Day 4 on the Camino

October 5, 2009

It was our longest day of walking, about 12 miles, but it was a good day for walking. There was a threat of rain, but it never happen. It was just cloudy and breezy which kept the day cool, perfect weather to walk and the dramatic clouds kept the scenery intersting.

At 2 pm we did our usual stop for lunch at a spring. Lunch is always great, a unique and very Spanish salad, the cheese of the area, ditto for the bread, ditto for the olives, ditto for the ham, cookies, and fruit juice. There is always enough for everyone and one can go back for as much as you want.

Now for a subject to make you lose your appetite, sort of the ying and yang of this writing. Nature called and since there were no bathrooms I walked away from the crowd, over the creek, down the road, and behind the trees and lo and behold I entered the formal/informal bathroom. It was like entering a third world country. Piles and piles of you know what with the toilet paper to accompany the mess lay on the ground to dry in the hot Spaniard sun. It is so sad that there is a real lack of facilities on the camino. Something should be done.

Our lodgings for the night is a converted monastery now a hotel. It is very nice but strange. There is an inner courtyard with the rooms all around. Attached is an older monastery and next to that is a cathedral. We can walk through either monastery and we do, after dinner. It was rather dark, very eerie, and rather spooky. No one was there; the hotel rooms are located in another section of the complex. Further the lights flicker and will turn off when you pass some unseen control. I told Emi that we had to do it; it would be fun. It wasn’t. I kept thinking of that reality show where they search for spirits and such. I’m only glad that I’m here to write about it. Then again I’d be the first to admit that I’m just a natural born chicken.