Waiting for the optometrist to open his store at 10 in Monasterio
Possible place to sleep
Albergue Fuenta de Cantos
Side of albergue Fuente de C
It was quite a night outside, 5 km before Monesterio. With those pigs during the night and barking Tosca.
At the break of the day I got up, packed Leon and left. In Monesterio I entered the very first cafe that I saw. I tied Leon and Tosca each to a pole under the canopy for cars. 2 Large coffees con leche por favor. At the bar I met an American who said he was wandering all over the world until he ended up here in Monesterio a while ago, where he was teaching English for one year at a school. At the bar also sat a Welshman who cycled around Europe for a charity purpose. When I spoke about my charity program, Mama Alice, he wanted to give 10 E. right away. O.K., I said, I will give 10 E to your goal too. Great, he said, then I’ll give you 20 E. I said, if each of us pays 20 E to our own purpose, that might be easier and the effect is the same. He didn’t quite get it and had to think it over.
I also wanted to buy a new pair of glasses for a few euros at an optician store. Horse and dog were tied to a lamppost and I waited until 10 pm: opening hour of the store (see picture). At 10.30 a.m. she finally came. She presented me a blue pair of glasses for 30 E. I thought those might scare my animals, so I didn’t buy them. 45 Precious minutes of possibly walking lost.
Meanwhile, we have left warm Andalucia and entered the Extremadura region. I walk here, I believe, about 600 m above sea level, so it is slightly cooler. Mornings always go fine: new energy, cool, but in the afternoon, the sleet: hot, tired, sometimes little to drink. Mostly paths with concrete gravel, which is unpleasant and hurts the animals’ feet. Today is wonderful hiking weather, cloudy, cool breezes. We walk kilometers through plantations with cork oak and some cattle, horses, pigs, lots of walls made of natural stones, splendid ancient landscape. Next hours through rolling hills with mostly broom and dry spicy herbs. Something we would call dry moorland, but without heath. I can imagine that there are still wolves. I saw many wolves almost!
The afternoons the heat always bothers dog Tosca and she constantly looks for a short stop to cool down for a moment in the shade of the tall grass. And then in the afternoon I always get worried about finding a place to sleep. The sparse farms here are not available. Usually those are hundreds of meters away from the path, always surrounded by meters-high fences. A large metal gate at the beginning of the long driveway is always locked, no bell at the gate and behind it invariably a pack of barking whoppers. Many times I counted 10 or more together. Not really inviting.
Fortunately I found a pilgrims’ hostel. Leon was allowed in a tiny meadow and Tosca, like a mastiff, tied with the belt, to a pole in the meadow. I gave Tosca a few bales of straw as a shelter for the cold night wind. In the hostel I met a young Pole, who worked as a computerman in Poland. He didn’t like Poland and now he sought his fortune elsewhere. He wandered for more than a year through Europe and North Africa. Maybe I’ll move to Italy, he considered. Vincencio then took the floor: Moved away from Sicily in Italy, because he did not agree with the political and religious atmosphere in Italy. Now Vincencio lives in Galicia, Spain. Spaniards had lived in northern Europe for work for many years. So everyone seemed adrift, looking for his fortune elsewhere.
I am going to look for a new camera. In the evening I crossed the entire town three times, of course, on foot, without succes. In the tavern I saw two Spaniards, whom I had met before. They stopped their pilgrimage because their feet were all wound. In my bedroom I completely unpacked everything from my four back packs and hung it all out in my private room to dry from the swim. Next thing to do was fly hunting. When I had counted 30 killings I stopped. If it’s not Tosca who disturbs my sleep, then it is mosquitoes or flies, but shit will happen to you, Harry. Because the flooded electronic equipment did not work any more after Leons swim, I did not congratulate sister in law Gabriella and colleague Marietje with their birthdays, but to myself I commemorated the day my Mom passed away.
Geef uw mening