Each night I have been falling to sleep immediately but then awake at 1 a.m. for an hour or 2 which is rather annoying. Last night was no different but the albergue really was the best and it was completely quiet and comfortable. Miguel Angel, the "young" (40) priest runs the place. He has walked various routes to Santiago a total of 15 times. When he was assigned to the parish he realized the parish house where he would be living was right on the route. The house was in ruins and he had it renovated to have an apartment for him on the bottom and the upper floor apartment made for pilgrims walking to Santiago. As he has walked so many times, he knows what is needed and has it set up really nicely. Only 4 beds per room, really great bathrooms, a nice kitchen with coffee, etc. Two Finnish girls who I had seen here and there stayed last night as well. They have been camping to save money. They must be hauling 35 lb. packs each. MIne is about 13 or 14 pounds and I don´t know how they do it. They were sweet.
This morning I had a short (13 miles) walk to Fuente de Cantos. It seems when I have lengthy and tough days, I make the effort and walk in pretty good time. On easy days I seem to drag and unwittingly take my time in arriving. It's much like when I was in college and would take a class that was purported to be very difficult. I always worked hard and got "A"s. On the other hand, when I took a "gut" course which was supposed to be easy and was, stereotypically, yet invariably, filled with football players, I managed to get "C"s. The priest dropped by in the a.m. to bring some breakfast items for us and as I was walking out of town at about 9, I saw him again as he was jogging. Yesterday, I left the province of Andalucia and entered Extremadura. "Dura", in Spanish, is "hard" as in not soft but also as in difficult. Extremadura is extremely hard. It is very hot and dry in the summer and, I believe, quite cold in the winter. This morning's walk started out through lands separated by stone fences filled with encinas trees and more grazing animals: pigs, sheep, cows, and goats. If California cows are happy cows, than Spanish pigs must be very happy pigs. They really do have the good life, of course, until they are eaten. As I walked it seemed there was a little bit more grass on the ground than in previous days and as I continued a few kilometers further, I left the encinas trees and animals and entered an area with cultivated fields which I had not seen (apart from orchards) yet on this trip. I love it, on these walks, when the landscape changes as it makes me feel like I am making progress. This change was lovely...a patchwork of fields; some green, some yellow, and many just recently tilled earth, all spread like a quilt over gently rolling hills. Way in the distance beyond the hills you could see the white buildings of this village. You could see the village from 6 or 7 miles away and it was quite nice perched up there in the distance. I have arrived at the albergue which is a converted 17th century convent. It's quite nice and as an added bonus there are fresh sheets on the bed and blankets so perhaps I can give the sleeping bag a break for a night. I've rested a bit and am about to go have a look about the town.
I would like to add, after spending a couple hours in the village, and keeping in mind that I really hate to say anything negative about anything in Spain, that this town is, sadly, a bit dull. It just seems for a town of its size to lack shops, bars, restaurants, and people. There a few places but not many at all. Years ago when hitch hiking in Spain with my friend, Lisa, the driver dropped us off in his village of, at best, 900 people, and proudly told us that the village has "roughly 28 bars". And, this is pretty typical. I did see a bunch of activity and followed to see where everyone was going. Alas, it was a funeral so I did not participate. As it turns out, this sleepy little town, is rather sleepy, and, in fact, so am I.
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