I am not walking today so I can write, which I am doing in the cafe of a hostal in La Poble de Claramunt. It is the perfect place for a break, family run and unchanged since times long gone. Everybody comes in for a coffee, a beer, to read the newspaper, either in Spanish or Catalan. I chat with the owner who tells me it has been in the family for generations, they replaced the chairs at some point (same style but new) and extended the bar (same material, marble in three different colours) but that´s it. It feels indeed as if I`m somewhere in the beginning of the 20th century. Until you open the newspaper of course, or listen to the people talking. Elections are coming up so it is on most peoples´ mind and everybody is bracing up for the coming days when temperatures will rise to unprecedented heights. A man next to me is drinking his first beer of the day, the garbage cleaners come in for a coffee, two men at the bar discuss politics and it gets quite heated when one of them is defending the right wing approach to the current state of affairs. They are guards, their uniforms tell me, and when I go outside I see they are guarding money, a van is waiting there, the engine on because the third guard is inside, staying cool with the airconditioning on. I go inside again, it is 11 o clock and 29 degrees already. The airconditioned money transport continues.
Walking has not been easy, there have been busy roads, giant blisters, wild boar keeping me awake, but also wonderful people, beautiful views, plenty of plantain (relieves blisters and bug bites) and tasty wild greens, little fountains (the miracle of water! even when it is warm and untasty).
The Tao (see day 2/3) gives me number 47 today.
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