Sergei from Germany and Kevin from Taiwan were the last to leave this morning. Both young men left lasting impressions. Kevin showed us his two journals filled with precious memories which include pictures and writings of his own and from people he met along the Way, as well as us.

Like most pilgrims, Sergei is on his way to Santiago, but Kevin already reached Santiago from Lisbon. He is now proudly carrying his Compostela in his side pocket and is walking away from Santiago along the Camino Frances. He is the second pilgrim we’ve hosted who is walking away from Santiago. We said our goodbyes to Sergei and Kevin, walked them to the door, and watched them hug and go their separate ways, each on his own journey.

Janine and I have developed a habit in keeping (I guess) with the British tradition. We go to the bar for gin and tonic (Tanqueray) at about 6:15 PM every day. We’ve become such regulars that the bartender knows exactly what we want and starts pouring as soon as he sees us come through the door. He is so generous with the gin that sometimes he doesn’t leave enough room for the whole bottle of tonic. 

After the bar and a stop-off at the supermercado, Janine started chatting with two ladies we were passing. I thought she knew them, especially since she asked me to snap a picture of the three of them together! It seemed like one of those “reunion with old friends” moments. As we walked away, I asked, “When and where did you meet them?” To my surprise, she said, “Oh, just now!” All it takes for Janine to make instant friends is a simple “G’day!” and the magic of a shared homeland—Australia!

A young mother from Taiwan, along with her three children, aged between five and ten, are staying here tonight. Even though they walked twenty kilometers today, the kids still had enough energy to kick a soccer ball around in the garden. What a great education walking the Camino is for these lively and active children. We also have three pilgrims from France, two each from Brazil and Spain, one from the USA, and one from Germany for a grand total of thirteen.

Thanks to afternoon tea and the generosity of our American pilgrim, who shared some spicy noodle soup, and our two Spanish pilgrims, who brought us bread with chorizo, we didn’t end up cooking the chook – what Aussies call chicken. The “chook” is ready to roast for tomorrow’s dinner instead of tonight.

It was very chilly today, so we served afternoon tea in the salon. We had Janine’s delicious scones with jam and some leftover bread pudding from yesterday. What a fantastic recipe! The bread pudding has a flavour similar Christmas cake, likely due to the spices—and perhaps the plums from the tree in the garden.