Day 11 - Azofra to Grañon

At a glance:
Cultural highlight: going to mass in a church, sleeping in a church, eating in a church, having a ceremony in a church with 40 others.
Food highlights: Risotto cooked by Michael
Kilometres walked: 21.72k
# of steps: 28,756
Elevation gain: 210m

We have continued to have good walking weather--breezy ambient temperatures. Today was rolling hills of wheat and barley and no grape vines.
We finished in Grañón in a church hospital for pilgrims.
It is a donotavito albergue. Our donations feed tomorrow's pilgrims.
As we register the hospitalio asks us if we can be the chief chef. We look horrified and suggest we are better being told what to do.
Michael is here too. He volunteers to be the head chef.
All 40 of us help. The team of 4 Italian bicyclists are experts with a knife. The 3 young women are born salad makers. Trudy chops tomatoes, carrots, peaches, potatoes, whatever came her way.
I suddenly remember our 2nd night, at Roncesvalles waiting to be let into the dinning room. I had noticed 3 young women in front of us and when the door finally opened a young man quickly placed himself near them so he would be placed at a table with them (and us plus a few others). That young man was Michael and the 3 women were now making salad. There are 20 of us sleeping on mattresses on the floor. We have a private door from our sleeping room into the loft overlooking the pews, altar and gilt carvings. We just spent an hour each of us, one at a time holding a candle saying a few words on our Camino experience before passing the candle to the next person. Now we sleep. Ricardo introduces himself as we slip into our respective sleeping systems. He gives me permission to push him if he snores. It's nice to know who you are sleeping with.Lue lisää