Today had everything: peace, beauty, an interesting debate and superb food. And all in one short walk. It will be a hard day to top.
I started late, making the most of a comfortable bed and in the knowledge I was at least an hour and a half ahead of the fastest and earliest of my colleagues from yesterday. A wide track took me through the smallholdings that seem to make up farming in this area then into a long section of shrubland before coming out by a dam across the river Tera and the massive reservoir it created.
I cross the dam and then join the shore on the other side, walking around the reservoir edge with its calm waters and gentle reflections. It was still early and I was completely alone with my thoughts, no sound other than the birds and everything totally tranquil; it felt as if I owned this morning. Again there was evidence of the fires from three years back: the black skeletons of trees standing stark against a blanket of yellow flowers that covered the ground between, a contrast of beauty unfortunately born of something tragic.
Again my pace matched the mood of the morning and it was over two hours before I walked through the few houses that made up the village of Villar de Farfon, the final one of which was a small stone albergue where I aimed to get coffee. It was to be an hour and a quarter later before I left. The albergue is owned by a South African missionary and over coffee we somehow got into a wide ranging discussion, kicked off I think by his view that King Charles being crowned as 'Head of Faith' rather than 'Head of The Faith' would be the downfall of British Christianity and with it the liberal standards Britain enjoys. We covered a lot of ground - how centuries of Christianity can still define a more secularised nation, his experience in India and the Middle East, the comparative tolerance of different religions and a host of related areas - I can not fault the man for his passion but when I left I had not been convinced that Christianity was the answer to the world's problems nor that - and I have to admit this was implied rather than stated - if I were not walking the Camino for Jesus then I should be. But it was a fascinating discussion with, at least for me, some interesting insight. On leaving I thanked my host for an interesting debate but I got the impression from his reaction that, unlike me, he saw it not as a discourse between us to explore a subject but an opportunity I failed to take to embrace his truth.
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| Coffee stop |
Another beautiful stretch followed, this time through open woodland, green and healthy with no evidence of fire, and in just over an hour I was in the albergue of the small village of Rionegro de Puente. It is an old medieval pilgrim hostel, beautifully renovated, with plenty of space and beds. Only one other walker was there and together we went to the restaurant opposite for lunch as soon as it opened. And what a treat. The 'Pilgrim's Menu' - normally a simple affair - was a four course meal plus wine and coffee and digestif, beautifully presented and of a standard I have had in few restaurants. I had been told earlier by the missionary that we underestimated the regard in which pilgrims were held by the locals and I can only think that this restaurant owner fell into that category, sharing his passion for his food with passing pilgrims for only fifteen euros.
The rest of the day drifted slowly away; a walk to the village shop, a visit to see the church and shared beers in the albergue kitchen with other walkers who had made their way here as the afternoon wore on. When I left the simple but comfortable sitting room at 9.30pm with the aim of preparing my rucksack for the morning I found the dormitory in darkness and everybody asleep. It seemed sensible to follow their example.
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