Leaving Ventosa, on the trail early.
Beehive building.
Crossing the river.
Entering Azofra, small town, but great albergue.
St. James, by a golf course.
Walking into Santo Domingo.
So, we are finally hitting our stride. We were able to knock out ten miles per day for the last two days. We woke up early in Ventosa and packed up. At 6am, the albergue plays Georgian chanting music to get everyone up, but almost everyone was already awake. We said goodbye to our Dutch roommates and hit the road.
This was going to be our first day since starting with full packs for 10 miles. Everyone felt good and the cool morning air really helped out. It was another beautiful day of being out on the trail. We stopped and had our breakfast after about 5miles at a coffee shop and were on our way. We were able to finish the 10 miles by 11:30am. All but Marion were ready for more, but the next town was another 5 miles away which would take us at least 2.5 hours, in the hot sun, without a lunch break. It just wasn't possible to continue.
So, we stopped at the small town of Azofra that had a recently built albergue with 30 rooms, each with only 2 beds for 7 euros per person. There was even a pool to dip your feet in. We thought we were living the life of luxury. Of course the doors to the room didn't lock and were made out of plywood.
So, we continue on as a normal day which is to find a restaurant to eat lunch at, either a "meal of the day" or "pilgim's meal" which is a 3 course meal for around 10 euros. They serve a lot of food, so we usually split 2 meals which is more than enough for the four of us. As we hike, we eat bananas, oranges, peanuts and other snacks so we don't run out of energy.
After lunch, we hunt down a market to buy our dinner. The albergues have kitchens that the pilgrims can use and more than half cook their own dinners. We aren't. Around during lunchtime, so I'm not sure how much people cook then. Our dinner usually consist of a salad and cold cuts or smoked salmon and potatoe chips and olives.
At the albergue, we are starting to see a lot of the same groups of people. Our Dutch roommates from the night before we're there. Some make a group once they come to the Camino so they aren't alone. Others come as groups and will add once they get here. The majority of the people are in their 20's, but there are all ages.
After our luxury in Azofra, we hit the road early again looking for another 10 mile day, we quite a bit of uphill. I had rained most of the night and for the first time we were cold and needed our sleeping bags. Once again, we were able to knock out the day in about 5 hours. We stopped at a golf course clubhouse for our morning coffee and breakfast. Our dutch roommates were just leaving as we arrived. Again, it seemed like such luxury and we took off our muddy shoes before entering.
In arriving at Santo Doming, we had planned to stay at a small albergue run by nuns. Rooms of either 6 or 8. We had some Irish friends staying there as well. As we waited in the street for it to open, two locals told us to go stay at the other albergue that was new and much nicer. Based on the local recommendations, we switched horses and moved down the street. Tonight, we are in a room of 16 people, none of whom we have seen before. The whole albergue holds 162, but it's probably only 80% full.
It's Saturday, and the town is full of life. We saw a bride and groom walking the streets, visited the cathedral, bout some new walking sticks for Julie to help her ailing knees and did our usual routine of lunch and dinner. It was a great day.
Before we left for this trip, a friend of mine told me, that I was changing my family for generations to come. Both Julie and Emi are talking about doing this next year. Emi told she will one day do this with her children. I didn't imagine the impact this would have on them. Out of 125 guests at the albergue, they are the only ones under 18, yet they don't feel out of place. They tend to talk to the older people instead of trying to fit in with the 18 - 20 year old crowd. Emi played checkers with the Dutch guy in his 60's and beat him. They had the best time and laughed a lot. It's wonderful to watch.
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