We were in a hurry, Gerrit especially as he was desperate for a caffeine fix. When we arrived in the village nothing seemed to fit with Gerrit's guidebook. We asked where the bars were and the way to reach the next village on our route - but were unable to reconcile their answers with our guidebooks. Communication difficulties were not new to us but this was somewhat different. Of course, we then began to blame them for their lack of knowledge. Finally, after going about in circles we discovered a bar in a cluster of terrace houses, and there was nothing to indicate that it was there. Our host was a friendly man and when we laid out our maps in front of him we realised our error - we had somehow strayed from the camino - we were in a village not on the pilgrim route. It became clear that these people were unaccustomed to having pilgrims asking tricky questions. Of course, it would have paid dividends had we asked for the name of the village, in the first place, and that was a powerful lesson that I frequently applied in practice. Anyhow, with some help we figured a revised route to get us back on track.
Our revised route involved negotiating a tricky section of motorway to return to the camino, and all was well again. When we arrived at the village a wedding celebration was in train and that involved deafening explosions of a magnitude that would make any military proud. The people were out and about in their fineries and the men, women, and children looked spectacular. We found a cosy bar and our hostess prepared a fabulous meal for us. The ambience was pleasant and welcoming.
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