Day seventeen,17 May 2015
Ciruena to Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Started @ 8.15am till 9.30am ~6km~ 1.15 hour

I woke up quite early, about four thirty, when I realised it was Sunday and it was not yet necessary to jump out of bed and to start walking! I fell back asleep and woke up much later e guest house had such a lovely feel about it, I could have stayed forever! Packing was done quickly and I decided to have a coffee and two slices of toast! Bad choice, I really do prefer not to eat for the first two hours! Walking in the early morning makes me feel so good! As it was the next town of Santo Domingo was very near, a lovely walk, and as soon as I got here I realised that there was a lot to see! Libby and I moved into a private hostel for fifteen euro each, it is worth it being without the dormitory experience! Is going to be hard to pay for single rooms again! Mind you Lucia is coming on Sunday, so hey it is only for one week! No probs! We signed in and had a coffee and hand made chocolates for breakfast! Delicious! We met up with Rhonda from Washington State, and we were both amazed to realise that Washington DC was far from the state! Makes no sense to me, but hey what do I know? I had a long hot shower and an afternoon nap and Libby and I went to visit the church at four o clock.  The seventy metres high tower was amazing, we climbed all the way up and saw  all the heavy bells close up! Then we went to the cathedral and saw the church and the exhibition, amazing stuff!  We had dinner at the Piedra restaurant where Libby and Rhonda had a meal in the afternoon. It was cheap, delicious and quick service! What else does one want?
I had “pinched” a little booklet, which asked for a two euro donation. As I just put in five euros for the burning of candles, I felt justified in taking this small item. Within five minutes I missed a step and hurt my back terribly! Shit, God never sleeps, eh!
This became quite a hassle in the next day walk! What next? I am too tired to write more!

There is a lovely story to the church of Santa Domingo. There was once a pious young pilgrim, who stayed in this town. A young and beautiful young girl from an Albergue fell in love with him, but the pilgrim wanted nothing to do with this”wicked” girl!(as if!) Anyway he pissed this young girl off, and she hid a goblet in his backpack. Then told her father that her silver cup was gone and it must have been that pitiful pilgrim. Father raced after the pilgrim found the cup and hanged the young pious and pitiful pilgrim from the highest tree nearby. Everybody was happy, except the parents of this pious and pitiful pilgrim. His father came to Santa Domingo town, which must have had another name then. He went to the Albergue where his pious son had been staying and demanded to know what happened. The father of the neglected and rejected girl told him his son was a thief and the world was a better place without him! Of course the pious father refused to believe this of his own son, as parents do. So he that he was innocent and that Santa Domingo had told him his son was alive and well. As the Albergue owner was eating a rooster and a chicken at the time, he said your son is as dead as these two cockerels on my plate! Well, as soon as he said that the rooster jumped up and started to make a lot of noise letting everybody know he was alive and well, the hen joined in and hence, everybody knew that the pious, pitiful pilgrim was innocent of his crime! This is a true story as it was verified by a priest from Germany a hundred years later, as he saw the grill on which these chooks had been roasted! Hm! Interesting premise for truth! (A bit Tony Abott like?) to this day a rooster and his hens lives in the church up high! Poor little mites, never seen daylight or had room to move, but I am assuming that they are NOT the same chooks, however one never knows with miracles!

Today’s lesson: dishonesty does not pay
Today’s gift: Thousands of shades of green!