I started today's journey quite early again, around 8am. I think I was the 2nd or 3rd person out the door. The albergue experience at San Juan turned out to be quite positive. We cooked dinner together, talked about the Camino, and just generally spent time getting to know each other. It seemed genuine. Maybe it was because the albergue's a bit out of town and there's nothing else really to do, maybe it's because the sleeping quarters are so tight (see first 3 pictures below), I don't know, but whatever it was, it was very positive. Oh I know .. it was the wine!
By 10:30am or so I'd reached Cornellana, having completed close to 9kms. Cornellana is a lovely town with a massive monastery. The monastery was condemned and could not be accessed, but still, it's so imposing in the town, it can hardly be ignored.
In Cornellana I stopped to eat breakfast, and tend to my blisters. I've got 3-4 blisters on my left foot, and my right foot which has until now been ok, is starting to develop a blister on my big toe also. I wonder whether I made a mistake in terms of footwear for the Camino. I get so tired, even 20kms seems daunting, and this distance is one of the shorter daily distances on the itinerary. Maybe I should've bought boots instead of these trekking shoes? Or better yet, maybe I should've brought shoes that were in better condition: these are quite worn out already.
I arrived in Salas early, around 3pm, and checked into a private albergue. It was the first one that I saw, and it was near the end of town, which means that I probably walked right by the municipal lodging house, and I didn't feel like turning back and looking for it. I'm paying 10 Euros, and the owner seems nice enough. It's called Albergue La Campa, and it has a restaurant attached to it.
The restaurant, actually, has fantastic food. I ate dinner there, and had my best meal here in Spain so far. The soup, lentejos (lentils) was phenomenal. So yummy. I met a German fellow there, Martin, who I talked to for a bit. I also met two more Germans (they're everywhere!), Carsten and Mariola. Carsten, quite an outgoing guy, was trying to learn how to pour sidra the Asturian way.
At night it's cold here. Probably around 8C. Little heating in the albergue. Mountain country. Tomorrow awaits another short journey: only 19kms.
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