last night at dinner there was the German couple (hikers) from the night before, nice people, but not at all social.  Then there was a single German bicyclist, and a couple from the Netherlands (not hikers).  The dinner ended with the netherlands couple and the bicyclist all sitting at our table talking.  A funny side the German bicyclist was about 6’3 , 280 and a chain smoker, he was going to Santiago de Compostela, but was so out of shape and smoking,  he could only go a short distance each day.  Any way our table of conversation lasted until the restaurant closed.  Ah yes, the restaurant and rooms, nobody will believe me, this was like some far off Broadway comedy.  First, there are five rooms, we have the best of five, the German couple has another, and the bicyclist has another. The rooms are fine, but the shower is in another shared room, and alas, the toilet for the whole enterprise, restaurant and rooms is a one-holer outside of the building.  HEY!  It is the only games town. The owners are a married couple, but the wife is the Star performer, runs the guesthouse, is bartender, waitress, chef, maid, she does it all, and under the circumstances does it well.  She is everywhere – amazing.

Now, today we start out on the longest climb of the walk so far, and as typical for our days it is a mindless walk. We come into the village where we intend to stop, and lo and behold there is a bar, and it is open.  We have a beer, and discover it is also a restaruant with good recommendations. We walk on into the center of town, having been told the Village has just opened a new hostel for Pilgrims, and it is free.  We meet a policeman, who knows all about it, and he takes us to the city hall,and signs us in.  It is not free, they charge 24 euros, but it is a small house, and we are the only Pilgrims, so it is fine; kitchen, bath, and bedroom, with one set of bunk beds and two single beds, Great.  We go back to the earlier restaurant, the food is delicious, and at the end we get invited to join a couple of 70 year olds, who have a home in this village and also in the Netherlands. We talk until the restaurant. He is an architect and she is a classical musician.  This is what it is all about.