Today's walking was better. We are now slowly getting into a rhythm. The guidebook suggested a walk of only 16 km. This however will leave us with two days of over 30km per day to get to Porto. So we decided to walk 4 km further with the intention of sleeping at a nunnery (Casa Diocesana).
We had to make a small detour, just to find the doors locked and no one in sight. It is a modern facility with burglar bars in front of the doors and windows. The water taps outside were dismantled. We decided to leave and walk a further 4 km to the next village and albergue. What an irony when we turned away from the monastery and a chicken somewhere chuckled three times.
In The Rule of St Benedict (53) he tells his monks that one of their main responsibilities is that strangers are to be welcomed "as Christ". We felt a bit disappointed, but I suppose the real question is how hospital am I towards the stranger.
The roads we are walking on are either through forests or small towns. People are friendly, coffee and red wine good and bear relatively cheap. At 12:00 we had a big plate of the day, which consists of soup, main course and desert. I had veal, but I think it was cooked veal shank with chick peas. Ansie had a wonderful fish dish (€6 p.p).
Now we are relaxing outside with new friends, talking, again, the European Union, politics and human rights. These people do not understand African politics, well neither do I!
Ultreia, suseia, Deus adjuva nos!
No comments:
Post a Comment