A very good night's sleep in the simple room with sheets, towels, peace and quiet ... awake early, adjusting to clockbackery ... and early breakfast is followed by rain check ... the possible double stage recedes whilst it eases ... recalling story of Portuguese facility with English partly due to their television sub-titling English language programmes, rather than dubbing as in Spain (which itself an art form, leads to some fascinating western, known US actors speaking fluent Spanish, albeit with mouth movements strangely out of sync) ... a few moments of US low culture seems a high price for learning Portuguese and football highlights tempt a switch ... until rain settles to drizzle, and waterproofed it's on the road and south ... a brief arrow error reinforces the slowing down, a local provides an escort to the Fatima Way, a friendly chat in Spanish, since he is from there and wanders back occasionally ...
Rain stops and an interesting albergue plus cafe appears .. timely for removing sweaty waterproof trousers ...the Quinta Estrada Romana and volunteer Michael, from Denmark ... adopted as a baby and speaking no Korean, feeling completely Danish ... and like most Danes of his generation with a better command of English than most native Brits ... an energy worker, he passes interesting information on energy, dimensions and more ...
Jeff, the Canadian owner, with his partner Lesley, on leave in Canada ... Camino walkers, seeking community, the farm competing with the albergue for attention ... tempting to stay a night, but it's early and frequencies not entirely aligning ... on into brightening skies ... and a little dog joins in ... at first taking a walk from its territory .. it happens ... this one keeps going for an hour ... has no collar .. crosses roads fearlessly ... declines the offer of friendly young German pilgrims to return north with them ... another spirit perrogrina ... at the bar before Rubiaes, finding lunch stop, she disappears as if into thin air .... seems to be a Camino Portugues thing ...
At the municipal albergue it's self-service ... Catherine from Korea, currently working and studying in London ... who makes tea ... and is trying to stretch soup to meet the number of pilgrims ... now including Jindra and Denes and a Dutch woman, yet to appear from her bed ... head into the internet ... Rubiaes appears to be less a town than a collection of scattered houses ... a couple of bars, incuding Contantino's, where a good lunch has met today's needs ... tomorrow, some more rain and a short stage to Ponte de Lima ...
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