May 4 & 5 Ages and Viloria de Rioja

It has been a wonderful 24 hours. Such wonderful experiences! Yesterday evening in the refugio with 10 beds (8 women) in a wonderfully old building with bigger beds. We had dinner together made by the hostess. They are an Italian women and her Brazilian husband who met on the camino 9 years ago. They feed and house ´pilgrims´every night and rely on donations instead of a formal payment. It was a very touching dinner. Everyone introduced herself in her own language - one Slovanian, 3 German, 3 Dutch and the hostess who was in tears having all women. Then we talked a bit about the camino and what we didn´t like (for me the garbage that is gradually accumulating in the bush and of course for all the number of travellers. Then we were encouraged to ´sleep in´and not to rise before 7. I was so glad to stay here and be touched by it all. However as I walked today I thought about them embracing the ´camino spirit´and I thought about how the host left Brazil and his first wife with 4 children to raise. It also appeared that she did all of the cooking and since he found building stone walls too difficult so his wife did it all. Maybe he is just a loaf living a pleasant lifestyle. But while I was there I embraced it all including the quiet, the sunshine and the noise of trickling water.

Today since I started later, I saw next to noone all day. It was wonderful. I was going to stop after 20km because that is what my mind was thinking. However my body wanted to go on. So I walked 37km today and I feel incredible - probably a little tired. It started overcast and misty and then around noon the sun broke through. I went from rolling countryside through trees and then back to rolling countryside. You can see what is becoming important in my life these days!

I arrived in Ages at 5pm after walking really very fast and taking some great little breaks. Since the 2 refugios were already full, I ended up at a little very very old house with 6 matresses on the second floor and a lady who cooked supper in a real little old fashioned kitchen. A day from hundreds of years ago. We had a wonderful time and dinner with salad, soup and potato pie - tonight 3 Germans, l Austrian, 1 Kiwi and myself.

The most wonderful time - and without that dog bite and having lunch on a bench yesterday I would never have found last nights accommodation and then tonight if I had not been so late I would not be where I am. I definitely enjoy the small refugios - they seem a more authentic experience and get you away from á group´.