After just 13 kms of morning walking, we have definitely landed on our feet again in the beautiful Refugio Parroquial de Orbigo. The German Confraternity have paid for renovation and it is looked after very well. The place looks very loved. We arrived about 2pm after making a fruitless detour to find an Albergue in woodland. It was closed.
But alls well that ends well. We've just eaten our picnic lunch in the cherry orchard garden of the refuge and it is idyllic. And it looks like it's garden, grass and books on the agenda for the rest of the afternoon.
What's more we have landed bottom bunks in a 6 bedded room for women only. This generally minimises early morning disruption and with women only there is usually less snoring going on.
We are not doing long distances at the moment having made up a bit of time getting the train/ bus in and out of Leon. We can afford to take it a bit easy cos we realised last evening that we've just past the 1000 km mark so we deserve pilgrim points.
Both Mo and I thought that we would be shadows of our former selves by now and would be returning home with waif like figures. But no - despite all the physical exertion, the calories in are stll exceeding the calories out! But we are stronger and fitter. I now feel better than I have done throughout the whole trip. I seem to have walked off the knee, ankle and toe pain and don't take pain killers any more. I don't know how that works but it such a bonus to be walking pain free at last. Mo is still suffering with tendinitis in one leg but is managing with strapping up and painkillers.
This morning we walked through arable land again, a lot of complicated irrigation going on. Wheat fields, young maize crops and some kind of beet crop. Lots of beautiful wildflower hedgerows - still poppies, daisies, lavender, Viper's Bugloss (Ruth identified this)
This hostel is run by the Knights of St John, the Caballeros Hospitalarios de San Juan, who have always maintained a pilgrim hospital here with the parish church. The very pleasant young Portuguese hospitalier is doing a 5 year (paid) stint of 'devotion' and told us his family have been members of the order for 800 years. Their symbol is a Maltese cross and it is a secular brotherhood (although there are women too, he says) This is a world I hitherto knew nothing about. I am still very hazy. Obviously havn't read the right books. Maybe we are on some kind of film set.
Danny showed up tonight. He was supposed to be walking on but he is ill. He woke up feeling poorly and hasn't eaten all day. There is mixed opinions as to what is wrong with him and therefore what treatment he needs. The lovely hospitalier says he has been drinking contaminated water from the fountain 10k back. Maybe he is dehydrated. Is he hung over? Or is it infected blisters?
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