A first outing for sleeping bags (silk liner, lightweight outer) plus blankets mostly warm and comfortable and handy kitchen for porridge making ... out before light and through town swiftly, thanks to rehearsal ... climbing dirt road over the hill to Maimones in less than an hour for first coffee, though early bars closed ... Churreria cabin comes to rescue with average coffee, small churro (think thin doughnut) and brief rest on nearby bench ... then on ... and on ... and on for three hours through fields on farm track ... mental work and hard enough for last hour as Villafranca takes a while after crossing railway and main road and under motorway ... proposed double stage less attractive at 11.50 arrival in bar for orange juice and coffee plus first draft of today's offer ... too soon to stop for the day, but next stage of 27k rather daunting ... nothing in between without diverting off Way and then only hotels ...
Raimundo spoke of the trap of the photographer, seeing everything in a photo frame and blocking deeper reality ... creating narratives whilst walking is another trap, though extended days sometimes allow thinking to relax and let go of the story ... anyway this pilgrim takes writer role seriously, since readers feed attention, explicitly and implicitly ... the editor writes after Zurburan's shoddy treatment, prompting common memories of a collection in Auckland Castle ... though that memory was stored somewhere barely accessible before the prompt ... art appreciation clearly not strongly embedded in the patterns ... Christina laments lack of any originals in Zurburan's birthplace, though even one would only add to security requirements and the new owner of Auckland Castle unlikely to offer any free of charge ...
Having passed the Albergue at the edge of town, still open to going further, other options prove elusive... closed, hidden, expensive ... aimless wandering has its moments and it is early enough, so back to bar for menu del dia. .. waiter and chef consult and come up with chick peas in an ostensibly meat free sauce hmm, calamares still in cold blooded creature category and acceptable for a "vague un" ... chocolate tart delicious ... small beer confirming this town as today's destination and afternoon very warm Sun validates decision ... Albergue Extrenatura soon located, with heating ... Hospitalera Theresa, warm and friendly, suggests nearby Ethnographic Museum for this evening ... more culture in Extremedura ... maybe patterns can change ...
The museum is wonderful ... beautifully converted, well presented and even some subtitling in English ... do call in if you are passing ...
As for photos, pilgrims gone missing again ... maybe Merida in two days where many start the Way and other routes join ... Malaga, Cordoba ... let's see ...
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