h2>Dating : Day 6.3
Estella to Torres del Río: 31 Kilometres
Torres del Río was a delightful village with steep and narrow streets. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was hidden between the tightly-packed houses. It lay between the top of a hill and a deep hollow.
This church was the jewel of Torres del Río; it was situated at the center of the village and was historically linked to the Pilgrim’s Pathway to Santiago. It contained a single dome in octagonal shape and was a rare example of medieval art. In this church, everything led to verticality. The major local festivities took place in mid-September.
We stayed the night at Casa Mariela; a hostel inaugurated in 2009. The accommodations were situated in the village’s heart and surrounded by the requisite pilgrim amenities, such as a mini-market and a coffee shop. Fernando, the hostel proprietor, was extremely welcoming, hospitable, and helpful. He assisted us up the stairs to our room on the third floor. We prepared to shower off all the dirt, soot, rain, and exhaustion from the day. In the meantime, I gathered all our filthy clothes, then took them downstairs to be washed. Fernando showed me other clean bathrooms with clean showers underneath, then told me he would wash all our clothes for us.
The warm shower was incredibly refreshing. I sat under the hot water for at least 15 minutes. It was very selfish of me, but it took time to wash my long hair. Please forgive me, fellow pilgrims, who were staying with us that night. Ms. Wilma, a chocolate addict, bought us dark digestive biscuits with orange peel. The rich taste and flavor were unlike anything in this world. Well, it was very orgasmic, surprisingly far better. I ordered coffee. Crazy Wilma, Fernando, and I scoffed the whole packet. Delicious! Our fresh and clean clothes completed the dry tumble cycle by then!
In the meantime, I bought some soup. I initially sipped it, then fell backward on the chair, and sent the hot soup splattering on my left hand and leg. My only pyjamas were drenched in hot soup water. I suddenly began laughing uncontrollably in front of three pilgrims, enjoying dinner next to me. They had a fright! I rose to my feet, went to Fernando, and asked for toothpaste to apply it on my burns. I caused chaos to be so hyper. No more soup, but another box of digestive biscuits sorted out my back pain.
Back in my room, I met Ana Laura Salera, Oscar Cerquetti, and Sebastian Sabalette — pilgrims from Argentina. We had a long chat; I told them I had been to Buenos Aires. They were drinking mate, a traditional drink in some South American countries, especially Argentina. It was also common in parts of Chile, Lebanon, and Syria. They were excited because I knew about mate! Ana, Oscar, and Sebastian joined together to ask me in one voice: “Where are you from?” And that was how we became friends. I called them my three angels because they reminded me of my children.
The rain outside grew more substantial and louder. The sound was ominous but led me to appreciate the shelter and both figurative and literal warmth we experienced that evening. I thought to myself: “How can it be spring?” There was another South American couple opposite my bed. I was not sure what part of South America, though. They were very quiet and looked extremely tired. Who wasn’t at that point? I wanted to have a chat with them, too, but they were not very welcoming. There was no judging, however, as we were all going through our separate trials.
I thought, let me calm down and write in my diary. The digestive biscuits gave me a burst of energy. My walking mate was fast asleep or pretending she was sleeping, so I stopped speaking to her. I was sure I exhausted her with my uninterrupted talking. It was only 8 p.m., and most of the pilgrims were drowsy. The others were fidgeting after a long day hiking in messy weather. If it weren’t raining, I would have gone out for a walk to chat with people around because the sun went down at 10 p.m. Although the day started at about 450 meters and finished at 400 meters, the high point of the day was nearly 600 meters, and it was a very rough day with many ups and downs. There was something learned and gained from the camaraderie and warmth I felt that night. It gave me the energy and filled me with a passion for persisting and carrying on with my journey. Goodnight!
The highlight of Day 6: What do you need for love? Love
