1 April

Walked another 31 kilometres, from Sahugin to Reliegos, making a total of 1100 kilometres.
Had planned to walk on to the next village, but when I arrived at the so called Bar Elvis in Reliegos I was co charmed by the weird eccentricity of the place that I sat down and didn’t want to move any further.
I walked into the bar at about 4PM and the owner was laying on an easy chair, feet up, slices of cucumber over his eyes, jumping up to my entrance and asking if I would like a glass of wine or a glass of beer. Beer please, grande si, and then I started to look at this character out of a movie – playing the odd spanish barkeeper – for the next six hours. There’s just no easy way to get enough of this Sirin guy at the Bar Elvis. The way he played air guitar wit Credence Clearwater Revival, sang passionate Spanish love songs with his Rod Stewart voice and couldn’t resist to spin the wine bottle up, catching it, eyes closed, with his other hand every time he had to pour a glass of wine. Even the way he got his also drunk clients to put back on their shirts that they had thrown off, was fascinating.
It was in many ways the best bar I have ever been to. Part of the reason was the contempt with which the bar owner broke his own smoking banner. The people who wanted smoked happily along and when asked about it the barkeeper just raised his middle finger to the banner.
He did it in the same gracious way that he would move his leg on the rock and soul music that he preferred, hardly ever having he patience to let a song have a natural ending. Sinin is the bar keeper’s name and according to my Spanish friends he’s the most famous barkeeper on the Camino.
And with good reason. His accounting alone is above magic. I sat there ordering large beers for the five other peregrino’s that got together, having ample supply’s of great cheese and ham he would cut in generous amounts from the big ham standing on the bar. Julie also joined, when we turned to good tasting wine, then we had a splendid tasting dinner and at the end of the evening, after ten o’clock we paid €20 for this extravaganza. In the Marques de Ristral restaurant this bought us two glasses of wine. And what a splendid time we had. Also because the extra glass of beer and wine opens new roads to the hearts of people you have gotten closer too. That is also called the Camino way.
The start of the day was slow. I only hid the Camino after 9.30 AM. It is kind of amazing how many people I know by now. There was Richard, limping away, imaging that his inflamed shin will recuperate with walking only 25 kilometres tomorrow. Today he was going to limp 35, after having overdone it yesterday with 52. Everybody has their own definition of taking it easy.
And there was Maria who felt her ankle playing up. Not so much though as the female part of this Canadian couple who I have passed a few times now. The only way to ease her right ankle was by putting it down sideways, it seemed. ‘After a few hours walking it becomes easier’, she said.
It was pretty sad, and it was a good thing to arrive at Reliegos. Walking down the Meseta I thought I saw the own of Leon already in the distance. That might make a quite boring walk tomorrow. Luckily the barkeeper Sinin didn’t seem to be worried with these questions. He fried the potatoes and the meat to very agreeable standards and will relive in our memories as the most perfect barkeeper ever. Only 332 kilometres on this trip left for someone to surpass him.