May 5, 2023

My stay at Pension Toni was great, my room was very small, but it had its own bathroom and a double bed.  My only hesitation would be staying there in winter because I saw no source for heat in my the room.

Today I am walking to Villafranca Monte de Oca, 8 miles.   Because of the shorter walk I could sleep in more, I did not leave town until 8:30. Town was quiet at that time, I walked along the road and past this bridge and park on the way out of town.

I walked alone, but other people were usually in sight. The wind blew today, but not as hard as yesterday. I realized that in my rush to pack up I forgot my sun block today. I started to look for a place to take my pack off and apply sunscreen.

A woman passed my on a bike, on the back of her bike was an ukulele, we greeted each other with a Bien Camino, and as she passed I said ukulele? She stopped immediately.

She is from Australia, she was excited that I have played a ukulele, and I told her I want to get back to it and was just thinking of it.  I asked her if she named her uke, and she told me 2 names she has given her’s depending on how she was feeling.  She asked why I was walking the Camino, and she told me that I was in transition and that is why she is on it too.  She just finished her thesis on how people can help bees in city settings.  We wished each other Bien Camino and she was on her way.

After a little while I found this little area to stop, take my pack off and apply sunscreen.  Back on the Camino and walking awhile I noticed other pilgrims turning back to take some pictures, I saw this carved into the side of the hill.

At first glance it looks to be a church, but next to it is a large opening that could be more like a wine cave.  After a little more research I did find out it was a monastery at one time.

I can see the next stop coming up in the distance.  I met a young man from South Korean, he was staying in this little village of Villambistia.

When I got to Villambistia I stopped at a bar for some breakfast of tortilla and coffee con leche.

It was a nice stop, I saw Ukulele Girl as she was riding away and she told me the place had good vibes.  It was a small village, but it had 2 churches and a public fountain.

I am now on the home stretch, only 3 kilometers to go to Villafranca.  I started a climb up hill, at the top I could see my final stop.

Coming down into town I passed this ruin.  I may be the remains of an old pilgrim hospital.

Villafranca is small and the road runs right through it. The pedestrian walking area is narrow in areas and the big trucks go by fast.

I found my hotel, checked in, but too early to get to my room.  The building was built in 1377 as a pilgrim’s hospital.

So I went to a local bar/truck stop for a beer and a sandwich.  I have read some snide remarks about this place, but everyone was friendly and the sandwich was good. One drawback is the view of a parked garbage truck.

Just to give you and idea of how small the Camino is, the next table over is a woman complaining about her corporate job and interacting with her boss and human resources.  I have heard her tell this story before to another person.  She needs to let it go.

I went back to the hotel to go to my room, nice room, but a set of twin beds and no upgrade to a double.  Great view of the hills and church from my windows.

I can see that I need to find an ATM coming up.  I misunderstood the sign in my guide book, it meant bank and not ATM.  So I asked at the desk if the bank does money exchange.  Answer is no, and that they are only open for 90 minutes twice a week.  Those are truly bankers hours.

I spent some time on the backside of the hotel under a shade umbrella having a sangria, waiting for dinner at 7:00.  I struck up a conversation with a German man named Gunther, yes another Gunther.  We talked until dinner at 7:00, then he decided to join me for the pilgrim’s dinner.  We talked for quite sometime, he is on his walk trying to decide if he will divorce his wife he is separated from and then move to Tuscany to open a bed and breakfast. His story certainly reminds me of a plot for a movie, but I did not let on it.

Tomorrow I do not have a reservation so I will get up early to try to get to town before things fill up.