When I arrived tired, hungry and sore into Fontanillas de Castro I was beginning to wonder if the albergue I had expected to find there was closed down. I had read it was at the beginning of the village but had walked almost the whole length before finding it. When the hospitalero answered the door with a big smile and a 'welcome pilgrim' it was a great relief after seven hours of walking and thoughts of having to camp were happily dismissed from my mind. It was also good to hear that this albergue was run on ‘traditional' lines: a communal dinner, a bed and breakfast provided and all for a donation on the part of the traveller. I had seen no sign of a bar as I walked into the village and I had not managed to eat anything substantial for lunch so having everything provided without the need to leave the albergue was a blessing.
The trouble with long walking days in Spain is that you can fall foul of the Spanish siesta, something some of the smaller villages seem to take very seriously. You may find yourself walking for some hours, arriving early afternoon at the first place where you might eat and drink before continuing your journey only to find the bars, restaurants and shops all shut up since an hour before and not opening again until much later. The consequence is that on shorter days you might arrive in time to rest and eat even though you may not need to but on those longer days, when feeding your body becomes more important, you may not get the opportunity to do so.
This is more or less how I was when arriving at Fontanillas after hours of walking and nothing much since breakfast. Although I had found a bar open in the previous village eight miles before it was too late for food and I had only a tiny tapas plate with my drink. I could have really done with more. Of course everyone carries food in their rucksack for just such occasions but nothing quite matches sitting down to something substantial to eat after many miles of walking and with the knowledge that there are more miles to come.
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