Arrived: El Burgo Ranero 3:15pm
Total hours: 7
Total kms: 37.5
Accumulated kms: 1173.8
Weather: Sunny and warm
Today was a day of adventure. Filipe and I set off a little late, the ice-cold room we stayed in a sufficient antidote to getting up early. As usual, Filipe quickly scampered ahead. Not long after this I got to a turn in the road and could see Filipe scurrying quickly along, head down, in the wrong direction across a field. I yelled out and whistled until I was almost hoarse, but it seemed he had a lesson to learn and didn't hear me. I gave up when he slipped out of sight under a freeway, and walked on. I figured he was a smart kid and would work it out. He caught me up about an hour or so later, looking very sheepish.
A little bit later, Filipe having already motored ahead, I came to a decision between a path marked by white arrows and a graffittied "Camino Frances", and a path marked by yellow arrows and an official metallic cocquille shell sign. Yellow arrows have marked the way since Roncevalles, and I haven't seen any white arrows at all, so I followed the yellow brick road. I ended up on an alternative route that I estimate from the map took me about 3km further. It was a nicer walk though, instead of shadowing the freeway for three hours I was led through countryside that felt like Australian outback - all red dirt roads and dried, dead grass.
We thought we would be the only two in the albergue tonight, but then a group of seven came in about 7pm. Two of them were Italian and on a honeymoon - how romantic. As this albergue has speakers and an iPod connection, I played them Mike Patton's album of Italian pop songs accompanied by the Italian Symphony Orchestra. It was so nice to see their reactions to songs that don't really mean anything to me aside from sounding good. They were singing along and explaining where the songs came from and who originally sung them. Unfortunately they just left as she is feeling quite sick (not from the music, some ongoing concern), and they are moving to a hotel with heating. I am headed for the warmth of my sleeping bag yet again.
A hobbit house!
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