Day Eleven: Ventosa

After we met him Giorgio called Dalilah and was very ugly. “B$&@h. I hope you die.” Apparently the very contrite guilty man who faced us was someone very different. But he is done and we go on. I am keeping the theme though. We simply changed to Spanish. “No pensar, solo caminar.”

We got up at 6 and ate some fruit, then got warm pastries from a shop. If cherries from the tree made my mother jealous, what will she do when she reads about freshly made “pain de chocolate” with the chocolate still melted and the croissant warm and crisp? About an hour later we ate our picnic leftovers for breakfast. The others were incredulous that there is a gun in my closet, one of the subjects we talked about at breakfast.

We got on the subject because Bjorn said my knife would be illegal in Germany because you could open it with one hand. They were shocked that I bought it in a supermarket, and that you could buy guns there too. (I know it isn’t exactly a supermarket, but how do you explain Walmart?)

After breakfast we walked to Navarrette. Along the way we passed a fence, where you take sticks and make a cross. Here is mine. We passed the popular bar and were on our way to another when we met Jose Maria, who invited us to his house. He is 90 years old and hand makes wooden signs. He fed us wine and almonds, then gave us a small wooden circle on a stick, with a shorter stick protruding out. It is for opening cans.

I sang “The Man I Love” and all I could remember of “Besame Mucho” to say thank you. Then we went and ate lunch. On the way we passed the church, where mass was just beginning, Bjorn asked Dalilah if he could take a photo, but she explained it would be rude, especially during a service. Google the church at Navarette to see it. OMG.

We ate then walked to Ventosa. My left foot is getting bad. I frankly was worried if it would make it before I left. The deformity from the surgeries forces my ankle to roll inward, which is stressing it and causing it to swell. That was one reason I got the special inserts. I am sure if I didn’t have them I wouldn’t have made it this far.

Bjorn used to be a medic in the army. He said to take ibuprofen, wrap it in a cold towel to reduce the swelling, and he will tape it tonight. I just need to make it to Burgos, or some place flat where I can rent a bicycle. Even if it isn’t flat, the hills aren’t much more than I’ve done in Chappell Hill or around Brenham. I will ask Dalilah.

Now we are in the only albergue in Ventosa. It is beautiful.

I gave Dalilah the bad news that we have to get pedicures, so I can reduce the size of the callus. She is devastated.