Day 13 Belorado to Ages (March 31)

We got up early and started at 0720 our earliest start yet. Too bad we had to walk 2 hours to find an open bar for our first cup of coffee. One other comment about the albergue last night. By the time the hospitalero got up and had the coffee going, more than half the pilgrims were gone. The place we stopped at on the way had okay coffee and the bocadillo de chorizo was probably the worst we had yet. The sky was full of clouds in every direction. We really pushed walking today. We had to decide for a short day or a long day. Stop and call it a day at Villa Franca de Oca or commit to San Juan de Ortega. We decided to push on since we were feeling pretty good. We stopped for a bite at San Juan de Ortega and decided to the extra 3.5 km to Ages based primarily on the fact that the albergue at San Juan de Ortega did not have hot showers. We ran into the Austrian sisters when we stopped and they asked if they could join us as we walked to Ages. Cullen had mochilla (blood sausages) to eat. I played it safe with a tortilla con chorizo. The girls said they saw Dieter at Santo Domingo de Calzado a couple of days ago. He´s not far behind us. I think we´re going to dally a couple of days so our arrival in Santiago is on a Saturday, so we may meet up with him there. The last miles from Belorado to Ortega were through forest. Mostly on a very wide path which was probably used for logging. Lots of big ruts. Thank goodness no rain even though the clouds have been with us all day. When we arrived in Ages it seemed to be a ghost town. Not even a barking dog to welcome us! We saw the sign for the El Pejar albergue (private) and decided to stay. The albergue was run by a nice couple and we opted to have dinner there since we didn´t see any other options in Ages. We had nice hot showers, the albergue is bright and clean. Wooden lockers. A couple of internet machines and a dining room used as a game room, or for writing when not being used to dine. We combined our laundry with the sisters and had use of the washer and dryer for 6 euros. IT started to pour rain around 6 pm and it was running down the streets passed the albergue. Dinner was good. For starters, arroz con pollo, then tortilla with salad and peppers and ice cream for dessert. We were joined at our table by a maybe 35 year old Spaniard doing part of the Camino by bicycle. His name was Juan Ramon and he and Cullen had a very interesting discussion about a variety of subjects. I´m so glad Cullen was able to use his Spanish for something besides finding beds and ordering food!