Day 19: Belorado - Villafranca Monets De Ock (4/19/14)

What a hideous night.

Apparently Good Friday is party time in Spain - 

you know, because nothing quite says Jesus died for our sins 

like getting drunk and committing new ones!

Good Lord, 

there were people drinking, breaking glass,

carousing in the streets, screaming, shouting 

and singing all night long - 

complete with that old St Louis favorite - 

guns being shot into the air.

It was all I could do not to shout "Incoming" 

and dive under the bed.

Pilgrims started leaving the adjacent albergue at 4am 

because they couldn't stand it anymore - 

and, if a pilgrim is up, 

they may as well be walking!

We, at least, tried to give it 'til daybreak - 

but I can't say we were sorry 

to kick the dust of that town off our shoes.

 Looks pretty and tranquil, right?

Right after I took this picture, 

Edwina and I literally ran into a local guy, 

staggering out of a doorway, 

who was so drunk, 

he couldn't even spit out "Buen Camino" or stand upright.

Not exactly Holy Week where I live, 

but I guess - to each his own.

Now that we knew bed space might be an issue, 

we decided to start looking for an albergue earlier in the day.

Since we clearly didn't understand how Spaniards celebrate Easter Sunday weekend,

we weren't sure if anything would be open at all on Easter. 

We also had run out of food/snacks to carry and there were 3 mountains coming up 

and we needed to make sure we had some supplies.

We needed a store.

We agreed to start looking for lodging around 11am -

since that was the earliest most hostels were clean 

and ready for new business.

It wasn't a strenuous walk;

the wind was much cooler and the walking conditions were nearly ideal.

 (This marker indicates that you should keep going left - 

since the lines of the scallop shell represent the different caminos 

and the base of the shell represents Santiago

 "and all roads lead to Santiago")

 (I much preferred following the 'flechas amarillos' or yellow arrows.

It only takes a day or two for a pilgrim to develop the habit 

of scanning all surfaces to find them.)

After discovering the first 4 albergues 'completo', 

we started to panic, thinking we'd have to go over the mountains today, 

without adequate provisions 

or a guarantee that we'd have any better luck finding a bed
on the other side.

The only other place to try was a 5 star hotel -

and see if, by pooling our resources,
we'd be able to afford it.

As we approached the hotel though, 

we noticed there was also a sign for an albergue - 

one which wasn't listed on any sheet or in any guidebook we'd seen.

The hospitalero was SO gracious, so friendly and so welcoming, 

we were afraid he'd mistaken us for upper level paying customers.

(As if he couldn't tell from our huge backpacks and khaki clothes, right?)

He reassured us that, of course, there was room for us -

and we watched all afternoon, into the evening, 

as he gave the same warm welcome to everyone who came into his family's hotel.

Because so many hostels were closed
and this was the only lodging option before more mountains,

on a holiday weekend,

 the place was packed.

Mattresses were dragged out of storage and

placed on the floor in hallways but everyone was taken in -

and welcomed in the same gracious manner.

When I complimented his father later that evening,
he told me (in very broken English) that he had walked the Camino 5 times,
in devotion to God and St James - 

and, after each Camino, 

he and his wife had been granted a son. 

He promised St James that, when he got wealthy, 

he would always take care of pilgrims on the Way 

and make sure they knew they were loved.

What a blessing to be part of his Camino legacy!

Anyone who thinks its boring to sit and watch clothes dry, 

obviously hasn't done it in the right place!

 No doubt the sangria helped.

The matchmaker that lives in Edwina was convinced that Bruno and I should be lovers -
a scheme that might have worked IF we'd shared a common language (we didn't)
OR if he'd been at all interested in me at all (he wasn't).
Alas, he only had eyes for the lovely blonde Edwina!
He's probably still wandering the Camino looking for her!