A short day today to break in Dean & Marion.
We met them at the bus stop yesterday afternoon and started the one-kilometer walk to the hotel. We saw the first lightening bolts as we left the bus stop, and five minutes later we were drenched. We ducked into the first bar for cover, but by then we were soaked. The deluge and hail moved on, leaving a light but steady rain in its wake. D&M earned their pilgrim cred even before we got to the hotel.
It is hard under the best of circumstances to get started again after a rest day. Last night I feared we'd be walking in a kcold rain. It was a huge relief to see a sunny sky when we woke up this morning. The ground was still saturated, however, so we opted to walk along the highway. Much of today's route was on the highway anyway, so we didn't give up much. The new freeway has siphoned off nearly all the traffic, too, so the walk was quite pleasant. By 11am we were hiking in t-shirts.
We reached our destination before 1pm and staked our claim at the albergue. I had warned D&M that albergue-life was akin to camping indoors. They were still a bit taken aback. This albergue is spartan but not atypical. It is a large room with 10 sets of bunks and one bathroom with shower. It qualifies as spartan because of the lack of blankets, pillows or a heat source.
It has taken a few words of encouragement to keep D&M from checking into the hotel across the street.
We had the "menu del dia" at the meson across the street. A wood stove next to our table and a bottle of white wine made the meal very cozy. The albergue feels cold by comparison, so the other 3 are napping in their bags. The predictable afternoon cloud cover has rolled in, bringing the temperature down and the threat of showers.
We're a bit higher than last night, just about 1000 meters, so I imagine it will be cold tonight. There was fresh snow again this morning on the hilltops.
I saw a satellite image on the newscast this morning and it looks as though the worst of this system has moved east. Tomorrow will be a good day to cross the pass.
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