Gonzar to Casa Domingo
I awoke early but went back to sleep and I overslept as most were gone when I next opened my eyes.. My washing had been taken down, as the cord seemed to belong to my neighbour who had left. I had been using something belonging to some one else!!! I dressed, packed and put my boots on out in the stairwell, then came outside. Cloudy but quite bright at the moment could be more rain shower's later, I thought as I set off. Perhaps it was because I was still half-asleep I didn’t look too hard for the markers and took a road I thought must be the right track mentioned in my book.
The country lane was pretty and I was happily going along when the road started to bear round to my left and dive down into the valley that was almost in the opposite direction to that which I should be going!
Puzzled I started to look for markers and found none, but in my usual pig headed manner I kept on hoping I'd see one soon. Near the bottom of the valley it did turn more to the right and hopefully west. I was not happy when at the bottom I came to a fork with the main road having a bend and going up a hill heading south again and not an arrow in sight. I must have done three or more kilometres from the albergue, possibly four. I stopped and thought hard about it and said to myself as I stood in the middle of the lane.
'I've no map and if I go on and find a village I have no idea how to get from it back onto the Camino. I should go back and keep looking for that elusive arrow. I can't remember any turnings, which would mean I took the wrong turning right at the start!' That last thought made me swear but there really was no alternative but to go back! A few spots of rain seemed to rub it in that I had made foolish start to the day!
Sure enough right back at the start next to the road I had taken, I saw a well warn arrow pointing across some muddy yard and I could see the Camino footpath alongside the main road. I squelched across and started again just as yesterday, following the main road! I stopped for a coffee at 8.30 am in Castromayor having only done only 1.2 kilometres off my journeys total. Next Hospital, then Ventas de Narón less than four kilometres more I stopped for another and a tostada. The weather was still giving lots of showers but I was remembering the track more, the stepping stones alongside the flooded lane in places.
I still never saw, so missed the café that had been so helpful to us in a rainstorm in 2003 near Eireche.
Pales de Rei I don't remember much of now I'm home, but after this town I was remembering well the lane and looking for the private albergue of Casa Domingo. This is a place where we had had so much fun in 2003. I came round the bend and there it was, just as I remembered it, a beautiful stone farmhouse lovingly restored by the family, and still keeping its real old world charm.
It was early afternoon but I could not go past without saying hello but as I wandered up to the door I was thinking,
'There is no way they will remember me, a single peregino after four years what can I say?'
Just at that moment Ana came to the door and stared at me with her eyes wide and a beaming smile, and with hardly a moments hesitation said
"Michael!!!!"
I was dumbstruck, it was one of those magical camino moments for me, not only had she remembered me, but my name as well!!! Wow! This is the magic of camino
I was welcomed in like a long lost relative. It seems Ana had received the photos of her family that I had sent her and she followed my travels on my Internet web site during the winter months.
Her cousin Nieves had also spoken of me. Nieves and her daughter Lara had been travelling with us in 2003 and I had been in contact with Nieves when I called on her and her charming family in 2005.
I had to stop here now! I was taken to the spotless and comfortable dormitory where I settled in doing my washing and hanging it out to dry.
I was suddenly called and given Ana's mobile and to my surprise I was able to talk with Nieves in Vigo. I promised to call her when I arrived in Santiago, a promise I sadly broke. I do hope she forgave me. Ana also gave me Lara's number as she was in Santiago college studying.
I had a drink at the bar and met the great young lad who is a relative who normally lives in South America and was here on holiday. A few fellow peregrinos were arriving now, all seemed to be young and Spanish
Gonzalo the proprietor said to me as I showed interest in the old albergue building
"Go see what father is doing in the old water mill."
So I strolled across and introduced myself to Dad and was taken inside the old mill that soon will be another home with bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs, but down below the mill will work like it used to when he had been young and worked there with his father! It is an incredible task for a man close to 80 years old.
"This will be our new house" he assured me and pointing out of the window to the weeds in the weir pool he continued "When it's done I will then clean out the river like it should be" he said.
There seemed to be no stopping this man's enthusiasm. It must be living on the camino fault line!
In the evening we had a choice of great food in the beautiful old dining room with its old granite stone walls and ambient atmosphere. The excellent meal was eaten and we drank a lot of good red wine, all the while my new young Spanish companions and I were having a good time chatting, during which I mentioned how we had had a wonderful Queimada here in 2003. My friends then decided to ask Ana for a Queimada too!
Ana said she would see to it and arranged the cost per head but stated "Michael doesn't pay he is my guest!"
I felt very honoured and accepted her generous offer.
Shortly after, all the window shutters were closed, using long poles on the high ones, and the lights turned out. We were in complete darkness when by solitary candle an ugly hunchback witch, with a great hooked nose, a big witches hat and a long dark cloak reaching to the ground entered, carrying a great earthenware bowl which she put on a table. She proceeded to fill the great bowl with a jug of liquid and was chanting a poem in Spanish. She now took a packet from under her cloak and tipped a white powder into the bowl and stirred it. Still chanting she picked up a large knife and cut rind from a lemon and an orange and threw it cackling into the bowl. A handful of evil looking black bug things followed.
Still chanting she now stirred the mixture with a big ladle. She lifted and warmed up a ladle full of the mixture over the candle until it exploded with a mysterious blue flame! This she put in the bowl and it too ignited into a blue bonfire. It flamed up enormously as it burned in the great bowl, and now lit the room with an eerie blue light. She was stirring and raising the burning liquid into the air, so making the flames even greater. Laughing and clucking as she stirred, she cast a complete ladle full in the air, everyone shrieked as it struck the wall high up and burned blue as it run down, and there it remained for some minutes burning on the stone, with this ardent blue flame. She cackled and made even greater flames then she leapt forward and grabbed one of the girls by the hand and dragged her back and made her stir the bowl and the lift and stir the flames. Another girl joined her frightened friend while the witch cunningly transferred her hat and cloak to the first girl, and disappeared into the darkness.
Moment's later as they stirred and laughed Gonzalo came in snuffed the candle and covered the bowl carefully and the flame went out and with it the only light. We were left in complete darkness. The lights were now turned on and we all applauded the spectacular show. The witch had disappeared by now. The witch was naturally Gonzalo and he, smiling was now ladling out the remaining liquid into earthenware cups and we drank the sweet and enjoyable witches brew!!!!!
The flash on the camera was no good really as it spoiled the atmosphere but good enough for you to get the idea
Come on everyone - a great idea for Christmas!
A quemada is basically orujo or agua diente, sugar, orange and lemon rind and coffee beans. If you want to try it the only recipe I have is :-
Quemada
1 lt orujo
6 tablespoons sugar
Rind of half a lemon
Float on coffee beans
Just set it alight, the more it burns the less alcohol in the drink
Tired, inebriated and very happy it was now time for bed, if we were to get up early in the morning and we all said goodnight and retired to the bunkhouse.
The country lane was pretty and I was happily going along when the road started to bear round to my left and dive down into the valley that was almost in the opposite direction to that which I should be going!
Puzzled I started to look for markers and found none, but in my usual pig headed manner I kept on hoping I'd see one soon. Near the bottom of the valley it did turn more to the right and hopefully west. I was not happy when at the bottom I came to a fork with the main road having a bend and going up a hill heading south again and not an arrow in sight. I must have done three or more kilometres from the albergue, possibly four. I stopped and thought hard about it and said to myself as I stood in the middle of the lane.
'I've no map and if I go on and find a village I have no idea how to get from it back onto the Camino. I should go back and keep looking for that elusive arrow. I can't remember any turnings, which would mean I took the wrong turning right at the start!' That last thought made me swear but there really was no alternative but to go back! A few spots of rain seemed to rub it in that I had made foolish start to the day!
Sure enough right back at the start next to the road I had taken, I saw a well warn arrow pointing across some muddy yard and I could see the Camino footpath alongside the main road. I squelched across and started again just as yesterday, following the main road! I stopped for a coffee at 8.30 am in Castromayor having only done only 1.2 kilometres off my journeys total. Next Hospital, then Ventas de Narón less than four kilometres more I stopped for another and a tostada. The weather was still giving lots of showers but I was remembering the track more, the stepping stones alongside the flooded lane in places.
I still never saw, so missed the café that had been so helpful to us in a rainstorm in 2003 near Eireche.
Pales de Rei I don't remember much of now I'm home, but after this town I was remembering well the lane and looking for the private albergue of Casa Domingo. This is a place where we had had so much fun in 2003. I came round the bend and there it was, just as I remembered it, a beautiful stone farmhouse lovingly restored by the family, and still keeping its real old world charm.
It was early afternoon but I could not go past without saying hello but as I wandered up to the door I was thinking,
'There is no way they will remember me, a single peregino after four years what can I say?'
Just at that moment Ana came to the door and stared at me with her eyes wide and a beaming smile, and with hardly a moments hesitation said
"Michael!!!!"
I was dumbstruck, it was one of those magical camino moments for me, not only had she remembered me, but my name as well!!! Wow! This is the magic of camino
I was welcomed in like a long lost relative. It seems Ana had received the photos of her family that I had sent her and she followed my travels on my Internet web site during the winter months.
"Una con leche grande Ana por favor"
Her cousin Nieves had also spoken of me. Nieves and her daughter Lara had been travelling with us in 2003 and I had been in contact with Nieves when I called on her and her charming family in 2005.
I had to stop here now! I was taken to the spotless and comfortable dormitory where I settled in doing my washing and hanging it out to dry.
I was suddenly called and given Ana's mobile and to my surprise I was able to talk with Nieves in Vigo. I promised to call her when I arrived in Santiago, a promise I sadly broke. I do hope she forgave me. Ana also gave me Lara's number as she was in Santiago college studying.
I had a drink at the bar and met the great young lad who is a relative who normally lives in South America and was here on holiday. A few fellow peregrinos were arriving now, all seemed to be young and Spanish
Gonzalo the proprietor said to me as I showed interest in the old albergue building
"Go see what father is doing in the old water mill."
So I strolled across and introduced myself to Dad and was taken inside the old mill that soon will be another home with bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs, but down below the mill will work like it used to when he had been young and worked there with his father! It is an incredible task for a man close to 80 years old.
"This will be our new house" he assured me and pointing out of the window to the weeds in the weir pool he continued "When it's done I will then clean out the river like it should be" he said.
There seemed to be no stopping this man's enthusiasm. It must be living on the camino fault line!
In the evening we had a choice of great food in the beautiful old dining room with its old granite stone walls and ambient atmosphere. The excellent meal was eaten and we drank a lot of good red wine, all the while my new young Spanish companions and I were having a good time chatting, during which I mentioned how we had had a wonderful Queimada here in 2003. My friends then decided to ask Ana for a Queimada too!
Ana said she would see to it and arranged the cost per head but stated "Michael doesn't pay he is my guest!"
I felt very honoured and accepted her generous offer.
Shortly after, all the window shutters were closed, using long poles on the high ones, and the lights turned out. We were in complete darkness when by solitary candle an ugly hunchback witch, with a great hooked nose, a big witches hat and a long dark cloak reaching to the ground entered, carrying a great earthenware bowl which she put on a table. She proceeded to fill the great bowl with a jug of liquid and was chanting a poem in Spanish. She now took a packet from under her cloak and tipped a white powder into the bowl and stirred it. Still chanting she picked up a large knife and cut rind from a lemon and an orange and threw it cackling into the bowl. A handful of evil looking black bug things followed.
Still chanting she now stirred the mixture with a big ladle. She lifted and warmed up a ladle full of the mixture over the candle until it exploded with a mysterious blue flame! This she put in the bowl and it too ignited into a blue bonfire. It flamed up enormously as it burned in the great bowl, and now lit the room with an eerie blue light. She was stirring and raising the burning liquid into the air, so making the flames even greater. Laughing and clucking as she stirred, she cast a complete ladle full in the air, everyone shrieked as it struck the wall high up and burned blue as it run down, and there it remained for some minutes burning on the stone, with this ardent blue flame. She cackled and made even greater flames then she leapt forward and grabbed one of the girls by the hand and dragged her back and made her stir the bowl and the lift and stir the flames. Another girl joined her frightened friend while the witch cunningly transferred her hat and cloak to the first girl, and disappeared into the darkness.
Moment's later as they stirred and laughed Gonzalo came in snuffed the candle and covered the bowl carefully and the flame went out and with it the only light. We were left in complete darkness. The lights were now turned on and we all applauded the spectacular show. The witch had disappeared by now. The witch was naturally Gonzalo and he, smiling was now ladling out the remaining liquid into earthenware cups and we drank the sweet and enjoyable witches brew!!!!!
The flash on the camera was no good really as it spoiled the atmosphere but good enough for you to get the idea
Come on everyone - a great idea for Christmas!
A quemada is basically orujo or agua diente, sugar, orange and lemon rind and coffee beans. If you want to try it the only recipe I have is :-
Quemada
1 lt orujo
6 tablespoons sugar
Rind of half a lemon
Float on coffee beans
Just set it alight, the more it burns the less alcohol in the drink
Tired, inebriated and very happy it was now time for bed, if we were to get up early in the morning and we all said goodnight and retired to the bunkhouse.
Press to play the sounds of the Witch
END DAY 36 = approx 19.8 km Sub Total = 550.2 km Total = 882.3 km
