Thursday 24 th September

I think we need to come clean with you all about last night! After our amazing lunch we had a slight repose ( I say we, Kathleen had a siesta of sorts, and I spent a frustrating hour writing my blog with a non existent Wi Fi signal) Eventually I got rid of all photos and copied and pasted what I’d written to the dearly beloved , so I wouldn’t lose it all again! Then we decided to shower and go down to the bar for a gin and tonic. Well Monolo wasn’t for messing – Larios ( a Spanish gin) and tonic was a dirty word. He would make us a proper gin and tonic! What could we say? All I could think of were the euro signs ( oh and the DB saying “ How much???”) Anyway amid much secrecy, the glasses with ice , gin ( who knows what make) and some freshly burnt ( you heard correctly) lemon peel were placed in front of us – then came the tonic . Normally in a bar you either open your can or are presented with an open bottle. You’ve guessed it , not Manolo- never mind the special opening tab, he pierced the can with an old fashioned can opener, and more or less squeezed the tonic out!!!

The result was indescribable!

Today seems like our legs are winding down – we have supposedly 11.6 miles to do.

We went in for breakfast and requested our customary cafe con leche, and couldn’t believe what Manolo did for us!

A lovely touch from the man with the big heart!

The Camino today again takes us through eucalyptus forests – if only we could bottle the smells along the way- so fresh and beautiful, yet we still can’t put our noses on what the other aromas are! We passed a large rosemary bush, very strong smelling , and there in a word is our Camino!

We also passed a vine with numerous bunches of ripe and ready claret coloured grapes dangling for the branches!

It is very hard for me to describe every detail of how we feel each day. Emotional, yes; content, yes; up and down, definitely. However, our coffee stop (10.30 or thereabouts!) has hitherto been a fairly emotive event! Not today! I went in to buy the coffees ( I have Nana’s purse with our kitty that’s why!)and came out to sit at s table where Kathleen was sitting. Close by was an American girl singing to a ukulele ( why she couldn’t have chosen a guitar, I had to look that up!!😂)

Then in a beautiful soft voice she started to sing – sorry tissue warning!

Sometimes in our lives we all have psin

We all have sorrow

But if we are wise

We know that there’s always tomorrow

Lean on me when you’re not strong

And Ill be your friend

I’ll help you carry on

For it won’t be too long

‘TIL I’m gonna need

Somebody to lean on…,,,

At this point I’m stopping, you know how it goes. and I should have taken notice of my own warning!

So when Kathleen and I had sort of composed ourselves , I felt it was safe to go to use the “Servicios” – and in the queue in front of me is a nun. A lovely lady who we first saw this morning – it appears she was from Brazil and was walking the entire Camino Frances ( 778.5 km). We both ended up in tears in the queue for the loo, agreeing what s journey of the heart we were undertaking.Never has a coffee break been so testing emotionally! Anyway onwards and upwards we go en route to Vilamaior.

We passed beautiful shrines – in the most amazing places, This one was just under the motorway bridge – I had to do a bit of a David Bailey here to keep the metal motorway barrier out of shot!

Shortly after this photo in Pedrouzo, we came across many more “ pilgrims” . This is because many people just make a day’s pilgrimage to Santiago. At times it seemed almost like that day, four days ago , when we started this journey – Piccadilly Circus.!

However one thing we have learnt is tolerance! We ourselves, were intruders on this sacred path starting in Sarria, but we have felt nothing but love and respect from all we have met. So we show the same to these new pilgrims – and regardless “ Bon Camino” is the common language of friendship !

Twelve thirty onwards is beer time! So we found the only bar there was on the Camino, sit down and in I go for the beers!

For those of you not familiar with a television series called “Fawlty Towers” let me explain briefly. It is a comedy series about a hotel run by a curmudgeonly man called Basil Fawlty ( for light relief I recommend it, amongst the staff is a Spanish waiter called Manuel….)

I digress but for the purposes of explanation you understand. The bar tender was a female Basil – I’ve named her Beryl. Our meeting goes something like this :

Did cañas por favor ? (2 draft beers please?)

No tenemos, ( We haven’t got any)

Bueno, dos botellas entonces ( Ok Teo bottles then

Bang ( 2 bottles on bar no translation needed)

Dos vasos por favor ? 2 glasses please)

Hay que esperar ? ( You’ll have to wait)

Hence Beryl Fawlty was born!

As we were sitting enjoying the sun, the nun appeared and I called her over and asked her name “ Maria Dolores de Jesus” she replied. I introduced Kathleen to her and without hesitation, she blessed her there and then. Emotional or what?

We move on ( and upwards again!) and still can’t believe how we get to the top of Ghent hills without really realising we’ve even climbed them. We laugh because so often I’ll say “It’s just round the corner, at the top of the hill. – when we’re still miles away! Anyway we had a few more serious hills to do before arriving at Vilamaior

We got here at about 1.30 pm – a haven in a hamlet!

Our room is on a grassed courtyard- slightly resembles a Butlinesque chalet- but clean and comfortable, and the staff couldn’t be more helpful. We ate lunch ( menu del día 12€) sitting outside our room – salpicón de mariscos, followed by monkfish in a heavenly sauce and then fruit for Kathleen and a lemon cream for me- out of this world. Oh I forgot to say, washed down with a bottle of………( you know us by now, you can finish the sentence!!!! A clue for you – begins with A and ends with o!!!

Now, I’m s firm believer in knowing I’m in the right place by a sign or a name or other familiar object, so when we walked into the grass courtyard a lady with an Australian accent asked us where we were from. The UK we replied. “ Where in the UK” she persisted. “ Sheffield” said Kathleen. Before I had time to reply she said “ I was born between Sheffield and Barnsley! Then emigrated yo Australia forty years ago!”

Well then Kathleen confessed to coming from the North East and I felt obliged to reveal my place of birth. As the DB says – you were truly wafted in from Paradise- those of you of a certain age will remember the Lorraine Chase Martino advert , linked to Luton Airport! Yes,dear reader, I was born in Luton and having confessed this was stunned to find out this lady’s father had lived there! Small world, coincidence or what?!

Now the sun is out , so I’m afraid I’m going to sign off for today. Santiago is tangible now – we have 9 km left of this journey- for that is what it is for us. Not just a walk, much, much more – and tomorrow will be very emotional for every pilgrim entering the square. and no less so got us two intrepid hikers who have learnt so much in such a short time!

As one of the many pilgrims we’ve met on the way said to us-

“ We are not human beings on a spiritual journey.

We are spiritual beings on a human journey”

Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step – we’re all ordinary people capable of extraordinary things!