Belorado
We were woke up by the bikers style and fashion insecurity. It was 5am when the first biker woke up to decide what he was going to wear today. By 7am, he was not ready yet. It was a 2 hours torture.
Pedro was so made that he flashed him with his cellphone several times. Pedro left the abbey, and wait for me on the road.
I always prepare my backpack before going to bed. I only have to put my socks and go.
In Grañon a very young man from the village was making good money with his food truck. We passed it, because the line was long. Then we saw a bakery sign. No one was there. I looked through the door, and the old baker invited me to enter. He had the more traditional beautiful pastries of the village. He was so hospitable to us. His son was not so friendly like him. The son closed abruptly the door that separated the reception from the ovens.
Walking 25 meters was a sign for coffee. We entered into an albergue, and the host served us two big cup of coffee. He did not charged us. It was a “donativo” (free will). Donativos are the heart of El Camino, but others have made it a business.
Entering to Castilla y León region we visited the Village of Viloria de la Rioja, the birth place of St. Dominic. I was shocked by the simplicity of the village, and the abandonment of St. Dominic’s home. It was in ruins. I said: OMG, what the Dominican Order of Preachers (OP) Priests have done! They have forgotten their founder roots. It was not Assisi for St. Francis or Norcia for St. Benedict. Some one had put a powerful sign over the ruins reclaiming action. We have OP at St. Louis Bertrand in Louisville.
I need to confess that I took a little rock from the ground. I don’t know why, but I was touched.
Mayor del Rio was an abandoned village in time, but they had a fancy restaurant across the highway. Pedro and me bought a beer, and eat our lunch outside. Pedro had bought some lunch last night.
It was time to hit to Belorado, a small village with 2,000 people. Pedro had heard that there was a shelter with a pool. We find it and stayed there. I just socked my feet in the pool. The shelter was well run. They had an amazing restaurant too. We did not ate there, but we went to the grocery store and bought some cuts, bread, peaches, crab legs, nuts, and cheese. We ate in a bench on the main plaza. We invite every resident that passed by to eat with us, but no one accepted the invitation.
Early after our arrival, Pedro and me walked the village and we met David Herrera. He was a beautiful man in his 80’s. Just like Segundo the other day. We invited him for a glass of wine, but he said that he does not drink. At the end, he invited us to the bar and paid for our wine, and he drank one too. We tasted there the best “morcillas de Burgos.”
In the evening I went to the pool to watch a free Yoga class. All the young people was there showing their abilities. I sat to watch and call my dad and sister.
Pedro invited to give the last round to the village, we had couple glasses of Spaniard red wine. We returned to the shelter, and I was tempted to go up to the restaurant. Pedro went to bed, but I must try something there. I went up and order “cayos and champiñones”. There were delicious!!!
There is something that is biting me and causing me and allergic reaction. I have to put ammoniac and mosquito spray every 4 hours to stop the reaction. It has been my only uncomfortable situation during the walk in Spain.