A Tough Climb to the Highest Point on the Camino

I planned to sleep in today since it was going to be cold and I wasn't walking too far. So much for plans. I woke up at 5:30 am with a light in my eyes complements of the Italian girl in the next bed. Then Weird Man got even wierder, if that is possible. He pulled out a rubber ball and proceeded to roll it in the floor in the room where everyone was sleeping. Scratch, scratch, scratch, etc. Then after five or ten minutes of that, he took out something that looked like garlic on springy string and began pulling it back and forth across his back and shoulders clickers clackers clickers clackers for another five or ten minutes. He then proceeded to do some other weird stuff, but I can't describe it because I got up and left the room. I overheard one of the Spanish men describing his weird annoying beds to the hospitalero. The hospitalero asked what language he spoke. We all shrugged our shoulders. 

So I'm up an out a little after 6 am. I found a cafe and had café con leche and a croissant a la plancha (basically cut in half and toasted on the grill.) I left the bar about 7 am and started walking. My microfiber jacket kept me warm, thank goodness. Tomorrow it's supposed to be even colder in the morning. 

Last night I checked the bus and train schedule with a plan to go to Santiago and start arranging to come home early. But I woke up feeling ok. So I decided to walk a bit more. 

Along the trail to Rabbanal I met these guys. 

And took this selfie

I got to Rabbanal which was about 20 km (12 miles) where I was going to stop, but it was only noon. I figured I may as well go to the next place, Foncebadon which is about 6 more km. Somehow it slipped my mind that, not only is Foncebadon a steep uphill from Rabbanal, it is a rocky steep uphill. 

But at one point there was this strange chair on the trail. 

It got hot and the climb was grueling. At several points I tried to keep within screaming distance from the three pilgrims in front of me in case I needed help. At several other times I said, to heck with it, or something like that, I think I'll just lay down here on this rocky trail and stop breathing. I made it to the tops not two hours later. There were three memorials along this part of the trail, in memory of pilgrims who died here.  Not exactly a confidence builder.rocky with rocks firmly planted in the earth.

I must have tripped ten times today. Fortunately my  poles stopped the forward motion each time The trail was full of rocks. Loose rocks and rocks firmly planted in the earth. The ones planted have no give, so if your toe hits them, the rock doesn't, your forward momentum carried your body forward, while your toe is still getting acquainted with the earth. 

I got to Foncebadon and decided I didn't want to stay in this Albergue. lol

So I went to the Domus Dei Albergue because American Pilgrims On the Camino (APOC) helped fund a new roof for this Albergue. I like Parroquial albergues and I wanted to check out the roof. It looks good from the inside and outside, not that I know anything about roofs. So I took a picture of the plaque they hung by the door thanking APOC for it's help with the roof. 

When I walked up to Domus Dei and there were eight of the Italians sitting on the porch. The Albergue is supposed to open at noon, but there was a little note posted saying it would open at 2 pm. It's a little before 2 pm, so I take a seat and wait.

About 2:15 the hospitalero strolls up. He is an older, about my age, Spanish man. His name is Fernando, he speaks no English, and judging from his body language has no interest in learning any. He goes in and gets a clip board, sits down and proceeds to talk for an hour about the basics lights out, wake up time, leave Albergue time, community breakfast and dinner, and the donativo. In most albergues this takes less than a minute. It is clear the man likes to hold court. Then he tells everyone to go grab a bed and give him their credentials. This is all a little strange, but; oh well. I normally understand spoken Spanish about simple things, but I am so tired I keep fading in and out. The Italians answer any questions I have. 

I get my bed and meet Richard. He is a cook by profession.

Must be nice to have cook with you on the Camino. He gives me three "besas" ( kisses on the cheek. He says Italians do three, not two. 

The Red Cross came and tended to blisters and other pilgrim problems.

I asked them about my feet. They, and a massage therapist studying to be a doctor diagnosed my foot problem as plants fasciitis. Dang. I'm sure I caught it from Leea. She probably spread those little plantar germs around. The Red Cross guy also mention that a 17 year old boy on the Camino died yesterday of dehydration in the next town. I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. I'm sure I caught from Leea. All those little plantar germs spreading around

So dinner was very good but late. 

As dinner was ending Fernando gets a wooden spoon and hands out post card of the print on the wall of a painting of the Port of Glory at the Santiago Cathedral. He proceeds to lecture us like this is a art history class using his wooden spoon as a pointer. I'm telling you, you can't make this stuff up.

He asks a Spanish woman to translate it into French for two guys, and he asks one of the Italian girl to translate it into English for the Japanese guy, the two young women from the Check Republic and me. This is not my cup of tea under the best of circumstances, but at 10:30 pm after a grueling long uphill climb, I can barely keep my eyes open. Plus we still have the whole dinner mess to clean up. And his information is wrong which drives Richard crazy. I finally get up under the pretense of going to the bathroom. Several other people wander off, and eventually It ended and we clean up. 

There seems to be certain older Spanish men who use being a hospitalero as playing out a fantasy of being a priest or a teacher. They are in a position of authority and have a captive audience. I've encountered it three times now on the Camino. 

As a result I'm now a day behind on my blogs, and will be until I can find time to catch up. So for the record today I walked 30 Km (almost 19 mi) and I'm in Ponferrado.