Walked past the first golf course I've seen. The province of Navarra has been left behind and I am now in Le Rioja. The picture perfect postcard villages are a thing of the past; now the towns have a suburb of less than beautiful proportions - factories, highways, low-end housing - moving into newer areas of 'modern' housing - and then as the Camino takes us to the center of town, the old (with a capital O) part of town with the stone walls and reinforced wooden doors and recessed windows with heavy shutters.
Some ancient but not really kept up bits of town.
In Santo Domingo, I walked into town mostly on my own and (as always, knowing no better) stopped at the Albergue that seemed to be the nearest to the church. Turns out it had been a convent and was run by nuns. Lovely place, but ancient. The floor of the boot room was like that Roman road I photographed - provided a serious foot massage once the boots were off. Up the stairs, which were covered with lino taped together at the seams, it was obvious that the lino was covering up more rocks; a very uneven kind of floor but at least they could clean it that way. In the far back corner of the second floor, a rooom with 6 bunks. Mine was a top bunk under the window Ive had about 50% of my bunks on the top. Haven't fallen out yet. Yes, miracles do happen on the Camino.
K. (Ottawa) - see previous blog was in my little room; she was resting after the wind and reasonably long day. After a shower, I went out for a walk and ran into C. (Australia) and H. (Alaska). Found out that they were staying at a very posh (for albergues!) just down the street. Housed many more people, had wifi and laundry facilities etc., a huge equipped cocina (kitchen), but it lacked the old world (ie. Middle Ages) charm of my convent. Which slept only 30. The 3 of us wandered the streets of Santo Domingo, found a glass of wine, a pilgrim menu (pollo (chicken) was one of the choices so I took it). Very delicious, with an ensalada mixta (mixed salad; always includes some tuna) to start.
Following our meal, in the calm (wind disappeared!) evening, we hunted down a grocery store to buy some lunch and breakfast supplies for the next day - yogurt and banana on the breakfast menu - always bread and cheese on the lunch menu. Good to keep one or two things in your pack.
Strings of garlic in one of the little mercados.
Another little thing that's happened in the last day or two - there are now, in La Rioja some 'markers' that pop up all too frequently letting you know how many more kilometers it is to Santiago. Some bureaucrat ought to have asked a pilgrim or two if that would be a good idea. Most of us would rather not be reminded that it's only been one kilometer that we've traveled in such a seemingly long time. Ignorance as to where we are at is sometimes the only thing keeping us going. The next town is marker enough.
Tuesday - after a good night listening to the rain from inside the convent - had an early start. Nice weather while it was dark, but when the sun came up, so did the dreadful west wind. And with it, at about 9:30, did the rain. Needed rain coat and poncho for a good portion of the day, although if my pack cover - now back in Canada - (or rather Helen's pack cover) were here, I could dispense with the poncho. It just wants to blow me back to St. Jean - like a sail boat or a falling leaf. The noise of the blowing plastic, the wet, the walking alongside the highway ... yuck. But a little Camino yuck is part of the deal. I have been fortunate to have had such amazing weather that if it rains every day from now on, I really ought not complain.
Happily, just before the rain began, C. (Australia) and I found this little cafe in Granon - had a cafe con leche and a chocolate pastry. Could be my downfall. And just past the cafe ... a Panaderia (bakery).
This lovely Señor in this bakery (I'll let you imagine the smell!) was cutting me a hunk of orange cake which he then weighed and packaged for me. I had it as the first course of my lunch - my prime directive was keeping the cake dry and "unsquished" until it was the perfect time and place to eat it!
Walked the last bit - 5 km - to Belorado with X. (Tasmania) - a young wine maker on a leave from his job. He is hopping on and off the Camino. NIce fella, good chat about Tasmania and other such things. Caught up to C. (Australia) who had planned to go farther today, but the weather and her feet had changed her mind. We all checked into the same albergue and found H (Alaska) already there. Now as I am writing this, B. & L. (England) have turned up as well. This albergue cooks a meal in the evening with a choice of 4 starters and 4 mains that you can choose from, so we'll all eat here together. We put our laundry together and they wash and dry it for you - we'll sort out whose is whose afterwards.
This French woman and I have been in the same alberges for several nights - we can't really chat with each other, but she is always smiling at me. She isn't too impressed with the top bunk mate hanging her panties down over the edge of the bunk by her face - but she laughed mightily when I took this picture - and gave me a cookie.
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