Day 22: The bridges labyrinth

Dear traveler, 

We started walking under a clear blue sky, sprinkled only with a few white and fluffy clouds. I have the feeling that this is going to be a good day.

In my ninja suit, I slowly walk on the orange path, that seems to take us closer to the mountains with white peaks. 

I'm thinking maybe this is why it's that cold. We're getting closer. 

I wonder if we're going to cross the mountains. I already have a few hikes gathered with my folks through our mountains, including during winter. But until then, , I have this orange path that takes me far away.

Again, nobody is around. I saw one or two strayed pilgrims when we left, but besides them, we don't see anybody. This makes me believe that we are leaving late. Ooooor, maybe just because we walk as much as we want and as much as we feel good. 

Mamarmot tells me that we're not hurrying anywhere. She knows that this time we'll get where we wanted and not only there. But where to after? What's next?

Until then, I'm looking after cats. No sign of cat around here. Is it the siesta already? Oh wait, cats have a siesta all day long.

We walk through small villages and I see all kinds of colorful doors. One prettier than the other, with more flowers and painted in bright colors. Two of them catch my eye, one of them being painted in the same shade of blue as the sky.

Red, green, blue, yellow. I marvel at the colors and I'm curious to see how many will follow and what other colors I will find.

A nice rest stop invites us to enter. The warm scent of cookies and potato pie convinces us right from the entrance. 

We play some card games for a while and a chess we found on a table here, with some beautiful metallic chess pieces. I think I remember how to play chess, from last time, when we found one in that monastery where we slept on the floor,. I don't recall its name.

At some point I notice that on the wall behind me there is an image that looks like a Roll and Move game. Like a labyrinth of picture. I wonder what they represent.

Mamarmot tells me that these are all the bridges that we crossed on the Camino and that we are going to cross. 

-"Look, Marmot, it seems that we're about to cross a bridge. Rio Órbigo. Apparently it's the longest medieval bridge in Spain."

I wonder what happens if I roll the dice and I end up on a bridge that takes me back. Back to the first bridge. The one from the small French village where we started. I surely don't want it to take me forward. I don't want to jump over any bridges, any colorful door or any potato pie. According to this labyrinth, we're about to cross the 26th bridge today and we still have 11 left ahead.

And I don't think these are all.

I clearly remember the many bridges we crossed through forests and over rivers.

But these are stone bridges and they have a story behind. And millions of feet walked on them.

I kind of loose at chess. I have a lot more to learn. So, let's continue walking and see what's the deal with the longest medieval bridge of Spain. 

We don't have to walk too much when we see a huge bridge that crosses over...oh well..it crosses over nothing. But I can say it's quite long. 

-"Mamarmot, how many years ago was this bridge built?"

-"Well, around 700 years ago."

Woaaah. I wonder how they carried all these stones. 

It's quite spectacular and it takes us a while to cross it. I'm trying to measure it, as I'm very curious.

One step, four steps, seven steps. I think I lost count and I need to start over. 

Oh, well..

We find our way further and, arriving into the next village, Mamarmot says that it would be nice to stop here. 

Well, today we didn't walk too much. It feels like we just left. Or since I was always looking for doors and now, bridges, I didn't even realized how much I walked? I could swear that this is some sort of trick linked to the bridges labyrinth..

Ok, let's stay. A tin templar knight waits for us at the entrance. And then, a delicious plate of pasta...mmmm. After such a meal, we could use a walk through the surroundings. Although it's a very small village, it's very pretty. And quiet. No signs of people on the streets. Yards filled with mosaic stones, flowers at the windows and big bushes of lilac. And of course, colorful doors here too. 

Soon, the night falls and we return to our small room where we'll be sleeping today. We were mostly alone these days. Maybe because my folks chose other paths than the usual ones.

I kind of miss all that chatter from before but I'm sure that we'll find it again. 

My mind is still at the bridges labyrinth. I wonder what would have happened if I rolled the dice. I wonder where I would have ended up. With this thought, I slip into the world of...games. And I teleport myself in some of the places I remember. But now, seriously..my eyelids become heavier and heavier. Let's get some sleep too.