13/06/07
Murias de Rechivaldo to Fuencebadón
I found Francesca just as I left and we walked to the next village. The country road had a level track along side for walkers. The wild flowers were lovely and the hills could be seen in the distance but it was quite cold. 
Just as we came into the village an elderly man was selling staffs and had a nice collection of them. I chatted to him and he told me to try the second café for my breakfast as it belonged to his son and he needed the custom. There were several peregrinos sitting at the tables, some I knew. 
One was John the chap about my age that had sung old English songs on the way back from the bar to the Ermita of San Nicolás. He got me to have our photo taken together by three ladies he was travelling with at the moment.
I excused myself and joined Francesca and ordered our cake and coffee and it was nice sitting here in the weak morning sun.
Leaving here it was a steady climb with great scenery and wild flowers, holm oaks and oak trees now.
While cold it was a lovely walk and we both enjoyed it. We arrived at the hundred-year-old oak just before Rabanal and here we stopped and rested. We came to a little ermita,
we looked around and found the entrance was not on the roadside where you would expect it to be, but we could still not see inside. Next came Rabanal and I had wonderful memories of this place. I had stopped in the municipal albergue and later gone to the Gregorio service in the tiny church. Entering the town we looked in the church and I was shocked at the change. The floor was ripped up and there was what looked like an archaeological dig going on. The altar was now at the opposite end and roped off to allow a few people to use it. We headed for the same albergue that I had previously stayed in and here we had a couple of beers and food in a rather nice but crowded patio. It is a jolly place and well run and they were doing a roaring trade at the bar. Francesca and I decided to move on though, my excuse being I didn't fancy going to the service that had been such a highlight last time and anyway I had stopped here before and we could easily put a few more kms under the belt. Finding a small supermarket we decided to cook our own dinner tonight. We both fancied potatoes as we hadn't had any for days and after last nights frugal meal it seemed a good idea. In the shop we found a loaf of bread, 2 pork chops, 4 potatoes, a large onion, a tin of peas, French beans, bananas for afters and yoghurt for breakfast. What we had not foreseen was the weight of it all. Francesca insisted she pay if I was to cook it.
Outside the shop we went to pack it away. My bag is big and very full, Francesca had hers off first and was packing it in as she had the room.
"Hey let me carry it, that’s heavy!"
"No I've got most of it in now, you carry a couple of those bananas" she replied.
We set off and soon the track started to seriously climb the mountain! I did offer several times to carry some if she would stop and unload it! Always the same reply "No!"
The tiny little village of Fuencebadón was 5.6kms, all up hill in drizzling rain and cold too. By the time we arrived Francesca was convinced it had been my idea to buy potatoes and that she should carry them up the mountain!
"You're cooking tonight" she insisted.
"You're cooking tonight" she insisted.
The little village had been completely deserted last time I walked here but now it has three albergues of various qualities. The first looked ok but no kitchen could be used till after the rest had eaten! Thinking she would kill me if we had to eat their dinner and carry the potatoes tomorrow as well I said thanks we'd try the next place. More or less the same reply from them, each place looking humbler than the last. We arrived at the last one, the municipal donation one! Here it looked rough but I could use the two-burner stove next to the sink in the passageway that served as a kitchen! Poor Francesca agreed and went into the dorm that had hardly a window, here she took a lower bunk and I took the top one. All washing had to be done outside in the cold mountain mist in a plastic bowl and hung on a railing, of course none of it dried.
That done we headed back down to the village bar for a warm coffee and cognac. To our amazement the bar was a hostel and incredible comfortable and the restaurant looked great!
"We come here for breakfast" my companion said firmly!
It's only fair to say Francesca I believe lives a very comfortable life in Holland and I should think was reasonably well off. Albergues of the municipal variety must have been quite a shock for her on her first camino. I take my hat off to her for not making more of a fuss really.
We had a few wines and went back to cook dinner. It started ok till the rest of the albergue started to cook as well and I had commandeered the stove! Still at last, with the aide of my little spirit stove, the potatoes were cooked, eggs hard boiled, meat frizzled and French beans steamed. We asked Roser to join us but she had been already asked to join another crowd. We gave her potatoes anyway as we had too much food for two.
Now off to bed to get some well-needed sleep!
I was unable to get to sleep, probably the coffee, anyway I was still awake in the freezing and gloomy dormitory when Francesca awoke and needed the rest room. She started to stand up in the dark beside the bunk, but my eyes, being already used to the darkness saw there was a good chance she would bang her head on my upper bunk, so I gently touched her! But before I could say careful, her shriek disturbed the rest of the sleepers while an embarrassed me tried to explain without making more noise, chuckle!!
END DAY 29 = approx. 26.3 km Sub Total = 378.5 km Total = 711.8 km
