Cinco Caminos – Stage 37: Betanzos to Hospital de Bruma (25 km) 13 - 17°C – rain, cloud and fog

By Jim

The Albergue de Peregrinos was a nice facility – a recently renovated historic building in an excellent location, just off a quaint square.  When we checked in, about a quarter of the 32 bunks were taken, but we still had plenty of choice.  We opted for the first pod inside the dormitory door, near a window and the common room.  Our thinking was: “we won’t disturb anyone in the morning when we get up early to leave.”  A rookie mistake!  We were playing checkers when everyone else was playing chess.  The window was on the west side of the building which made our bunks hot and well lit at bed time.  We could’ve opened the window, but Friday night festivities on the street were getting into high gear along with the decibels.  The common room was uncommonly loud at bed time as a pilgrim couple were having an animated debate on the pros and cons of walking a 22 km stage tomorrow vs walking a 30 km stage.  Finally, being located right inside the squeaky door meant that fourteen other people paraded past our bunks every time they went to the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, bar, etc.  

At 10:30 p.m. I translated the phrase:  “please talk quietly, we are trying to sleep” into Spanish and rehearsed it until it rolled off my tongue with nonchalant desperation.  When I went out to perform my one line, the couple was gone and all I could now hear was someone else packing/unpacking what sounded like a large box of loose peanuts or Brazilian rain sticks wrapped in cellophane.

The bathroom parade ended around 11:30 with Laurel joining in as a preemptive maneuver and me vowing to donate a can of WD-40 to the Albergue.  A nocturnal symphony of nose trumpets played several concerts throughout the night.  The featured soloist always awoke mid recital to clean his instrument, which signaled the end of the performance.

As I lay there in my bunk, counting sheep, I took comfort in knowing that we would be up at 6:00 a.m. and no longer have to feel guilty if our exit woke anyone.  At 4:45 the bathroom parade began again and at 5:00 muffled alarms began to announce the impending exodus of six or seven pilgrims.  It was Grand Central Station at the foot of my bed, so I got up and made coffee in the kitchen, disappointed that half a dozen pilgrims had beaten our departure time by a full hour.  

When we finally left the Albergue, I felt exhausted but grateful to have survived what felt like a Spanish remake of the Robert Rodriguez movie “From Dusk til Dawn” (Italian Nordic walkers replaced the vampires).

Walking shares some similarities with writing.  Like a run-on sentence, walking can be convoluted, never-ending and painfully obtuse by the end.  However, a paragraph or stage punctuated with well-placed pauses and full stops can be exhilarating, leaving you wanting more.  Today’s walk was long but well punctuated.  Tired as we were from lack of sleep and facing a 25 km stage, we walked through the rain and mist up endless hills to find perfectly spaced bars at 12 km for a second breakfast and at 22 km for lunch.  Both establishments provided food, warmth, and laughter that restored our souls/soles.  Our final three kilometers passed in an instant and, before we knew it, we were in full siesta mode at Albergue San Lorenzo de Bruma.

Leaving Betanzos at dawn.

A long day of rain and mist.

Mesón - Museo Xente no Camiño, our first stop of the day was filled with familiar pilgrims and some ancient reproductions.

Casa Avelina restored our souls/soles.

Like many of the Albergues, San Lorenzo is modern and well-equipped.