Day 2 - San Juan de Villapanada to Bondenaya - 27 kms

Hola amigos

On the Camino, as in life, what a difference a day makes. Let's not dwell on last night's accommodation. Today was a new day. 

We set out at 7.45am, in poor light and thick fog. Spain is in the last few weeks of daylight saving time so the days are still long - such a bonus on the Camino. In the evenings light til around 8, but in the morning the sunlight takes its time. In Oviedo with the street lights and buildings it was virtually light by 7.45. But in rural areas, it's more like 8.30. 

The pictures tell the story today. It was all about the path. We only passed through one village and one town, Selas, where we had lunch. Otherwise we walked mostly through bushland (not sure what the locals would call it) and forests. It felt to me like walking through national parks at home. Quite beautiful. But tough. And reminded both Domimique and I of parts of the Camino Le Puy. 

We were climbing for the much of the day and, after lunch, tough 8 kms all uphill. It took about 2.5 hours, slow going, especially when the rain arrived. Until then, the weather since we set out from Oveido yesterday morning had been kind. High of around 20 degrees with cloud cover. Humid at times but quite agreeable. When the rain came towards the end of the day, it was not a problem. As Paddy Palin said, 'there's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong gear'.  So, out came the lime green Altus raincoat poncho with its built in 'hump' to cover the pack.  A particularly unattractive piece of gear that does the job. 

As so often happens along The Way, a reward was waiting - the Refugio at Bodenaya. After last night's experience, I wasn't sure but I was optimistic. I had read some wonderful comments about this albergue. I informed Dominique that I would like to check it out but if I didn't like the look of it, I may continue in to the next village, just 1 km on, where there were a few other options. I think he was surprised I was even considering it after last night. But the two places could not be more different, in all the ways that matter. 

Like the albergue at San Juan, the refugio accommodates 20 peregrinos in shared quarters and is donativo (payment by donation). Unlike San Juan, it has a lovely atmosphere, 3 good bathrooms, it's clean and colourful and peregrinos are warmly welcomed by the young hospitalero, Alejandro. 

Jill, when we came inside out of the rain, it instantly reminded me of Refugio y Orietta. Just delightful. Alejandro explained that he cooks dinner for all the pilgrims and we would eat at 8pm. As I write, there are some wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen. He also explained that, during the meal, together the peregrinos would decide on wake up time in the morning. It's often a controversial issue in the albergues with some peregrinos wanting to get going early, and others wanting to sleep in.  We would all agree on the time, Alejandro would wake us with music, and he would serve breakfast 15 minutes later. And, finally, he showed us a large basket and invited us to give him any clothes we'd like washed and dried. Para mi, es perfect. 

So I am looking forward to this evening and, though there are a dozen peregrinos here so far, I'm confident I will have a much more restful night. 

Before I sign off, a special hi to Helen C and Jill. Lovely to hear from you. Thank you! 

Hasta Luego

J x