we did not sleep well last night thanks to an erupting sink in our room and so we found ourselves laughin as Alvina stuffed a towel in the drain of the small offending sink around 2 am. We met up with everyone including our group of 5 and Sally and Thise and then Anita from Norway at 8 am and left to find our way to the bur-train station. we had decided to take a bus out of the city as there is a pretty long period of industry after Gijon and toward Aviles. Sally and Thise are heading for the Camino Frances as their time is short and they want to complet the journey to Santiago soon. So we are a trail of pilgrims in the early morning dark of the busy city and eventually figure out that we are all better off on the train. After a quick breakfast which we are beginning to enjoy very much (Cafe con lech, tostadas and zumo naharje), we say our good byes and head off.
We get lost on the train can you imagine. We get the right train and ride through some pretty bleak areas of big manufacturing places and then at the station for Salinas, we cannot open the door, so travel to the next station. It all works out with the help of our fellow travellers and we are soon deposited a few kms closer to our chosen destination. We do realize that we are cutting off our walking kms by douing this and determine that his is the last time for transportation of this kind.
From Piedros Blanco, we find food and head off to the camino once again. When you follow the arrows and the conchas (blue shells) generally the experience is wonderful and so it is today. We are walking through forest and villages and remote areas once again and quite enjoying the enviroment. It threatens to rain all day, but does not really amount to much so we are luck not to have to don our rain gear as it is so hot.
we are heading for a hostel in San Estoban. So we take our time, having lots of kms to do in lots of time, and eventually see our destination in the distance. As we round a corner off the roadway, there waits a woman with a small car. I think she has car trouble, but no, she is waiting to offer us a place in her home for a good price. Now we have been in private accomodation for 4 nights in a row, have seen no pilgrims in all that time and are anxious to be in the throngs of our fellow travellers. It is a tough decision as she offers to wash our clothes for us, imagine the luxury of a washer and dryer, it is like having your mother waiting around the corner for you. So we agree to follow her up the hill to her casa and take advantage of her offer. We are soon in a wonderful apartment of 3 bedrooms, kitchen and sitting room and she carts off our dirty clothes while we shower and go for food.
We have a wonderful time here, wine, good food and clean clothes, could life be more complete than this. We sleep like babies in the quiet of the country and the good after effects of the wine and of course so much laughter. I don´t even recall what we laugh about except for Sonja worrying about how to get into the very small shower in the bathroom and Jette telling her to just hop into the biday and then into the shower. this was only topped by Sonya yelling with the cold in the shower which had water that was very intermittently hot and cold. All the while, Jette is giving a foot massage to Alvina which she has never done before and we are amazind that Alvina trusts her to do this!
It is something to trust people we learn. We are so suspicious of the good intentions of people and with this women, as with others along the way, we are not sure if we should be going with the flow or questioning the choices that we are presented with. We decide from this experience to allow life to happen and to go with the opportunities as they occur and to trust the inherent good intentions of the people that seem to cross our path.
Maggee
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