Famished and Feminine

I have walked 48km today, I am 'wiped out' and oh so happy! I am so happy because no longer do I have a negative response to so many minor things in life that once upon a time would have evoked such stuff, such as snoring or no 'room at the Inn'. I just think 'oh well, may as well smile and carry on because the situation isn't going to change'. I can only change my response. This is so liberating. So little 'Pollyanna' here is becoming unfazed by more or less anything (reminds me of our retired vicar!)
I arrived at an Albergue out in the sticks at 3pm to be informed that they had no food and we had to cook ourselves. My shoulders are so painful that I do not carry any excess weight and food is definitely excess- I eat out all the time, because Spain is so cheap compared to home and feeding 1 is nothing compared to feeding 6. Actually, last night, Ray, who I met on arrival at St Jean, is in a group of 4 people. They have all cooked together and eaten, but he is keen to 'give' and off he goes to re-heat their left overs and fill my glass with wine. It was a pure gift to recieve so much from him and his friends- he even did my washing up for me! (this is no mean feat for a single 32yr old)
So I walk to Melide. The Alburgue is a municipal affair which means low cost, low customer service, but that is ok with me. It is, after all, only 5euros for a bed and a shower. I have not eaten since 11am, when I had a croissant and I can barely function. I try phoning Steve but have nothing left and realise that my body really needs some attention, namely calories.
So, showered and re-clothed I wander off to find the restaurant recommended by John Brierly- the guru of the Camino, called 'Exequiel'. This specialises in octopus. Not knowing a language is not a problem,I have found, if you smile at people and ask them slowly, using lots of sign language, where something is. Many people laugh at my pronunciation, or maybe me, but I laugh too, so that is ok. So much so that many Spaniards have walked way out of their way to show me the route, including what looked like a 90 yr old lady yesterday, up a steep pathway.
On entering the restaurant I spot George and Julia from Hungary, who I had seen, many times pre food poisoning. I ask if I can join them and order the 'pelegrino menu', which does not include octopus but which the restauranters will let us have if we do not have 'postre' (pudding). I also order another bottle of wine, since I know my own glugability of the stuff is great. I am famished and knock back the 'Caledo Gallega' (veg soup), with massive hunks of bread and ask for more- with a smile! Then comes the octopus, which is exotic, entertaining and tasteless, but there is loads of it straight from a steaming pot, covered in salt, paprika and olive oil, all washed down with glass after glass of good Spanish wine. Still my body wants more so I ask a lovely young man for the 'queso con membranillo', which is basically cheese and potted sweet fruit (like quince or mulberry) and he gives me so much that there is enough for 3, so we all tuck in eagerly until it is all gone. My Hungarian friends are worried as they say desert is not included, but I ressure them that I will pay for what I have eaten and in any case it is much better to ask the men than the women, as they are so kind. The women are 'much harder'.
So I ask for my bill and just like the winery the bill does not depend on what you have eaten but what gender you are and if you smile. My bill, including a desert and an extra bottle of wine comes to less than the set pelegrino menu- a miracle indeed, or maybe just a lesson on when to look up and smile at the person who is 'in charge' and deciding what to charge you!!
The world is certainly not a fair place- sorry chaps.
Learning about Hungary was also a real joy- an emerging 1st world country with a huge past and history. It all takes time, to heal, to change, to be ready to be a democracy.
Much love, Katex