Cirueña to Grañon

Tuesday May 14
Wow! What a treat to stay at Pensión Casa Victoria. This is a private house with 4 rooms that are rented out. Our room at least, had a shower and toilet included and everything was sparkling clean. The owners treat their clientele as ppersonal guests and try to do everything they can to make guests comfortable. Our breakfast included eggs and freshly squeezed orange juice along with the usual toast and jam, tea and coffee as well as fresh fruit for the road. We didn't get away much before 8:00 but we knew our day was o ly 15 kilometers so we felt pretty relaxed about it.

Our guidebooks indicated that we would go up and down a couple of hundred meters a time or two and so we did. Some of the climbs seeemed long but the road was pretty groomed. It was a hot day so that took a little energy. The views all around us were unusually beautiful as the hills rolled off in all directions. The flowers this year are the best I've ever seen them and the hills nd roadside are lush with poppies, mustard, bacelors' buttons,  thyme, rosemary and other varieties whose names I don't know.  Just lovely to walk through all of this and smell the smells and breathe the fresh air ( huff, puff, pant, pant). Lots if big breaths happening for sure! At the top of one of the highest hills there was a little lounge area with 3 cement chaise lounges and several other benches. I sat there for a full hour with my boots off and my feet up enjoying the view in all directions, enjoying the sunshine and the slightly cool breeze.

We finally arrived at Grañon and headed for the church with the bell tower albergue to see if there was any room. As it happens we were the third and fourth ones there so we had lots of time to relax, get our washing done, get some lunch and whatever else we wanted to do. In the past when I've stayed here it's felt like a special place for several reasons, the comunity dinner, the singing in the church, the donativo aspect and just the general gentleness. The tone is set of course by the hospitaleros who happens to be there but everyone tries to keep it as the old- fashioned alberge it is trying to be. The down side is that there is only one male and one female shower and three toilets for about 40 people and there are only mattresses on the floor.

We lounged around the town of only about 200 or 300 people for the afternoon, buying the odd piece of fruit or cold drink. The only internet access was in the bar but it wasn't a nice place to sit on a hot sunny day so basically an internetless day again.

After the dinner was eaten the hospitaleros said there was a tradition of every country singing a song. It was quite entertaining and some groups did really well. Suzy and I did not represent our country well.