We left Juan's place and were immediately on trail surrounded by vibrant yellow flowers (Spanish/Scotch Brooms). We spent more time today digging deeper into the flora of the Camino.
Today was another good cafe stop day. We ended up in Cafe Susana in Santa Catalina de Somoza, where we struck up a conversation with cafe owner Raquel (from Germany). She hooked us up with a free beverage because Cory played guitar. Raquel eventually took over guitar duties and sang an incredible rendition of "Running up that Hill" by Kate Bush, and we all agreed that Raquel's version was better, and we also all agreed that Stranger Things rocks.
I also finally found the pair of earrings that spoke to me and I've been wearing them on trail ever since. Photos eventually.
After Raquel's, we literally stopped to smell the roses at every possible opportunity. Next cafe stop was Messon Cowboy for smoothies, but I have to mention here that I have a weird neurosis that I call the "free sample effect."
When I go into a store offering free samples (Costco, Trader Joe's, etc.), I cannot take a sample unless I am committed to buying the item. I feel bad taking advantage of the service. I recognize how asinine this behavior is. Jeff, Cory, and I stopped to take a picture in one of those big photo cutouts of Big Jim, and when the cafe owner came out, I totally panicked and immediately sat down to order a coffee while my companions looked at me through their eyebrows (whatever that means. . .Cory's words) and carried on to the cafe next door. When I eventually made it next door to join Cory and Jeff, they were also accompanied by students Toby and Lauren, and I have to mention that Lauren ordered ramen and kimchi, the traditional Camino meal, in this cafe. We had a raucous conversation about hats and bandits and jodhpurs and pit helmets. Also, I have to give Jeff kudos--he's an incredible speller. I've asked him to spell at least 7 words for the last two posts (including "asinine," "jodhpurs," "neurosis," etc.)
We left the cafe and did more walking (Jeff: "as one does.").
At the end of this route, we had a beautiful walk through a forest that was lined with a wire fence with stick crosses woven into the route. I got birdmanned at the next cafe stop by Toby and Lauren.
The evening in Rabanal was jam packed. We bought groceries for breakfast the following morning, we had a student presentation on gastronomy of the Camino, we had dinner (in two shifts), and we attended a church service with Gregorian music.
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