I slept well. The local café had wifi, but “can not connect to server”. But I could write down my story in my I-pad under “notes”, and then copy those notes later in some wifi place into my weblog.
The farrier was called and he was supposed to come at 10. Can I stay here in the bar while just writing down my notes? It is 10 o’ clock now. The policeman whom I met yesterday comes in. Well, did you sleep in the albergue, he asks. On the way to Santiago? No, to Cape North in Norway! I explained to them in my best Spanish. Laughter all over. I’m laughing too. Ha, ha, me idiot. Ha, ha.
The farrier is only a few min. late. A big trunk of wood is drawn from the car, anvil on it, no fire like home … And fixed in a minute. 10.30 o’ clock. Shall I continue walking today or stay here another day? My wet shoes are still drying in front of the electric heater in the inn. And Vincenco has not yet caught up with me. It was quite cozy together. A Sicilian with blue eyes, legs covered with tattoo’s, freelance cook at all kinds of regattas all over the world. Elsewhere on your trip I’ll accompany you for a week, he promised. But I have no information about him, so may be we’ll never meet again. First I went back to the cafeteria- bar for another coffee, having a big breakfast, a little socializing at the bar, while flamenco music, that I really like, is blasting from the radio. Hasta mañana, says a lady when I leave the place. Hasta pronto (see you soon), I answer. A shy smile. I whistle, sing, am in a good mood, like yesterday morning. I’m in ultima forma, with an indestructible horse, it seems, and with a dog that except for her teeth, is super easy. Dog Tosca lets herself be tied to a fence and then waits outside quietly for hours. She doesn’t bark as much any more, or is her silence a sign of diminishing life functions? Right now she is waiting on the sidewalk.
When I take off my piss wet shoes, the tapes on my feet the word proved not to stick to my skin any more, and yet no problems. Va bien (going well). By the way, it’s funny that google translate does not accept ZEIKNAT (pissing wet) as good Dutch. What a didactic device! Is the i-pad trying to teach me good mannners?
At 1 o’clock PM everything was ready, that is packing my stuff, finishing my notes, I did some shopping, had breakfast and put the rest of the shopping in the refrigerator, the blacksmith was done. Holy …, the food can that I bought and that looked so healthy, was not eatable for me. Polish Peter said: tripe (guts). Bah! I gave Tosca half of it. She didn’t mind at all and the other half went back into the refrigerator for Tosca for tonight.
I had planned to be in Caceres the nineth of November, but if I had wanted, I could have been there today. In Caceres Dutch friends will come and join me for 10 days.
If we stay all three of us have nothing to do here, so this afternoon I decided to leave and to make a short day trip. I want to get Leon out of the pasture. Where is the key of that gate that I received yesterday from the villager who’s sheep used to be kept there? I turned upside down all the bags that I had, checked all the clothes, zippers, purses etc. No keys. How do I get Leon out of that walled meadow? Finally I found the keys in the gravel, where an hour earlier I had hung the horse blanket to dry up. I have more often problems with keys, but I have my catholic relic with me, my troll, a holy Mary necklace, given to me by my Polish sister in law Gabriella, and I have a Saint Christopher with me and as you see, not in vain. After an hour of walking, it was 3 pm, I got hungry. Now it turns out (cursing aloud) that I had forgotten bread, sausage, jam, tripes for Tosca in the refregerator. Since I didn’t feel like going back all those kilometres I just walked on. It was an easy, flat path. Only, the first hour I had to pull horse Leon ahead . Didn’t he drink anough? He doesn’t show any interest in water. His droppings are not bone dry. Is he overtired? He probably isn’t used yet to the new irons het got yesterday. Indeed, after an hour he walked much better. Very fresh air, but occasionally nice and sunny. At 4.30 in Valdesalor: Pilgrims Inn closed.
Note on the door: Key in park opposite, or at city hall, or else in the room for the pensionados. In the park was not one living being, Town Hall is now closed and I lugged a loaded horse and a jumping young dog looking for the hall for pensionados. Given my age I should have found it instinctively , but when I asked a jolly Spaniard, who left pub Diego, it turned out that I was already there. They asked me if I am a real pilgrim? What do you think? That I’m crossing all of Europe just for fun? You think I’m crazy? Probably thats’s exactly what the keyguardian in the room for the pensionados thought. Later, in the albergue, an elderly Spaniard joined me. He walked between 40 and 50 km. per day. Speaking about idiots! He agreed with Tosca tied to a table leg, so she could sleep inside again. Leon is on a long rope beside the inn in lush grass. Happy. Always quite exciting to find shelter with these animals. But, we made it again. Now still doing shopping, feeding the animals and looking for wifi. I found wifi in the local library. Right now I’m sitting here in a room where a group of women between 40 and 70 sit chatting, something like the Catholic rural women’s association in my home region. I don’t understand a bitt.
People, thanks for all the nice reactions and suggestions, advices, warnings. They’re not gonna break me here. The animals, that ‘s the big thing. But I also wanted a “difficulty” factor on my journey. By going with Leon and Tosca I got the problems that I asked for.
Photo Roman bridge. sorry, I always need to turn my face to the sun at a selfie.
NB I run for myself, but also for the organization Mama Alice, an organisation that is dedicated to Peruvian street children. See the menu bar on my website, or www.mamaalice.com (I believe). Please also donate !!!!
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