Tue Jul 2, 2019 @ 00:47

Antonio had set out a self-serve breakfast for us in the kitchen and I was joined by two other peregrinos who had slept upstairs of the main building (I would find out later in our journey they were two teachers who were long time friends that traveled together each summer for a week).

Our breakfast was the typical coffee, ham, olive oil, bread. For some reason, it was always the best coffee, ham, olive oil and bread! I had asked about bananas the night before and Antonio told me to just take them from the small cooler in the lounge. After consulting with one of the peregrinos on where the compost or recycle bin might be (there wasn’t one), I brought mom some thing to eat.

I had guessed correctly that my clothes would be damp but I put them back on anyway. Mom was slower to dress, she was not used to putting damp clothes back on. I told her it looked like today was going to be warm and muggy and there would be rain anyway. So far our weather was similar to a warm day in the mountains back home. There were more than a few days on the PCT that I had to put my wet clothes back on and hope they would dry as I walked.

We left to misty skies around 8:30am and played leapfrog with others who had left Grado and San Juan this morning with a much earlier start. I soon donned my bright orange umbrella and my mom her poncho, I was glad I had tights on under my skirt and a long-sleeve wool shirt. Layers are best on the Camino.

There were lemon yellow lilies lining the road into Cornellana, a tranquil town whose main attraction is a working nunnery. As we arrived outside town around 9:30am, we took a lovely walkway along the river that circumvents the town and arrives directly at the nunnery and leads up and out of town. It was too early to visit the nunnery, mom was rather disappointed. I reassured her there would be no shortage of such places in our time in Spain. Here the Camino climbs up a windy road and through a few more tiny villas.

We continued to be passed by rushing pilgrims, more than a few doubling back because they had missed arrows. The Camino twists and turns, you have to be diligent. We stopped to eat a snack at chapel in Quintana and walked along ferns growing out of stone walls. A cute set of honey pots declared in Spanish: “Borrow what you need, give what you can”.

At a small roadside stop tucked in the alcove of a business there were vending machines filled with small snacks and beverages and a Camino journal to sign. We were joined by a set of twins from Spain, a brother and sister, both decked in large dark ponchos. We exchanged stories and soon parted not to see them again.

Slugs slithered across our path and dangled from tall grasses as we made our way through a lush green valley towards Salas, the next larger town. There were patterns in everything: stone walkways, gardens and gates, it was hard not to stop and take a plethora of pictures.

It was a climb again up to Salas, where we arrived around 1:30pm for a cold drink and snack in a small bar. There wasn’t food to order at this hour so we mostly ate snacks in our packs. It looked like quite a few pilgrims who had passed us seemed to be staying here.

We called ahead to Bodenaya, and spoke with David who initially said that he was first come, first serve. He asked me how many in my party and I mentioned that I was traveling with my mom. He asked how old. When I told him 72, he declared he would save us a spot. Yes, I used the senior card but at least it wasn’t my idea. I had really been looking forward to staying at his albuergue but since it was the only place in Bodenaya, getting there with my mom and not having room would not have been a good thing.

We didn’t linger long in Salas as we still had more than 4.5 miles to go to Bodenaya. We started out of town and were soon on a wide grassy road through forest. Rusted logging machinery caught our attention and an abandoned slough diverted water across the “trail” we had to rock hop over.

There was a new albuergue with open glass windows alongside the road, it’s owner calling out to passing pilgrims. Then we left the forest for more road and more road. As the rain picked up, Mom and I fortified with chocolate and passed the famous infinity sign with peregrino walking as we made our way under another overpass.

We finally arrived in Bodenaya just before 5pm and David welcomed us into his albuergue. The first room was were we left all our wet things and gathered around a long table in the main room for tea. David would later tell us that this was where the animals used to sleep and the living quarters were upstairs.

David made things feel like home and family. He served a family style dinner after we had all taken showers and shared a story of how we were all family now. Several of the pilgrims at the table we had passed or been passed by earlier in our trip and we had a chance to get to know them more deeply. There was the father son duo we had seen earlier and a young 19 year old French woman who had started at her village in the middle of France walking to Santiago by herself. So many different stories and reasons for walking the Camino.

There were signs on the wall such as “Today I Choose To BE Happy” “Hoy Escojo Ser Feliz” and there were stickers and pins all over the rafters from previous pilgrims. I left a PCT sticker so if you see it there you will know it is mine! After a delicious dinner of pasta salad, hummus, soup, bread (all homemade and vegetarian), David treated everyone to little yellow arrow pin to wear for the rest of our journey. He even gave me one to bring home to my son as a way to encourage him to maybe take his own journey someday.

David took time to talk with everyone about the next stages using a wall map of the Camino. Where to stay before the junction with Los Hospitales and the differences between the two routes. He also had us come to a consensus on our wake up time in the morning before we went to bed.

David had saved the one separate room for Mom and I and I was glad we did not have to sleep in bunk beds. It was a little hard later that night after everyone was in bed because I was talking with mom about our plans for the next day and she couldn’t hear me when I whispered so I probably spoke loud enough for everyone out in the common area to hear. Ugh, I think I am that loud American.

My stay at David’s albuergue was everything I had hoped it would be and one of our favorite moments. David even did all our laundry as we slept! Little did we know, however, the adventure that tomorrow would hold for us.