Day 19: The dragon from the clouds

Dear traveler, 

I open my eyes and I recognize the dreamcatcher from the ceiling of my room. It helps me have beautiful dreams, catching any nightmare in its net. 

From another room you can hear cats meowing. I don't know if I told you, but in the morning we left on the Camino, my cat, Teodora, made 3 kittens. I was so eager to meet them. I jump out of bed and out the door. But here..it's a room I cannot recognize..it's actually..

Oh, come on, dream, I get it, I was not actually at home. But at least you could have waited a little so I could meet my kittens. Now I'll have to wait a lot of time for that.

The pale light of dawn caresses my face, but I would sleep for a little while, maybe I can catch up my dream from where I left it. 

-"Come on, marmot, it's time you wake up. We're hitting the road soon."

Ohhhh, alright.

We start walking with the first ray of sunrise and we move slowly along with the fog that's rising up from the field.

It looks like it's going to be a good day, not a rainy one like yesterday.

Yesterday's grey clouds became whiter and less threatening.

While walking, I look at the cloud parade that stroll across the sky and transform in the wind.

Some have shades of blue or grey and the wind carries them from the sun's direction, in the front of our path and then further.

One looks like an elephant, then it transforms in a rabbit that crosses the horizon in front of us. A bear, a horse and a puppy cross our path a bit later. Oooo, a turtle..with the head of a ..cat?

Mamarmot shows me something a bit further, right at the horizon line.

It's the most fierce animal I saw today. It's really a dragon! Well, the back of a dragon, which can only make me think about how huge this dragon is.

And the wind doesn't move it no matter how hard it tries.

As we move forward towards it, only the scales on its back soften a little, until it becomes one with the other clouds around it. 

So, you want to play hide and seek, right? I accept the challenge. 

We reach a small village where we stop for something to eat and we make some time to play a little.

Then back on the road, searching for the dragon from the clouds. Come on, give me at least a clue, as I can't see you at all!

The sight seems part of a fairytale and this sky really challenges your imagination.

It's just that this wind doesn't let me enjoy this view to the fullest. Although it's very beautiful outside, I am swaddled as an onion and this kind of annoys me. 

The clouds gather in multiple layers and it seems like the dragon won this game. I will take my revenge, dragon!

It seems like we will be staying in a town which, as I find out a bit later, is called something like hand on the saddle of mules. A strange name for a town.

Mamarmot tells me that two big roads meet here, ours and the roman road.

Our road enters the town through a citadel, from which apparently only the gate still stands.

We find our way through the little town with stone paved streets, decorated with the Spanish flag. 

We take our beds and we get ready to go out a bit. Outside, in the yard there is Berndt and his friend from Norway. Finally, we found each other!

-"Before anything I want you to know that yesterday I cheated at the end of the day. I had to search for an albergue somewhere along the way and I had no choice", said Berndt.

-"It's fiiiine, it's the intention that matters. I almost cheated. So, we're even?"

-"For sure. A vino tinto tonight to celebrate yesterday."

We plan to have dinner together and we go our way.

In the evening, we gather to share stories and dinner with Berndt and his friends. The mood makes me feel like home, back when our friends come over, a warm, pleasant and funny mood, with good food. That is pasta, because they are my favorite dish and in the past evenings it's the only thing I ate.

Berndt asks me if I prepared the letter for Santa. 

Well..it's still a work in progress, and, I am still not sure about what I want. But I'll take care of it in the next days.

Soon it's time to call it a night and return to the albergue. It's been a long, beautiful day, with a lot of wind and fantastic beasts. With friends that I consider my family. With this path that feels like my home. But I still miss home. And my cats.

I tuck in my sleeping bag and I'm thinking about the dragon. How lucky it is to have its home in the clouds. I wonder if it sleeps now or did it was brave to come out of its den under the moonlight? I'll search for it again on the sky tomorrow..until then..good night!