said it’s like having a baby — never ask the question when the pains of labor are still easily recalled.
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| We left the Albergue after the last pilgrims and had walked through the old city gate ten minutes later |
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Being back on the Camino felt good—I was looking forward to a siesta at the end of the stage |
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A great crop of canola; Laurel was beginning to flag in the heat; the only pilgrim we passed today |
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Our accommodation was Casa Rural de Molina, an old flour mill |
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