Where am I? Santo Domingo de Calzada (literally St. Dominic of the Causeway because of his help guiding pilgrims across the river in the Middle Ages)

How far did I walk? 20.7 km/12.8 mi. on the trail

I knew I had a shorter walk today, so I did not pack last night and got to bed a little earlier.

After packing and responding to a few messages, I was ready to go by 7:15. There was one issue though – there was nobody at reception to check out with.

I thought the woman said breakfast would be available at 7:30, but the door to the office was locked. I had to sit outside for a little while, but it’s a good thing I did not plan on leaving early.

The walk was good today, and my feet feel a little better. I’m starting to meet more people from my “Camino Village” – the same pack of people that arrives town to town. I’m running into friends from last week and meeting others along the way.

Santo Domingo is a neat little town. The albergue is an old monastery, so it’s not luxurious but only cost €6.

As I was doing laundry at the albergue, I noticed a girl without hair hanging out in the patio. I initially thought, “Wow, she’s walking the Camino while on chemotherapy!” She was talking to someone else, so I did not want to interrupt.

Later on, I was walking around town, and a girl from Austin called out to say hello. I was not paying attention, so I was caught off guard. The girl next to her then spoke.

“Pat, do you remember me?”

I looked up, and noticed it was the girl without hair. But she did look familiar!

After a brief pause, she reminded me. We carpooled everyday to student teaching at Mount Nittany MS. I gave her a hug and tried to figure out the polite way to ask what happened. Then she said, “Yeah, I started on the 17th and was a day into the Camino I realized I got head lice from a student giving hugs on the last day of school.”

(Reason #483 on why you never hug students.)

We caught up a little later, and I learned she is now teaching near Allentown. She knew treating the lice would have been a nightmare in albergues, and her husband and parents agreed she should just shave it off and keep moving. I give her a lot of credit for her attitude and determination.

It’s a small world and getting smaller!