The Tasty Pilgrim

Yesterday I stayed in the refugio in Azofra. As a roommate I had Gerhard from Germany. He told me that he was sixty and had been working for 64 years. Gerhard had a building construction firm and just sold it.

He is walking the Camino to get that change in his life to a new future. The only drawback is he snores so loudly, I wake up all the time. He is really cutting down complete forests. To get him quiet I imitate Woody Woodpecker. In complete bewilderment he sat right up in bed, did he dream it ? Anyway I slept well from that moment on.

Got up at 6.30 and packed. The song runs like this " Into each life some rain must fall " . Looking outside it rained hard, so I first stopped at the bar Sevilla for a breakfast. The lady recognised me at once. Last evening I had a menu pelegrino there. Actually quite good ! Some old conventions must be respected I think.

They used to give you the bill and the change on a small saucer and you are suposed then to leave the small coins as a service tip. I did of course and her whole face lit up. It is for the cook, you see and nobody ever does it any more. She made me a nice breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee and marmelade on toast. That went down very welll and I sat out for the daily walk. The rain had lessoned, but the track was still muddy. At one point I passed a small forest of oak trees, a remnant of medieval times when the whole of Spain was covered with forests like these. To build the Armada ( the famous Spanish fleet) Philips II had all trees cut down, but Spain was not replanted. Henry VIII did it better when he ordered a fleet built. The trees in the South of England were all cut down, but it was replanted. That is why this part is called The New Forest. Never mind I was going to have a great day, as I was walking towards Santo Domingo de la Calzada. This is one of my favourite sections of the Camino, among vineyards and asparagus beds and olive tree orchards. The road went gently up and down. At last the rain stopped and we got the sun ! On top of the last hill you see deep down in the4 distance the city of Santa Domingo. From here it is still walking down hill for one hour or so. Every pilgrim takes a picture when on top of the hill ! It is so scenic. At last I entered the old city and walked the narrow streets. I passed the refugio and there was a long line of pilgrims waiting to be admitted. Just a few hundred yards from there, I entered the Parador. It is the ancient bishop´s palace now turned into a hotel by the state. This way the ancient buildings get a modern use and do not fall into disrepair. The first pilgrim getting in gets the room free and just pays for dinner and breakfast. Took off my muddy shoes in the corridor. I peeled of my wet clothes and only now notice how tired I am and how dirty.

The bathroom was large and it had a bidet. So I took a chair and sat on it and put my feet in the hot water of the bidet and scrubbed them. Also scrubbed the mud of my legs. In the meantime I had run the bathtub full of hot water. Carefully I lowered down and floated for half an hour and felt the tiredness leave my muscles. This is the good Life ! Put on some clean clothes and brought my dirty laundry to the cleaning lady. I also scrubbed the mud off my shoes and cleaned them in the bidet. A versatile bathroom item indeed. Went inside the restaurant for lunch. Did not want to eat too much so I had something simple. The food looked great and I made the first photos of the dishes. With a glass of red Rioja wine and a bottle of sparkling water I slept the rest of the afternoon.

At about five I went outside and entered the cathedral. It is the only church with a chicken coop in it with a white rooster and two white hens in it. When you enter and the rooster cries, you will find luck in the rest of your life. Guess what ? The rooster kept on and on when I stepped inside. Lucky me. Stepping outside I met the young couple who had worked some time in China teaching English. She really looked bad with a painful leg. I told her to get a bed in the refugio and then use the bath in my room. Gave them my mobile number to give me a ring. This is Sunday and the day of our Lord, what better day than to make a stranger feel accepted. People are not used to meet somebody nice and think in terms of hidden agendas. So I never got that call. I had also told Lips to use the opportunity for a hot bath. Also she did not ring. Then I met Jeffry from California with Marie from Canada again in the plaza. They asked me if I knew where to get a Menu Pelegrino and I walked them to this restaurant I had a look at previously. On the way I told them the story and Marie was really amazed that no one had taken up the offer. " I would have" she said as my foot is bandaged and I cannot take a shower this way. Anyway they would give my regards to the others. It turns out that people on the Camino are also chicken and it ties up with the title.