3 de julio

July 3
Bercianos del Real Camino to Mansilla de las Mulas 26.4km
Our communal dinner was served promplty at 8pm. They actually rang the old farmhouse dinner bell. Thinking it would be pasta for such a large group, you know, like team dinners, but began with a first course of mixed salad and bread with a second course of lentil stew, finishing with yogurt for dessert. The community spirit was fun with singing and joking about our different nationalities. Each country was asked to sing a song from their homeland. The US kids chose Sweet Home Alabama. Afterwards the hostpitaleros passed out the words to a camino song they had written to the tune of ... LA BAMBA. Everyone knew the tune and the words poked lots of fun of the pilgrims and the camino experience. A German woman said her favorite line was ''mucho Ibuprofeno'', or as Mike calls it ''vitamin I''.  The hospitaleros then assigned the men to do the dishes in the outdoor sinks!  NICE!!!
After dinner we had a great group conversation on the patio.  We discussed pilgrim etiquette, or lack there of, and the infamous pilgrim waddle.  During the day everyone cruises along the paths in their hiking boots and sandals putting on many kilometros, but as soon as we get showered and into our albergue sandals we all develop the pilgrim sore foot walk.  You can identify a peregrino on any street in any cafe, etc. by the walk.  We look like a bunch of drunks walking on egg shells.
Spaniards are famous for their proper etiquette, but they are so tolerant and accepting of us peregrinos.  We have been known to finish a cafe con leche, take off our shoes and pick our blisters right at the restaurant table.  Disgusting, right? But it is perhaps one of the most common sites we see here.  We also have some pretty interesting discussions about aching body parts, etc. that you would never hear in polite company anywhere.  Such is the pilgrim life.
One of the great symbols of the camino is the church steeple.  That is how we always know a town is coming up.  On top of each steeple is what we refer to as the greeting stork.  The storks migrate north (from Africa) and make their nests, HUGE nests, like eagle´s or osprey´s, have their young and stay with them for the spring-summer season, then like the loons of northern Minnesota, they head home and leave their young to fend for themselves.
In this part of northern Spain the traditonal home is built of mud and straw.  A young man from this area told us to notice the lack of windows and only one door on the first floor.  He said that this is because too many doors /windows on the first floor would cause the building to collapse.  Huh, makes sense.  Wonder how long, how many tries, it would have taken me to figure that out.  Grandpa and his grandkids would have gotten it though.  They´re great at Lincoln Logs.
As we said, we are in the heart of agricultural country, and it is clear that Spain favors John Deere.  So, Kaitlyn, Jax, Benton, and Brylee, nobody here has to say Massey Ferguson, but just wait ´till Grandpa gets home!!!
If you are wondering we write the blog together.  Sometimes Mike types, sometimes Lorie types, but always we write it together.  We´re off to do the camino shuffle to the market to get some supplies for tonight and tomorrow.  (Had the most amazing gourmet comida; gazpacho,  white fish salad, veal scallopini, chicken kabobs, caramel cream and apple pie followed by a local licquer, which unfortunately tasted like Pine Sol. Que rico!)
In case we don´t have service tomorrow, have a wonderful 4th of July.  We´ll miss our traditional celebrations.  And even though it´s not very caminoese, God Bless America!
Buen camino.