Locked in a Bar
Hiking Day 30 May 9
Grandes de Salime to A Fonsagrada
Miles 16.1
Total miles 419.1
Ascent 2569’
Descent 1294’
Off early and we climb, climb, climb for the first 8-9 miles. We are in shorts at the start and down to T-shirts within a short time. It is forecast be almost 80 degrees by the time we finish. The rains are gone and summer seems to be here very early.
Solar windmills are on many of the ridge tops in this part of Spain.
At the top of the long ascent we stop at a tiny cafe, the first of the day, to have a relaxing cup of coffee. Instead I get a lecture from the cranky old owner/bar man after I order an Americano with a small amount of leche (hot milk). He berates me for ordering an Americano with milk since it is never served that way.
I wish I had spoken enough Spanish to tell him that I am an Americano and that I invented the drink several decades ago. That is not true of course but it would have made me feel better and perhaps puzzled him a little. Instead I sulked out of the cafe and he continued to be slow and rude with other pilgrims.
The three of us with Wendy, the Dutch opera singer.
Most of the rest of the day is continual ups and downs with a final “heartbreaker hill” then the last leg up and into the small village of A Fonsagrada. It was so steep that there is a cemetery half way up that we joke was located there to bury pilgrims who can not endure the climb.
Today we leave the province of Asturias and enter the province of Galicia, our 4th and final province of the trip.
The mountains as we enter Galicia.
The funny story for today is that once get to our small hotel, we drop or backpacks and suitcases in our rooms and head out in search of a bar/cafe to have beers. We are finding nothing open…strange, but we are told it is because it is Monday. Seems like new rules exist in Galicia.
We finally find one open bar and walk in. The only patrons are 6-8 locals. We order 3 beers and sit down inside to enjoy them. The afternoon is early so as we discuss whether we want to order a second round, I notice that all the locals pay their tabs and walk out, almost in unison. It is about 3:45. So we order the second round and begin enjoy that round as well.
In a few minutes the woman running the bar comes to our table and begins to talk rapidly in Spanish, gesturing and pointing at the front door and at a nearby window as she talks. She seems oblivious that we are not understanding very much of what she is telling us. Finally, satisfied with our nods, she walks away.
We discuss what we think she may have just told us, which is that she is required for some reason to close the bar at 4 pm and that she is locking the front door, closing all the front window and door blinds, and leaving a window open near our table but we can continue to sit and enjoy our drinks as long as we want. We are not sure if she wants us to exit via the window when we are done or if the window is open in case the place catches fire and we need to escape through the window since the door will be locked.
At one minute until 4 she returns to our table without saying a word and proceeds to pour the remainder of our beers from the bottles into our glasses. It seems she has to complete her drink service before 4 pm which includes that all drinks are in the glasses.
While she disappears into the back where we hear her washing dishes, we sit in the quiet bar and finish our beers. Just the 3 of us and the bar maid. We are locked in a bar…
Eventually we complete our task, she reappears and we pay our bill and she unlocks the front door so we can depart and relooks it behind us.
I guess a bar is not the worst place to be locked inside!
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