Day XI

This night I could not sleep well due to a stupid dog that was barking all the night long.. Maybe that was the reason why I did not really feel like waking up punctually at 7 am as usually, but slept nicely until 8:30. After putting my things together, I said some nice 4-letter words to the pestilent dog and left for my Camino. I was again sharing some way with walking pilgrims and managed to keep to my usual timetable: 30 minutes of biking, break, something to drink, another 30 minutes, coffee break, 30 minutes and breakfast/brunch. Quite unusually from my usual sweet breakfast, I had sausage with bread for breakfast. After having eaten sweets only for 2 days long without any proper meal, I just got sick and tired of sugar stuff.

On the way there were only two bigger towns. In the first one I bought some drinks and ice cream and in the second one, I wanted to “overindulge myself” with honest auberge or refugio for night, intending finally to speak to other pilgrims and having some social interaction. This all fell through, as I realized that all refugios were full due to the horrible stream of Camino-short pilgrims. Having been deeply disappointed, I decided to bike to another small village on the way and eventually find a refugio there. Unfortunately, there were no refugios, only private apartments and pensions that were far behind my budget. I wished I could enjoy a shower, a decent night sleep and some social connections before I reach Santiago tomorrow, but probably I was meant to stay an honest pilgrim from the beginning to the very end. Similarly, I was very much looking forward having some typical Spanish dish and for this reason had not eaten much for lunch (when hungry later in the afternoon, I simply ate what I had and that was only bread and water) and in the end, having been awfully hungry, I ended up in a bar eating a hamburger with fries a la Americano. Well, whatever, next time, hopefully at the end of the world. At least I could recharge my batteries to some extent. I have also tasted a special pilgrim cake. It was not exceptionally tasty, but still, I am glad I gave it a try. That was my reward for finally having my tickets settled. Until late in the evening, I was not sure how it would look like with my travel back home, and I must admit, I was getting sick with worries. I desperately needed to go online and buy a bus ticket. Few months ago, I arranged a rideshare back home from Spain with one Slovak man on internet and today, I was to find that the only bus company that does not make much hustle about taking a bike on board does not go to this place and anywhere near, either. That was really a shock for me, but fortunately, I managed to arrange with that guy that he would pick me up in Barcelona. Only three seats were available on the bus I needed. Once again, just in the nick of time. Thanks God that it worked out!

Link to photos