Breakfast was already set-up for us on the long, rustic table. We turned on the coffee maker. There were six of us awake and only 4 mugs. Strange. I ate my cereal and milk in my mug (took a little of each of the three cereals), washed it out in the bathroom, coffee and milk, and then washed it out again for the next person to use. Toast and jam. Matt, Lainey, and Chris were just getting started on breakfast, so I started down the road 0.7km to the hostel in Airexe to use the wifi. There were yellow lampposts that glowed over the road for most of it. The second half of the solo walk, I used my little, temperamental, LED flashlight.
After ten minutes, I saw Chris and Lainey coming up the road in the dark. Matt came and joined us a few minutes later. We walked silently under the moonlit sky.
Lainey and I both shared later that we noticed an intensity in our senses of smell and hearing. Our eyes couldn't see much. We tried to keep our flashlights off and rely on the moon (especially since it was just road). The trees put off fruity scents. Plum and flowers. Some cow poop aroma, but that's normal now.
Another scent that's become normal...? My flatulence. Ever since Leon when my colitis went really bad all of the sudden, I've had issues. I'm notorious (or more like infamous) in my family for having fatal gas. Since I've grown to appreciate these Camino friends I'm walking with, I'd hate to see them die on the account of my bodily functions, so I try my best to remove myself from the group/walk behind them when I'm feeling particularly gassy. I've been pretty open with Chris and Lainey about this. Matt's new to the group and I've only known him a few hours really, so early this morning when my intestines were being testy (ha!), I slowly started lagging behind the three of them.
Chris looks back, "Oh, I see what's up," he says with a grin. I smirk back.
A few minutes later Matt looks behind and sees my distance, "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I yawn back. "Just trying to keep your morning pleasant," I think at him.
We walked until a little after daybreak and before we stopped for breakfast at a small albergue/cafe in San Xulian where Olya, Dennis, and David had stayed. I used the restroom and chuckled when I saw the bathroom gender indicators: the two drawings--one of the cartoon naked woman and the other a cartoon naked man both standing in front of the mirror in a bathroom. They're adorable. I made sure to let the owner know I appreciated them since he gave me a funny look when I came back from the restroom, grabbed my phone, and returned to the restroom. Silly Americans.
We continued on and the crowds started to get more dense. There's a large group of high schoolers from Mexico that we keep trying to get ahead of because they take up most of the path. Easily identifiable by their matching neon t-shirts with "MÉXICO" printed on the sleeve. Another novel Camino change since Sarria is thr distinction between the two types of pilgrims we now see. There are pilgrims like me who started in Astorga and beyond (which puts them at 200+km) and have a full pack (25-80+ liters) they're carrying or sending ahead via taxi. The second type of pilgrims started in Sarria and are only doing the minimum of 100k to get a compostella. They carry small daypacks (less than five pounds of weight) and smell really nice.
We stopped at a stand for some fruit that we shared between us. Cherries, plums, and nectarines. The elderly owner was a sweet hunched over gal who was eager to sell us everything in the store.
We continued walking briskly through the forest of eucalyptus and pines.
Finally arrived to the city of Melide.
Just as we're walking in, we spot Olya, David, and Dennis up ahead. Chris and I sneak up on them and walk silently behind them before Olya turns around surprised and they greet us.
Our group is reconnected for a few minutes until half of us hit up the grocery store. I have to pee. I ask around for a bathroom, but it's not open to the public. I'm out of cash and need to pee, and to use a bar bathroom I need to buy something first. So ATM. The first one I find has an outrageous fee for my card, so I jet down the street to the next one. Cash out, jog to the bar next door. It's empty except for the bartender gal that comes in from smoking a cigarette on the back patio.
"I'll use the restroom and then come back to get something." Made it.
Come back down and order a chocolate napolitano (first of the day). What is that I see?? A menu with blended coffee drinks?? I inquire. She only has the fruit smoothies on the menu. Bummer. I take my napolitano and go.
I start heading down the street I assume to be the Camino expecting that the rest of the group would have gone on their way by now. A half a kilometer down past the buildings and pharmacy and I see no more yellow arrows nor sign of my buddies. Hmm. I turn around and head back. I spy other pilgrims turning a corner, as I'm waiting at a crosswalk near the city center I spot Chris (because he's 6'1" and wearing a hat). I wave at the group and receive happy waves back. They'd waited for me at the grocery store for a bit before asking the ladies from Ashland to let me know they went on. So sweet.
We continued on. At the exit of Melide was a church where we found the rest of the group hanging out. I munched a few cookies from the pilgrim table outside the church. Usually I would've left a donation, but the volunteer was loudly talking on his phone the whole time we were there, so I didn't feel inclined.
We started out all walking together, but due to different paces, got separated. I walked alone for a bit when a pilgrim startled me by coming up quickly from behind to ask about my uke hanging from my pack. He walked so fast! He was interesting to talk to, so I tried to keep up without turning my powerwalk into a slow jog. He is on the Camino with family and friends and had just a small daypack since he's only walking the minimum 100km. He is around 18 and from Valencia, Spain and studied his whole academic career thusfar in an English immersion school here in Spain. Although he had an accent, his grammar was perfect. We discussed mostly politics. He asked me about Trump (ha, as do all Europeans) and then he filled me in on the corruption of Spanish politics.
I spotted Lainey and Chris at the bar we approached, so I bid him adieu.
Lainey and I checked menu prices and then decided to continue on to find a place for lunch. Matt caught up to us and the four of us stopped at a bar where Chris and I shared the best grilled chicken sandwich I have ever had. We've been tired of Spanish bar food, so this was a pleasant surprise.
We had offered the three others have lunch with us, but they opted to continue on a few more kilometers before stopping.
We wrapped up our lunch and continued walking and searching for the other half of our group and where they'd stopped for lunch. Found them on a hillside patio at a country bar famous for its award-wining cheese. Lainey and I shared our sample plate we ordered with the group and we took a poll of which cheese was best.
1 Sheep
2 Sheep-Cow (winner)
3 Cow
Pepe and Pascual were chatting eith some pilgrim gals in the table next to us. As I passed them by the two began to serenade me in unison--as usual this past week--to some Spanish song that mentions my name as an adjective. I blush every time. They eat it up.
As we continue on to the next town, Chris and I stop with Lainey as she switched out her shoes for sandals for this final stretch. The rest continue on. A few minutes later as we get up the hill, we spot Matt who directs us in a shortcut that saves us about 0.5km walk. Score.
We reach the first albergue in the next town that has over 100 beds and is cheap. We have been up to our ojos in bar food and are ready for something new. Chris and Lainey had bought fajita mix at the store. So a kitchen and proper kitchen equipment was a must for tonight. This albergue had a beautiful kitchen, but not even a spoon was it equipped with. Onward to the next town 3.5km away.
We arrive in the city of Arzúa and check the first albergue we see for a kitchen. Yes kitchen (and well-equipped), but only 4 beds left. Probably not gonna work.
Chris jets up ahead down the city street and finds the other half of our group all planted on the cement sidewalk in front of an albergue trying to check maps and guidebooks on where to stay. We get to them and plop our bags and butts on the ground with them.
Lainey and I offer to walk down a ways to the tourist information center to see about the Xunta and a city map. We walk three blocks and stand under the sign, but as we peer through the large glass windows we see to pretty girls our age with white scrubs on. Is this it?? We walk in not knowing what to expect.
"We're looking for the tourist center...?"
"This is it," one of them starkly responds.
"Oh, we thought it was a massage parlor."
"It's both," the other answers.
They give us a map, circle and draw some redundant lines, and superficially wish us well as we open the door to leave.
As we head back, we inquire in a few different albergues for a kitchen. One that I enter alone has no recepcionist, so I just snoop on my own. Suddenly a man appears rushing down the stairs to the receptionist desk.
"Tell me," he barks before he reaches the desk.
"Do you have a kitchen?"
"Nope just a microwave," he doesn't even look at me.
"Okay, thanks," I said much too sweetly.
We all continued to sit on the sidewalk in the shade of the multi-story building as we half-hazardly discussed where to stay the night together. We unanimously indifferently settled on the hostel we'd been sitting in the shade of the past 45 minutes. One by one we take the receptionist our ID's, credenciales, and euros. We head upstairs to settle our belongings near our designated bunks.
First, I sat on the cold ground for five minutes just staring at the wall. I was incredibly tired. Not really sleepy, I didn't think--just tired. The two accessible showers were being occupied, so I my shower stuff out of my pack and placed it all on my bed ready to go.
Two older ladies came disgruntled and impatient into the room and headed straight for the shower doors that they knocked on a few too many times with their towels and soap in hand. I wasn't about to MMA them for a shower, so I just laid on my bed to wait. Which inadvertently (yet inevitably) turned into a two hour nap.
I woke up around 7:30 to two empty showers. As I took of my socks, I noticed my ankles had some heat rash around them again. Not as bad as before. Wool socks in the mid-summer sun isn't the way to go I guess.
I did my thing--no laundry today--and then headed downstairs to find my buds. Matt, Chris, and Lainey were in the kitchen cooking up fajitas and rice.
I helped with some dishes. Whilst scrubbing, Stanley walked in while Lainey and I were having a discussion about the absence of dish soap. Stanley was asking about the others and the church location, and we were too absorbed in our preoccupations and offended him for not responding to his questions. He left in a flury. I felt so bad. I'd apologize later.
Matt and I set the dinner table. This kitchen was ample with dishes and utensils. The table looked great.
I put myself to coloring while I waited for them to wrap up cooking the rice. While coloring, a gal walked by and opened up the floor-length curtains of the wall-sized windows that overlooked the street and bars below. At first she apologized, but I assured her it was more than okay. The light was nice.
She started asking me about my Spanish and was impressed. I asked her about what she did for a living. When I found out she lived in Madrid, I confessed that I was moving there in September. She froze.
"Are you serious? This is perfect. Will you be my English professor? I'll pay you whatever you want. You're a native speaker, right? Oh my gosh, I've been wanting to get an English professor!"
María jotted down her number as we discussed expectations on both our parts. We are both hopeful for this potential, mutual benefit.
Foods on the table. Our group sits down to eat. Fajitas, AVOCADO, rice, cheap beer, and white wine. All shared with the faces of the souls I've grown to love these past 450 miles. We pass around the Oreos and white chocolate that Lainey picked out for us for dinner. All perfect.
Olya leaves to go see Stanley at the bar. I ask her to apologize to him for what happened earlier on my behalf, still feeling remorse over it.
As the group chats, I excuse myself to call my mama. We chat a bit and then lose connection since the wifi can be sticky.
Time for bed. I try to be quiet as I brush my teeth and then climb into my top bunk above David's. Tomorrow Lainey, Chris, Matt, and I plan to get up and leave before 5:30am like we did this morning to best the heat and the crowds we're expecting.
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