20. Day 18 to Ríonegro del Puente

Here's a quick follow-up to yesterday: After dinner, we had homemade schnapps. We were offered orange, pear, and something else. I chose the orange liqueur, and it was delicious. I also wanted to mention that it was really a fun evening. We talked about why some places no longer have public hostels and usually don't offer communal meals. Additionally, everyone drew a slip of paper from a box that had a saying in Spanish and English. It was meant to provoke reflection. In any case, it was one of the loveliest hostels on the way. And the best part: Even though I cut my toenails before the trip, the nail on one little toe is bothering me because it has grown back so much that the whole toe hurts. I couldn't take a nail clipper with me because I was flying with hand luggage only. I could have bought one on the way, but I wouldn't have been able to take it back. But the pain was so intense that I would have bought a nail clipper today, but I asked the hostel owner, and he actually lent me his nail clipper. It’s the small things that bring joy!

Now to today's events. I woke up at 5 and wanted to leave, but my phone showed rain until 6 and I also heard it outside. So I stayed in bed. At 5:45, I quietly got up and took a look outside. At the moment, it's not raining, so let's go. Of course, it could still rain, but it can do that at any time. I briefly considered waiting until 7:30 to have breakfast with the others, but then I got dressed and went. It wasn't as cold as yesterday, but I had put on my long shirt underneath. It went through the whole town first and then out into the field in the dark. Somehow, I wasn't really in the mood today. So I continued, and I definitely walked a bit slower. After 13 kilometers, I arrived at the first place, but everything was closed, and it felt like every second house was abandoned or crumbling. Accordingly, I moved on and had to walk about 8 kilometers along the road, which wasn't too bad since it was light by then and the road was hardly used. The entire time, only 2 cars passed by. Today, there were different routes, and since this stage would be long anyway, I checked the map to see if I could shorten the route somewhere. And actually, I could take the next left intersection but had to stay on that road for 15 kilometers. I generally like to walk on asphalt. You don’t have to watch where you step and can look around. I just didn’t know how busy the road would be since cars were allowed to go 90 km/h, and there wasn't much space at the edge. In the end, I decided to do it. Because today, I just want to walk. And even though the path was asphalt the whole time, there was always a nice landscape on the left and right. I passed a few smaller places where there usually wasn't much of importance. In one place, I bought an orange drink at the supermarket to lift my spirits, and it worked. Today's destination doesn't have a supermarket, and the bars and restaurants are said to be expensive. So I checked if there was a shop on the way, and there was one in the next place. I got myself a baguette and cheese. I still have margarine and oil. I will treat myself to them at the hostel. Ideally, the hostel has a microwave, but otherwise, it will still be delicious. Food always motivates me enormously.

I continued, and after 5 kilometers, I joined the regular Camino de Santiago again. In fact, it was supposed to go over the highway and then into the woods, but I decided to keep walking on the road. So today is my asphalt day. I continued happily with food as my motivation. Just before reaching my destination, I realized that I hadn't saved as much time with the shortcut, but I was still glad to finally be at my destination. I briefly considered walking 10 more kilometers, but I ultimately decided against it. It’s enough for today, and when I entered the hostel and found a microwave, my decision was sealed. There’s no one here, but the owner will come at 5 PM. Upstairs, there’s a room with 7 double beds. I love it when no one is around, and I have everything to myself. I chose the bed with a power outlet and then wanted to take a shower. Unfortunately, there was only cold water. But after a good 5 minutes, the water finally got hot. And so, I could enjoy a relaxing shower. Afterwards, I will rest a bit in bed, and then I'll treat myself to my well-deserved meal. Oh, it's a public hostel, and as far as I know, you have to pay 10€, but that's completely fine.