Somehow the world lets you know when it’s time to go home and reset your compass.
I have returned to the Albergue by the bus station. I got a much better bunk in a slightly better room with a phone charger right beside me. This is good. After making up my bed, wasting time on FB and reading Franklin Habit’s apology for knitting dolls’ clothes, I decided to have lunch.
There’s an Indian restaurant two doors down from my hostel. There’s a stack of brochures from the same restaurant in the hostel. I thought perfect. I love Indian food. Except the only day it was closed was Wednesday and yes today is Wednesday…..all day. Alas
A quick search on Mapy said there was a supermarket across the street. I popped in looking for something to make a sandwich with. Well I could have bought several sacks of chickpea flour to make untold amounts of chapati. Once made I could fill them with strings of figs or other strange things I have never seen before. I could even buy Tandoori pans in several sizes. However there wasn’t a slice of bread, small roll or recognizable cracker in the place.
I went to my last resort – the bus station. They actually had a decent looking lasagna for the extortionate price of 10.75 euros. My other choices were some heavy meat stew with rice or some even heavier meat concoction with fried potatoes. (Vegetarians go to Spain to die.)
The lasagna portion was very small and made with yesterday’s chicken dish whatever that was and who makes lasagna with chicken anyway? OK I’ll stop moaning.
I’ve grown tired of souvenir shopping and given yesterday’s fiasco, I didn’t want to get lost and soaked again by going into the old town. So I guess I’ll just hang out at this Albergue for the day. Make dinner later as I brought my pasta etc with me and head to Porto on the 9:00am bus tomorrow morning. I could do with a book.
The plot thickens or at least the lentils. I have just now been invited to have lunch with the staff of the Albergue. These are usually family run affairs and I think that the grandfather has made a lentil stew to which will be added some roasted chestnuts. I’ll see how it goes.
Actually as it turns out the lentils were amazing. I was given about a dozen roast chestnuts to nosh on before lunch and several glasses of red wine with lunch. There were seven of us. One was another pilgrim from the US and the rest were family. I have a feeling this day isn’t over yet.
I responded to a pilgrim post about coffee in Toronto this Sunday and on Monday the walking group is doing my favourite walk to Mud Creek. I’ll see how tired I am. I guess it’s time to leave Spain for the moment.