We had a really nice private room at El Olivio de Sansol and wanted to stay another day. They had already booked out all of their rooms so the next morning we were forced to move on to Viana about 12 km distant.
We had a pleasant breakfast of toast with butter and jam, and Nancy had cereal with leche (milk). The Bosch coffee contraption ground the beans each time you used it and could make anything from frappes to lattes and could probably lay a four lane highway at a mile a minute. What it didn’t know how to do is make a full pot of hot, black, American style coffee for which I would pay handsomely! The view over the valley was good from the kitchen balcony though.
Twelve kilometers to Viana didn’t sound like much but it was a path of unending steep ups and downs the whole way. The views were scenic from grand heights displaying large vineyards in the valleys and canyons below. All well watered, green, and healthy. The vines were heavily laden with grapes. Often they alternated rows of purplish blue grapes with white grapes. And there were large orchards of olive trees. The olive trees gave off a pleasing spicy fragrance that filled the air.
We stopped for lunch at a confluence of various paths and roads. We were carrying bread, dried Spanish bacon, apples, and peaches, so whipped up a pretty decent light meal. Also had a liter bottle of orange KAS which is FANTA without the extra syllable or cost.
We found an albergue quickly in Viana. No frills like a communal supper or breakfast. When we asked if a private room was available, so I could lay around in my underwear without people laughing, they showed us to a room with four bunk beds and said we could have the whole thing to ourselves. It was fun trying out all the different bunks before settling on our favorite spots. Ventilation was good since it had a full size door opening to a little balcony. We found mass at a hugely ornamental cathedral two blocks away. In Spanish of course. It was short but nice and the priest asked all peregrinoes to step forward for a special blessing.