Windy, windy, windy!
Today was the first day I became fastidious about applying sunscreen and chapstick. Until today, my face was fine with the elements of the Rioja countryside. (I'm not even traveling with moisturizer.) But with a 30mph warm headwind, I felt myself becoming jerky, with every passing minute. The sky was blue, the view was charming, the temperature was pleasant... but holy moly, that wind was challenging! There was no reprieve all day. 30km of walking and at most, it turned and became a quartering headwind! What are the odds?
My hiking buddies and I had already decided that the tiny village of Grañòn would be or stopping point. We had been lured by John Brierley's account of the Alburgue in the bell tower. Sleeping on the old wooden floor, mattresses strewn together. Sharing a communal meal with fellow pilgrims. It sounded dreamy. Very pilgrimy too!
The village was quaint, to be sure. The albergue was exactly as described... Warm and welcoming. However, I would add, a tad chaotic, crowded and lacking bathroom facilities to accommodate the 46 pilgrims who stayed there! Sleeping on "mattresses" meant braving 1" thick pads on the floor, with zero gap between you and the stranger next to you. That stranger may or may not be appropriately clothed and might have opted for a more natural smell than say... soap.
I will say I thoroughly enjoyed the time of reflection that was offered though. We were lead through a secret entrance to the chorus of the church at 9 pm. It was dark, save the tea light candles. The smell was exactly as you would expect in a 700 year old stone church at night... cool, musty, religious. I had imagined this smell when I watched Tom Hanks unravel mysteries in The Davinci Code!
Pilgrims were invited to sit quietly or share their thoughts with the group. There was much gratitude. I understood many languages that night as people from South Africa, Australia, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Belarus, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Transylvania, Hungary, Portugal and South Korea sat with me.
Call me crazy but all those hugs I had been missing, came to pass afterwards and I didn't even mind the natural smells.
That night, before bed, my hiker gang and I, booked a hotel for tomorrow night... Lest we get too pilgrimy!
Today was the first day I became fastidious about applying sunscreen and chapstick. Until today, my face was fine with the elements of the Rioja countryside. (I'm not even traveling with moisturizer.) But with a 30mph warm headwind, I felt myself becoming jerky, with every passing minute. The sky was blue, the view was charming, the temperature was pleasant... but holy moly, that wind was challenging! There was no reprieve all day. 30km of walking and at most, it turned and became a quartering headwind! What are the odds?
My hiking buddies and I had already decided that the tiny village of Grañòn would be or stopping point. We had been lured by John Brierley's account of the Alburgue in the bell tower. Sleeping on the old wooden floor, mattresses strewn together. Sharing a communal meal with fellow pilgrims. It sounded dreamy. Very pilgrimy too!
The village was quaint, to be sure. The albergue was exactly as described... Warm and welcoming. However, I would add, a tad chaotic, crowded and lacking bathroom facilities to accommodate the 46 pilgrims who stayed there! Sleeping on "mattresses" meant braving 1" thick pads on the floor, with zero gap between you and the stranger next to you. That stranger may or may not be appropriately clothed and might have opted for a more natural smell than say... soap.
I will say I thoroughly enjoyed the time of reflection that was offered though. We were lead through a secret entrance to the chorus of the church at 9 pm. It was dark, save the tea light candles. The smell was exactly as you would expect in a 700 year old stone church at night... cool, musty, religious. I had imagined this smell when I watched Tom Hanks unravel mysteries in The Davinci Code!
Pilgrims were invited to sit quietly or share their thoughts with the group. There was much gratitude. I understood many languages that night as people from South Africa, Australia, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Belarus, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Transylvania, Hungary, Portugal and South Korea sat with me.
Call me crazy but all those hugs I had been missing, came to pass afterwards and I didn't even mind the natural smells.
That night, before bed, my hiker gang and I, booked a hotel for tomorrow night... Lest we get too pilgrimy!
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