The plan today is to pass thru Sansol (7k), Torres del Rio (.5k), Vienna (11.3k), and arrive in Logrono this afternoon for 28k total. (Oops, did not happen)
This morning, over coffee, one of the younger girls was saying what a difficult day it was going to be... a real brutal stretch mid-day. I went to pack my backpack and could not seem to get excited about the walk. I looked at my list of villages and cities and realized it would be a 28k day.
I left the alberge and immediately stopped for breakfast. Avoidance. Then I
realized I bought into her belief of what the day would be like. How often do I do that back home?
It was almost 8:00 am by the time I left Los Arcos. Shortly after leaving I came across a young man, with his boots off, working on his feet. I asked him if he was ok and if he needed any Compeed. He said, "No thanks," and as I walked on I heard him say, "I hate Compeed" lol People are funny... Instead of being grateful that someone cares enough to stop and offer assistance, he focused on what made him unhappy.
Stopped for cafe con leche (more avoidance) and met a 70 year old women who is walking solo for the 2nd year in a row. Her reason was for confidence and strength.
When I got to the alberge I was tired so did not look any further. Walked through the door and there was "towel man" and again we ended up in the same room. The woman running it did not seem very happy. She had two young daughters there watching TV and using the kitchen. The energy at this alberge was not good.
I decided to go out for dinner at a bar around the corner. They were only men in there except for the bartender. Food was good and so was the wine. I was really ravenous. While eating, I watched a bullfight that everyone was watching on TV. It is such a foreign concept to me. The bulls are massive and are irritated to make them angrier. It is a very dangerous place for a person. The confidence the toreadors dislayed was riveting. I noticed that an older bullfighter who took several tries to kill his bull looked cynical and jaded when he was done. However, the younger man raised his hand to display the blood on it after his "clean kill". The pride on his face was undeniable. Not a sport I like but interesting to try and watch from the perspective of the bullfighter.