A short day to Bascara

Last night I was hoping to get a good sleep, even if it was pretty hot in the third floor room with no breeze. Imagine my surprise when I was jolted awake at about 10:30 by loud live music. And not till 2:00 am was it quiet again. I am kind of surprised that the city lets people play that long and that loud. The surprise was that though I know no more than 5 songs in Catalan (and by "know" I mean some of the words and the melody) and they are all anti-Franco songs from the 70s. And then at around 1am they started singing "segur que tomba..." One of Lluis Llach's most popular songs, brought back. The enemy has changed from fascism to the Spanish state, but the message is the same --give us llibertat! 

The separatist sentiment is extremely widespread. If they ever get their referendum, Madrid should be very nervous. 

Today's walk was not spectacular by any means, through ag lands and a few small towns. But pleasant. 

(See the Pyrenees way in the back?) 

Though this may not be the historical route, which brings disdain from the purists, its advantage is that it has been carefully routed to avoid pavement. Historical routes are fine, but what that frequently means is that you walk alongside a busy road, since walking paths from the Middle Ages became cart paths, then dirt roads, then highways. I'll take a fake route if it means less asphalt! 

My choice today was to walk 18 km or 52. No other options -- I called a few casas rurales in towns along the way, but all three had gone out of business. So, 18 km to Bascara it was, 34 tomorrow to Girona. I'm in a little pensión whose owner is very nice and who put me up on the third floor so I'm less likely to hear the big noise from the bar during tonight's soccer game.  I think it's the finals of some European championship and Barca must be playing. 

Just a quick commentary on showers, which most of us take for granted, at least till you're out on the Camino. There are three essential features -- hot water, good water pressure, and a shower head that squirts water actually on your body. Today's shower will go down as one of those rare times when I had all three. I'm a happy pilgrim--great shower and hopes for a quiet sleep tonight, what more could I want?