Day 22, June 29th, 2023
The air in the room is thick and stuffy when I wake up in the night. I notice that the Spaniard-woman has completely shut the blind on the only window in the room by her bed, so that no air can get in at all. Yesterday it had already been stuffy all day, even though the window was open. So I open the door to the corridor to at least let the stench out.
In the morning, the first thing she does is rummage around with her headlamp on. She could just raise the blinds a little, then some light would come into the room and fresh air too! I ask her to open the blinds a bit, but she just waves her hands around, says something I don't understand and points at the Italian man and his son. So I get up and do it myself, whereupon she snaps at me.
»They still sleeping, they still sleeping!« she hisses, pointing wildly at father and son and shaking her head as if I were doing something really terrible.
»You are a horrible woman«, I blurt out, doubting she has understood what I just said anyway. Still sleeping…, as if she cares that someone else is still sleeping, with all the noise she is making. She didn't show any consideration for me yesterday either.
Since it is still dark outside, I raise the blinds halfway which does absolutely nothing bad to father and son, except let in some fresh air. The two of them are probably not even sleeping but have long since suffocated! I don't understand how some people can sleep in such musty rooms without any fresh air. There is the sweaty hiking gear of several people hanging in here, stinky socks lying around, and our shoes are in the room too. Not to mention all the other odours that naturally occur during sleep.
The Spaniard-woman finishes packing up first, but leaves her switched-on headlamp on her bed when she leaves the room without a word. 15 minutes later she comes back and asks me if I still needed her lamp. No, thank you, I didn't in the first place. Strange person.
I don't get going until a quarter to seven. Today is another relatively long day of twenty-seven kilometres, and it begins - what else can I say, entirely straight ahead on a path alongside a country road. Under Charles III of Spain, this road became the Camino Real, the Royal Road, a first-class road. The original route is further north, but I decide to follow Charles's footsteps and keep things royal.
In a café in El Burgo Ranero, I finally get my long-awaited coffee, and what's more, a tortilla sandwich with cheese, ham, lettuce and tomato. Just what I need right now. And who else is sitting in this café? The crotchety Spaniard-woman! She gives me a casual nod, and I give her a casual nod back. Throughout the day, I keep bumping into her and hope that she won't be staying at the same hostel as me tonight, let alone sharing a room.
Along the way, I meet a nice Scotsman named Alex. What a treat for my ears as I love his accent. Alex has sent his luggage ahead to his next hostel and is now only carrying a small daypack. Many do that on the Camino, even little Roly does it, but that is out of the question for me.
Just before Reliegos, I am sitting in a café with Alex and his friend, when someone trudges along the path with his head bowed. I can hardly believe my eyes - it is Lukasz! Lukasz, the young Mr. Bean, or rather Sheldon Cooper, one of those who belonged to our colourful group of five that day in Pamplona! I am overjoyed, run up to him and practically jump at him for joy. Lukasz, true to form, freezes and hesitantly and equally stiffly puts his arm around me, but he is happy too I assume, and sits down with us. From there we continue our way to Mansillas de las Mulas together, because that's also his destination today. Lukasz is surprised that I have already come so far, considering I was ill for two days in Villatuerta. True, I have made up a lot of distance. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if I see Andrew and Aki again one day on this Camino.
The town of Mansilla de las Mulas probably owes its name to the donkeys that were used for transporting goods in this area. It was, in a sense, a mule rest stop. There are many historic buildings and impressive churches here, and the 12th-century city walls are still well-preserved. However, the hostel I have booked doesn't look very impressive from the outside, and since I am in the mood for company today and would rather be where most of the people I have met today are, I cancel my reservation. In the end, Lukasz and I find ourselves in a hostel that, at sixteen euros, is ridiculously overpriced as it soon turns out. But oh well. Alex and his friend Philipp are also there, and you wouldn't believe who suddenly shows up: the annoying Richard and Justin. So we sit in the garden for quite a while with a few other people, drinking beer and sangria and eating chocolate.
This goes on until early evening, when we all get hungry and gradually make our way into town to find a restaurant. Since there is nothing to eat before seven, we end up hanging around outside at some standing tables and continuing to drink instead.
For the first time I really want a sleep mask. I am lying in the top bunk near the corridor, right next to a thin partition wall. A kind of neon sign which changes colours regularly shines into the room all night through a window below the ceiling. There is always something.
Strecke: 26,7 km / Schritte: 39526
Again no time-lapse video today, as I am on the "royal road". The filmmakers walk the route along the Roman road Via Traiana further up north.