Donativo and Ralph

Donativo

Today we passed by a Donativo, where the cost to stay is by donation. It is right on the Camino, in a 13th century building. If you stay the night, they feed you a meal, paid for by the previous day's donatiions. They then have a small ceremony, washing the feet of that evening's pilgrims.

If just passing through, they offer hot black coffee with butter cookies. It is a warm and kind place, run by Italian volunteer hospitalarios. 

Outside I saw Ralph grazing. 

We had met a few villages back, a couple of days before.

I was told by Ralph's owner that he loves to work and likes to start the day earlier than everyone else. I said, "that sounds like my husband."

To this he responded, "are you comparing your husband to my donkey?" I said that I would stop short of that, but that we often compare him to a goat, because he's great at climbing the hills of Spain.

 Another friend chimed in that he was surprised to see a "goat" wearing a knee brace and to this Mando responded, "I'm an old goat."