Not a good start to our last day … but they say the camino is about learning, about our reactions, how we could have behaved differently. In the pilgrim places where the cost is very low, the attention given to the walker is very high. At the high end of the market the cost is very high but regard to the walker, in our experience, has been very low.

Last night we had little choice other than the high end because the lower end was hard to find, not far out from Santiago. Hotels are mostly okay, but when it is privately owned like this one was, there seems to be a higher level of control imposed on the guests, such as where to sit for meals.

So what happened was, when we came for breakfast we went to sit at one of the regular tables, but the owner directed us to two high chairs where we stood to eat because the chairs were so very uncomfortable. The owner asked us to sit while ignoring my pleas of a bad back. I asked if we could sit at the empty normal table and he said it was for an old man. While I took the compliment, I said to him: “But I’m an old man”. 

With this, he angrily said: “okay sit where you want” and snatched our coffees, spilling them as he did, while taking them to the normal table, while all other items were also snatched and banged on to our table. We said nothing, ate our breakfast and left with the young people from the other normal tables, and no old man arrived. We were angry also and shocked by his behaviour, but he would not come near us. Yet on the camino, it’s about us, right – it’s not about what he did.

So we reflected on this encounter as we walked through the moss covered oak forest beside a noisy stream, and listening to, what has been a rare sound, that of the small birds. Round a corner, a steep hill appeared before us. A perfect chance to dissipate my anger (besides talking to Corrie), as I double-poled up the hill digging in my sticks harder than usual.

Now a straight level stretch which you know I’m not good at, we talked more, emotions calmer, about what we could have done differently. We decided our request was fair, maybe with a little indignance, but agreed that his reaction was way out of proportion, and we were content with our non-conflictual response. By chance, a long downhill gave me an opportunity to perform Corrie’s ski dance, reflecting more than usual, my contentment, because I had learnt a little more about me.

However, as you are intelligent people, you will have worked out that all this is just too cute for words, and little of this resolution work was achieved in this way, but this short story has helped to make it clearer. The real test will come though, when the Tripadvisor people ask me what we thought of our stay!!!! Tonight’s will be fabulous, because we have the best and funniest receptionist in the whole world. 

Thank you all for also being fabulous with your supportive comments and emails, they are such a huge part of our journey, and there will be more as we head to southern Portugal,  if tomorrow, you switch to Portugal 2019 on the home page.