A traditional albergue experience

Hola!
6 of us have booked into the traditional albergue in Ribadiso, the others electing to walk on 3 km to the next little settlement and book into a hotel. When booking in we were given a disposable mattress cover, another for the pillow on the bed, and will be using our sleeping bag liners tonight as bedding. Cost is 5 euros, no meals, but these we can get at a bar place next door. The bar opens at 6am tomorow morning, so we will eat there before doing our second last day before we walk into the amin square in Santiago. We walked 27.5 km today, but the next 2 days will be shorter luckily. For lunch, Sylvia had a lovely bochadillio with cheese, and I had some traditional almond cake. The others, Kay and Roy, and Barabara and Charles had slap chips that looked very nice. Some idea of costs: Syliva breakfast this morning of cola cao (hot chocolate) and a slice of home made madeira cake costs her 2 euros, and the lunch with cola cao (hot) cost 3 eoros 60. My tea often costs about 1.50 to 1.80 euros, and a can or bottle of jouice or water from a vending machine costs a euro. Dinner from a pilgrim menu is 9 or 10 euros, but consists of 2 courses (huge helpings), bread on the table and water and wine included as is a pudding - yoghurt or ice cream or tart of the house. So far the pilgrim menus have enabled the vegetarians and no shellfish or tuna eaters to get by, and the people serving us are generally very helpful and accommodating. Octopus is a regional speciality and Eugenie and Linda have tried out the dish. Talking food, we meet Gordon Bell from SA who now lives here, and he told us about an eating place in Palas de Rei that did a Plato Gordon (8.50 euors) that we shoud try. It was a hamburger served with cheese, bacon and a fried egg on the same plate and chips! what a meal. Rayna and I had that for lunch and were decidely stuffed to put it politely. That night at supper I then had a ´fruit salad´that turned out to be lettuce with tomatoe, sliced kiwi fruit, sliced apple and nectarine, and a canned pineapple ring, all served artistically arranged on a plate with oil and vinegar as a dressing. Sounds odd, but it was delicious. The food has been good, and for other pilgrims thinking about costs, 30 euros a day for meals and the odd drink etc is plenty.
On another note some of us spotted a deer today and a hare. There were lots of sheep and cows around and we walked dodging the cow pats. At some point we crossed paths with a herd of cows and I said to Sylvia I didn´t mind the dodging, but I didn´t really want a cow poepping ON my shoes so we hung back a little to let then cross. We also saw a women open her ´front door´and out walked about 10 sheep and they wealked around the corner of her house into the field. ... they know the routine!
All well in Spain. Will post again soon. We have now walked about 350km.
Kathy
PS - Dave, I´m wearing spats or gaiters so that I don´t pick up stones in my shoes. They have been a life saver.
Pinetwon RWFL girls .... I did 10 minutes a km the other day on the flats through town ... I thought I was flying!! my back pack probably weights in a 6km so was very chuffed. But its not about speed, so not really watching. Just of interest to those thinking of walking. Bank on 4 - 5 km an hour ......
Kathy