July 2

July 2
Terradillos de los Templarios to Bercianos del Real Camino 23.1km
We have been moving along the camino with a French gentleman the last week or so, Andre. He reminds me of the character, played by Cesar Romero, in the movie, ''The Old Man and the Sea''. He is a very kind and well educated man who taught French literature in Paris many years ago. He is retired and living on a French island near Madagascar, (no he hasn´t seen the cartoons). He lost his wife in September and the camino is part of his healing experience. I´ve connected with him through our common interest in birds we see along the camino. As much as we have really enjoyed his company, we are glad that he is moving on tonight, as last night he literally shook the rafters of our shared albergue. At dinner he had mentioned that he was a snorer, slight understatement!!!
Two days ago I broke a lace loop on one of my boots. This is not a good thing when you want your feet to be laced in right to prevent blisters and rubbing. However, today was the first day we were in a town large enough to possibly have shoemaker, ZAPATERO. Here is how Spain is so different from the US. We came into Sahagun looking for a cafe for breakfast after our first 13km for the day. At the cafe we asked about where we could find a shoe repair shop. The mesero, waiter, said, ''oh, there is a woman right around here who does repairs'', and he went off to look for her, when he couldn´t find her, he went to find her phone number and gave her a call, along with many explanations to us about where she might be and how he would keep trying to locate for us. Soon he reached her by phone and notified us that she would be there in 10 minutes. We wondered whether that was our 10 minutes or a Spanish 10 minutes. Turned out it was a Spanish 10 minutes, but not by much. She took one look at the boots, said it was and easy fix, explained what she would do, told us to have another small cup of coffee, and she would be back within a half hour, and she was, with a beautifully repaired pairs of boots, all for only 3 euros. Wow! We gave her a great tip, many thanks, and she thanked us for walking the camino. Can you believe that? That could have never happened.  Brief pause here, Mike just ran outside to grab a picture of a goat herder herding goats past our computer at the bar.  He missed the shepherd, but got the goats, as you will see.
You know how at home you may have a decorative jasmine bush that smells so great when it´s in bloom?  Well, here they grow wild all along the paths.  One jasmine bush smells great, but walking down a path lined with them is kind of like being in a room full of middle school girls who have each overdosed in a bottle of perfume.  Anyway, they smell better than goats!
Our paths today were easy and beautiful, cool morning air, level ground, and a delightful albergue which is a renovated ancient farm house at the end of it.  Tonight we will have a communal dinner which the hospitaleros prepare, but we all eat and clean up together.  Tomorrow there is breakfast, but not until a strictly kept no lights before 6a.m. rule has been followed.  We will let you know about our first communal dinner next time.
Sunday we told you about the pilgrim´s mass filled with love, joy and peace.  That sensation has stayed with us ever since, even through the snoring last night.  We wish all of you this same sense of love, joy and peace from the camino to you.  Buen camino.