The Chickens

So - I have seen the chickens! Sadly there will again be no mass for me tonight. Apparently it isn't held in the cathedral during the week...so since I really only wanted to use it as a free way to see inside the cathedral - now I don't need to go. I paid to get in the church instead. It was nice enough. Nothing like I expected.

So the story is - years and years ago a pilgrim family came to town. The local inn keeper's (or someone) daughter fell in love with the son of the pilgrim family. But he was well-behaved and wouldn't have her. So - upset at being rejected - she put a cup in the boys backpack and he got arrested for stealing it. He was immediately hung! His parents were devastated but when they walked past the hanging place - their son was still alive and being held up by none other than St. James! So the parents ran back to the mayor of the town and told him their son was alive!! The mayor was just sitting down to his dinner or roast chicken and said - if your son is alive then so are these chickens. And suddenly (miraculously I suppose you would say) the chickens on the mayors plate grew feathers and came to life. Ever since then they have kept 2 live chickens in the cathedral. Its supposed to be good luck for the chickens to cluck at you or to find a chicken feather - but I don't know how that is possible any longer because the chickens are behind glass. How unexciting. Anyways I have added the pictures from the cathedral.

Also - the spare chickens are kept in the Albergue garden. So I went to visit those ones as well and snapped a few photos. How nice...smelly chickens everywhere :p

So that is the chicken story. Other than that I have been relaxing! I chilled out in the garden this afternoon and will head out again now. I also went and bought some new sandals (of course). They are lovely! My feet can breathe! Now I can wear my new shoes half a day and my new sandals the other half. Will be super necessary because I have learned it is supposed to be even hotter tomorrow and get up to 28+ degrees!!! Ahhhh!!! I am dying!!

Oh! Annie the Canadian and english Matthew arrived at my Albergue this afternoon! How funny to see them!! I thought Annie was days ahead walking with the crazy French guy that was doing like 40km a day. But she said she gave up on him after 20km without stopping :p. Its so interesting to meet and lose people along the way. And it makes me feel good that others I started with are at the same place as me :). Annie was talking about only going 7km tomorrow because the Albergue is supposed to be really nice and in a bell tower! Sounds cool to me! I would be up for that - especially if its going to be 28 degrees!!! Hate walking in the heat!! Stupid heat wave! Its only supposed to be like 17 or something!! Everything I read about doing the camino this time of year warned of cold and even snow! Instead its a summer heatwave! Blah!!

What else?!? Oh the shoe guy was super cute old man! He knew what size my feet were just by looking and fit the sandals perfectly to them. And made me get the bigger ones because he could tell they fit better and I wouldn't stub my toe! Super nice - you could tell he had been doing that for a long time :) glad I bought them and helped out the local trade :p

Ok-off to the garden to relax some more!!!

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