This morning we stopped to take pictures with the 100km left placard. We're so close to the end. 700km completed at this point.
We walk through the stinky farms. The sweet smell of cowpies is becoming overwhelming. I dreamed last night that I ate ice cream that was cowpie flavored. Overexposure reached.
We trek down the mountain step by step past the vineyards and harvested fields. We can see the heavy fog settled in the town where we are heading. It reminds me so much of my hometown in the fall.
We cross the erie bridge that is shrouded in the fluffy fog. On the bridge our destination across the ampler river is indistinguishable.
We arrive across, walk up the old stone stairs to the second level of the town. This town has levels. How cool is that?
First restaurant we pass by I peek in and see Julia having breakfast. We've missed her! We head inside to join her table. This restaurant is modern, lovely, and clean. Later, speaking with the very kind clerk, Mariza, I learn that it's only four weeks old. We're there for first breakfast. She's out of napolitano (chocolate croissant) which I crave every day now, so to appease my appetite, I order my coffee with Mariza and then jog over to the bar next door to get some napolitanos to bring back. We hang out for a bit and then continue on.
Across the bridge, through the forest. These walks just keep getting better. We stop at a food truck and due to different paces lose track of Julia. I order a drink hoping it to be a Sprite kind of thing (to share with Chris for his upset tummy), but it's a canned lemonade. Also refreshing.
Continuing on we pass by an Italian mom and her two daughters (one a teen the other around 10). We'd seen them previously in Samos. The 10 year-old is a cute, sassy little thing with her yoga pants and her trekking poles swing in perfect beat. She recognizes Lainey and I right away as we pass by them and wish them a "Good Way".
Up, up, up we go. I'm in a little of a rush because out of all the albergues along the Camino there is just one that I had heard about that has become important to me to stay in: La Fuente del Peregrino in Ligonde. A friend of mine volunteered their for a week. They're a protestant associated donativo albergue. They pray over people. I'm sure their joyful. It's just something my heart would like, and even more so at the end of the Camino.
"You wanna just keep going?" This is my version of telling the others what I want to do. I'm so passive about things and live to please. "You guys can do whatever, but I'm for sure gonna keep going." I'm getting more insistent and anxious to arrive.
Lainey and Chris patiently and willingly keep up with my determination as we pass by the pilgrim crowds and the rest stops without even batting an eye.
With just under 2km to go we approach this large private home within walls that are hiding something. From afar it sounds like a pack of excited dogs. Drawing closer it sounds like a pack of suffering dogs. Approaching the front lawn it sounds like seals. Do they have a pool full of seals in their backyard? Within the open doors to the courtyard I spy a lady sweeping. The noise remains a mystery.
We make it to the small farm town of Ligonde. La Fuente del Peregrino must be at the other end of town. We walk and finally approach the doors. It's closed. There are two signs on the door (one in English, the other Spanish) alerting of closure until the next day (Monday). So disappointing. The French gal who we ignored to be on our phones at the bar the day before walked up and sat with us there in front of the closed albergue. She had planned on staying their as well. I made every effort to be as friendly and engaging as possible to make up for the day before. We asked her about her stay at the albergue the previous night and she explained that it was not as enjoyable because her roommates just kept to themselves and wouldn't talk to her. Oy. I feel even worse. I really hope God grants me more opportunities to show this woman love. Wanting to check-in and rest, I direct her to the next albergue.
We sit in the shade for a few more minutes then continue on our way to the next town of Airexe which is really just an extension of Ligonde only 0.7km up the way. We pass the albergue where the French gal is, but continue on to the next town since it will be a few euro cheaper for each of us in the Xunta albergue run buy the board of the region of Galicia.
We're the first to arrive. This one, like that of the night before, is very modern and clean. A gal from the bar across the street (the only bar/restaurant in town) makes her way over to check us in. The Italian mom and daughters are also getting in right behind us. We head upstairs, pick our bunks, do our shower thing and laundry thing.
Our albergue has a kitchen, so I walked over to the bar to ask the gal if there was a market in town. Nope. I walk into the bar and ask the owner if he would sell us vegetables. He seems very hesitant. He returns from the kitchen with a head of lettuce and two tomatoes. Mmm... nevermind.
Lainey, Chris, and I drink coffee and tea (we made in the kitchen) while watching YouTube videos, music videos, and a whole episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on my phone. It was a perfect break from Camino routine. And just in time. After a few hours we head to the bar to hang out until the restaurant part opens at 7pm. We are some hungry pilgrims. We hang out and chat on the front patio with Maurice, a Spanish-French guy, and Julia. He's a character and is living the Camino on little money, but orders four beers throughout the evening and smokes at least 5 cigarettes over the duration of the time we're with him. I tool around on my uke while I take in and occasionally pipe-in on the conversation. Dinner is open.
The five of us get a table together. We switch between the languages of English, German, and Spanish depending on who is speaking with whom. I order a tuna sandwich and my friends share with the table their wine and bread that comes with their pilgrim meals. The table of the Italian mom and daughters near us leaves and their plates are still half full of salad, so we grab their plates and finish the food that would otherwise get thrown out. For dessert I order the natilla, having no idea what it will be like. It's a chilled flan pudding more or less. Pretty good.
We wrap up dinner and each pay our part. Left over bread we take with us for breakfast in the morning. Tomorrow we won't get up early. We've made the decision to go back and stay at the donativo in Ligonde. Olya, Stanley, Dennis, David, and another David are all a day behind us, so we've collaborated with them to all meet up at La Fuente del Peregrino. I'll try to reserve places for them tomorrow since we'll head over early. The funny thing about this is that we'll be going backward on the Camino by 0.7km. I never expected I'd go backward. This will be so worth it though.
Everyone turns in to their bunks for the night, but I stay down in the Cuarto de Estar as it's labeled. I guess like a living room. The chairs are just a little more comfy. I stay up to job hunt on the wifi and work on my blog a little. The friendly hospitalera who is a local comes in to greet me and vent a little to me about the Koreans leaving their cigarette butts on the ground outside. Then she apologizes for venting. She's adorable. Tells me how much she loves [us pilgrims] even though she doesn't even know us. She wishes me a good night and finishes locking up. I return upstairs it's really hot, but I fall asleep fast and hard.
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