BOLOS

Couldn't resist doing another short blog about a strange game I came across tonight outside the church. Am now at a place called Villafranca Montes de Oca and just opposite lies the church where a bunch of middle aged and some old women were getting pretty excited over this odd skittle game. They bowled first from directly behind the main bunch of skittles with a not so round wooden ball. Once through them it continued, hopefully knocking down a lone skittle some 8 metres further on. They then have a second crack at the skittles from the position of the single skittle. Seen nothing like it before.

SANTA DOMINGO AND ONWARDS

I wrote the text yesterday but with no chance of getting connected I have had to wait till I reached here in Belorado. Even here its taken an hour to find a wifi connection. I hope you can appreciate how much time one way or another it takes to prepare and upload. Am now sitting in the library of Belorado and time is really ticking by so not many kilometres today.


25/7 The walk down to Santa Domingo in seemed to last forever. The town was in sight for about 3km before I actually reached the hostel in the street just down from the big cathedral This cathedral has a strange story about it as do many other places along the trail. The chickens in this case are kept there to tell the miracle of a chicken that leapt up alive, after being cooked, from a dinner plate. The actual building is a massive affair built of the sandstone that is found in the north of Spain.
Sleep has been hard to come by for several nights due to other people’s night habits. The worst was a couple of nights ago when I had snorers on both sides. The other thing is when I arrive at a hostel I immediately have to get the shower and wash some clothes. Its quite a fight sometimes.
The countryside has changed somewhat since I arrived in Villamajor del Rio. The agriculture has changed to wheat and some sunflowers whereas before, for many days, it was wine country. I am writing this in the dining room of the hostel in Villamajor where up to now its been pretty peaceful, without the hoards of walkers trundling in. Only 3 of us here at the moment at about 4.30. This hostel is just off the trail which might put some people off.
Today is the big day in Compostela as its a Sunday and the birthday of St James. Saw some TV reports at the hostel and from what I saw I am rather glad not to be there. The masses were going on for the incredible masses of people. This whole thing appears to have become a successful massive masochistic tourist attraction. I have been told that the last 100 km is done by thousands of people making it one of those expensive tourist traps, thats if you dont use the supermarkets.
Up to now I have walked over 200 km and there’s still a lot more to go.