Muy Duro

I´ve missed a few days here as we have been in some places without internet access. We had a good time in Mazarife, the last place that I mentioned, as there were just 7 of us there. I really enjoy it more when it is a small group. We walked to Astorga that day which is a really nice little city. The albergue there was great. In our room it was just our group (Christian, Ina, Sang Kyoung, me, "Nicole"--another Korean girl). An actually very nice restaurant had a special discounted pilgrim´s menu and the five of us went there. It wasn´t a super fancy place but so much nicer than what we have grown accostomed to. We actually felt sort of foolish in our hiking clothes. We were told to bring our ¨Pilgrim´s Credential" in order to get the good deal but one look at us and the waiter was pretty sure we qualified. Christian, especially, looked funny with his loud African drum pants. We had a wonderful meal and it was nice to have a table cloth and a waiter with a tie, etc. It felt very special. It was in Astorga that we noticed that Ina´s ankle had swelled to the size of a softball. The guy who ran the place gave her ice packs and rubbed olive oil on it. Olive oil, I suspect, is a Spanish cure all. He urged her to stay one extra night and we volunteered to stay with her but she is as stubborn as a mule so she went on with us.
For some days we had noticed beautiful snowcapped mountains in the distance. As the days passed the distance became less, the mountain range seemed wider, and there seemed to be no gap in the mountains. With this information, Ina went out on a limb and suggested that we would, in fact, have to cross the snowy mountains and as it turned out, she was correct. We left Astorga in our group, along with Raúl, a Spaniard that we met in Astorga. I walked with Christian as he and I tend to walk pretty fast. The day was something of a mess--as we went a little higher it rained, then got sunny, then a rainbow, then more rain, then many ice pellets, sleet, snow--a "wintry mix" if you will. It was quite horrible and windy and cold. It was a short day´s walk (about 13 miles) and Christian and I made it there very quickly. Shortly before he arrived in the village of Rabanal, Christian said that I walked too fast. I did walk fast but it was because 1) I was behind him and following his pace 2)the weather was horrible and I just wanted to get to the albergue 3) I really had to go to the bathroom. Of course, he might have said something else. Ina and I surmise that about 21% of what we communicate to Christian is actually understood--and vice versa. I speak no French, he speaks little English. Everything we know about him involves a "may or may not". His daughter may or may not prepare dogs for dog shows. His sons may or may not be cooks. He may or may not have said that he is going to go to India to work for Mother Teresa´s outfit. He may or may not prefer milk chocolate to dark chocolate. It´s all a big guessing game.
The albergue was pretty nice but I was so cold and I never felt warm again that day. I also was annoyed as there were tons of people there and as we arrived the snow really picked up so nobody was wandering around the villlage--just hanging out at the albergue walking around. I thought I was going to go crazy with the opening and closing of doors every 5 seconds. I got into my bed in my sleeping bag for about two hours and lovely Ina thankfully offered me her MP3 player to listen to some music. At 7 we went to the small chapel to hear the Gregorian monks chant their evening prayers. It was very nice, actually. I noted that everytime I have been to church on this trip, it has snowed. Lesson learned--I won´t go to church anymore. We went back to the albergue and had dinner. The next day´s leg (today--from Rabanal to Molinaseca) had been reported to me to be "muy duro"--very hard, by José Luis, a Spanish guy who we met some days before. He went through my guide book and told me it is probably the hardest part of the Camino (due to the crossing of the snowy mountains) but also the most beautiful (again, I´m guessing, because of the crossing of the snowy mountains). That night at the albergue the snow plow drivers arrived and told us that the road was impassable and that we would probably have to stay another day in Rabanal. So, we got up a little later than usual, ate breakfast and learned that during the night, the temperature had gone up, it had rained all night and much of the snow had melted. Christian had been with us for the previous 5 or 6 days and I think he slowed down to be with us as he usually covers a bit more ground than us. For these last few days, we all gather with our guide books and then decide where we will meet to stay that night. (It is at this point that Ina will write the name of a village and albergue on a scrap of paper for Sang Kyoung who carries no guide book). This morning, Christian said he wasn´t sure where he would go so I figured he was going to forge on ahead farther than what we were planning. When he left, he said to me in English (which is very rare for him), "I see for you." --I took this to mean "I will look for you." (as in, on the Camino, over the next few days). But, then again, he could have said, "I sing for you." which sounds strange but we do make him sing French songs for us including but not limited to, "Somewhere, Beyond the Sea" (your favorite song Lichan) but, you know, the French version by Charles Trenet and not the Bobby Darrin version. He also could have said, "I ski for you." or "I seem for you." It´s pretty much always like this with him. A sidenote on Christian. I really am hard pressed to believe that the French stereotype is true but I always ask just to check and sure enough, at the mere mention of Jerry Lewis, Christian´s face lit up. He, like all of the French, loves Jerry Lewis. He also went on to say (we think) that he likes Robert Stack and Dean Martin. I asked if he liked any American actors who were not dead or did not have one foot in the grave. He couldn´t really come up with anyone but about 6 hours later mentioned Dustin Hoffman. So there you go.
So, I started out on my own this moring and as José Luis said, it was Muy Duro. It was particulary hard due to the severe wind. It was like being in a wind tunnel--at times I could not go forward. Brian, remember when we were at the sand dunes in Michigan and the wind blew so hard it broke my camera. It was just like that, only except for sand stinging my face, it was bitterly cold rain. Oh, and instead of it lasting 10 minutes like in Michigan, it lasted about 4 hours. And, I´m thinking the other 5 times that José Luis walked the Camino and deemed it the most beautiful part, that perhaps the visibility was greater than 30 feet. You could see nothing. I (and everyone else, I think, except for superhero Christian) went on the main road in lieu of the Camino proper as the main road was clear of snow. But, you just walked up and up and had the stinging rain and no view and the wind was "muy duro". After a few hours I got to a village and stopped for a coffee and Christian was just leaving so he waited for me and then walked with me on the descent the last 6 or 7 miles to the next village (Molinaseca). The fog lifted a little bit and the wind died down a little bit and the view was really very beautiful. I stayed in Molinaseca (where I now am) and Christian continued on to the next town. Ina and Jennifer arrived shortly after I did and that about brings us up to date. The albergue here is very new and nice and clean and comfortable and the village is quite charming. In a bit will go into the village for dinner.
I´m trying to think of answers to questions that you´ve asked. Lichan the place in Spain where we stayed with your parents, was La Manga (de mar menor) where we went to the bar with the happy hour that said,"A great time for the kids". I speak Spanish with the Spanish people and now that Holy week is over , there aren´t that many of them. Usually I am speaking English but I´m generally the only native English speaker. I translate a lot when people have questions for the Spanish people. With Christian it is some sort of Spanish, French, English medley but it isn´t understood so ... Oh, Marisol, if you were here, you could be the official translator for Christian. Marisol is my wonderful Spanish friend who speaks French and Spanish like a native and I´m pretty sure her English is better than mine. I'm sorry I didn´t get to see you this time Marisol. I don´t listen to an ipod--just the crazy thoughts in my head. The places usually have pillows and blankets
CCW --I willl send you an e-mail but I think that the night of the 28th I will probably stay in Villafranca del Bierzo--leaving the morning of the 29th for Ruitelán where the albergue is supposed to be great--I should sleep there the night of the 29th. But, Let me know where you will go and I can probably go back to Ponferrada or Viallafranca del Bierzo by bus or train to meet you. We also have to get you a pilgrim credential so that you can stay at the albergues and they don´t have them at all of the towns. They will probably let you stay without one for one night though. I will pass through Ponferrada tomorrow and can find out about buses,etc.