Buen Camino – 20 km – Grañon
Was a nice place to stay, sitting outside with the feet in cold water. Woke up at 06:00 as usual, Jan was already packing. He is quite fast walking, still running half Marathon with 72 years. I left the Albergue at 07:00.
The Camino in La Rioja doesn’t provide much shade. Just walking, in the beginning my feet are quite good, later they are still getting sore. Let’s see how my new cream works.
Santo Domingo de la Calzada
After leaving Santo Domingo I found a shady place under a tree to rest. After 15 minutes suddenly Rozenn came around the tree. She said she has seen my shoes from the road and realised them. So we walked together again until Grañon again.
The first Albergue we entered was an old building, dark entrance and no reception down. We went up some stairs, there were lot of shoes and we heard somebody playing guitar. Then Rozenn tried to explain in her broken English/German that this place doesn’t have real beds, good to use for young people. So we went up the road 50 more meters and entered La Casa De Las Sonrisas, The House of Smiles.
Esther, the Spanish host, welcomed us. There were many people waiting already, she has 27 beds. She registered all passports and then she was hugging everybody. This place is donation based, I didn’t pay anything yet. At 20:00 we will all eat together.
I really love it. Jan and I got our room again. Just had a shower, here are just two showers, I was late, the water already cold, I don’t mind.
Just met two other women preparing their feet with plasters, looks quite bloody sometimes. I am not the only one with this kind of problems.
And I am going for a coffee now.
Was just in the pharmacy and got something special for my feet. Can walk much better with this protection. Good invested €24,95. They are even washable, got a small bag with it.
An amazing church for a little village. So much gold. There was a mass and the pilgrims got a blessing.
What a lovely dinner tonight. 21 people. We had baked potatoes and pasta, bread and salad. Fruits for dessert. Esther was asking some of why we are doing the Camino. Some of us where sharing.
Esther was sharing about the 4 stages of the Camino. From Saint-John-Pied-de-Port to Logroño you are busy with your physical condition. From Logroño to Burgos is the mental process, what I am doing here. From Burgos to Santiago your spirit takes over. And from Santiago to Finistere all stages merge and become one. Esther is a beautiful warm-hearted woman
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