Chicks and Chickens in Spain

We are proud of us today walking 30+ km’s today 🙂 to tell you the truth it wasn’t that eventful….

There were no bulls running, no one stole our sticks, we got a bed (admittedly in a room with 88 other people), we walked and got no injuries – however the ache in the feet travels up your legs after 25km…

So what can we tell you??

We got up at 5am this morning.
We past by a sign that tells us we have 576km to go till Santiago.
Kafé con leché is getting better with each day.
We met an English film maker who doesn’t personally know Colin Firth. (Ally = guttered)
We sat by a giant bee hive which no one can tell us the history of..
And a French lady stole Ally’s personal space to such a degree that all I can do is laugh while I’m typing thinking about it…
We saw another way to do the Camino – by mountain Scooter!
We discovered €3 can buy you 2 glasses of wine and 2 pinchitos.
We got a years supply of Ibuprofen for €2.

We also discovered a new type of road…. Red Clay. And after a night of rain it is Red Clay Mud. Not the best to walk on but comparing it to the gravel and pebble track, we don’t know which was worse.
Maybe we are getting used to it… With the big dramas we’ve faced over the past week, are we just adjusting to the Camino life??
We will keep you posted… Off to find some ice cream!

Spent the evening out the front of the Albergue talking to different countries, guys cutting each others hair – clearly not hairdressers but short all over was the style. An elderly man broke out in opera for a song or two with applause from everyone, then a ukulele came out and the holiday feeling followed… I can’t sing but my help was appreciated 🙂

10pm curfew was approaching, so we all head into our room for sleep… Lets hoping the guy next to me doesn’t snore….

Another morning starts with a line of peregrinos trudging up a trek slowly waking up and psyching themselves up for the walk today… It doesn’t help when the first 1km is straight up a hill.. I thought Spain would be flat.

Today is an easy day only 19km we can do that by lunchtime 🙂 the legs although still feel the 30+km from the day before – never mind it’s a pilgrim life!

Scenery today consists of vineyards, whet, spinach farms, and dry fields… The undulating fields find a rhythm and soon we’re halfway, and on top of another hill there is shade, and seats, and company…

An elderly Spaniard greets us with a smile and seats – he tells us in very good english that he comes out here 3 to 4 days a week to provide chairs for peregrinos and to practise his english. This guy is about 75 years old and travels 40km to sit here and converse with us 🙂 such a nice man, we have our own personal Spanish lesson – well Ally does because she is the interpreter, i just listen and jump in when I understand.. A French couple joins our group and the Spaniard breaks out in fluent French! Show off 🙂

We hit the road and by noon we’ve hit Santo Domingo our stop for the night – seeking refuge in a very very very basic Albergue run by nuns (it’s only €5) we settle into our routine of shower – wash clothes – hang clothes and find cold beer – and food of course 🙂

This is a town of 5,000 people and they have this incredible cathedral that could fit every one of them! Amazing! Saint Dominic was a great advocate for the pilgrims back in the 15th century – remind me to tell you about the rooster and the hen sometime… Even Ally loved my history lesson…

Off to see a Spanish puppet show in the town square with a bottle of vino 🙂

Buen Camino!