Today I walked just shy of 16 miles in about 5 hours. There were plenty of ups and downs but no mountains to climb today. Tomorrow that changes as I climb up O’Cebrero which is the last 6km of my day.
The albergue Alea last night was simply great. There were only two people in our room the beds were comfortable and everything was nice and quiet. For dinner there were 3 of us. Derick From the Gold Coast in Australia and Michelle from the France. We are all about the same age and had a really nice conversation about the Camino, life and why we were walking the Camino. Michelle is walking from home and will walk about 2600 km by the time she is done. She has been on the Camino for about 90 days and has about 3 weeks left. Derick is retired and is walking because he can.
Dinner was delicious I had lentejas (lentil soup) with chorizo for a starter. Michelle and Derick had cream of squash soup which they said was delicious then we all had quiche with bacon and vegetables and a salad. A very nice meal.
The couple that runs the albergue were super nice. The husband brought a map after dinner to show us how to return the the Camino which was super easy. He also directed us to a bar that opened at 6:30 for breakfast which was right on the way. I stopped at the bar and had a coffee, toast with tomato garlic and olive oil and fresh homemade churros which were delicious.
Tonight I am staying in Villa Franca del Bierzo. I have always walked through town so this is a first. I actually still walked through town as I am staying just outside of town at an albergue called Las Piedras. So far I feel like I have been very lucky and made some really great choice. This albergue as all single beds. My room has only 2 beds and so far it is only me. It also has an onsuite bathroom with a great shower. I am totally on a roll. I would recommend this place as of now. Tomorrow I will confirm.
The albergue serves dinner, and breakfast. So for 33 Euros I have it covered. That brings up an interesting point. It has become a lot more expensive to walk the Camino. 31 to 33 Euros per day for a bed, dinner and breakfast. I stop a few times each day for cafe con leche and a snack. I think we are up to about 60 Euros a day to walk. That being said it is still cheap and I am not holding back.