With our hair blowing in the breeze and gleaming sunshine overhead, Aidan and I arrived in the small town of Najera as the locals prepared for siesta. Rugged hills along with a bridge overlooking the Najerilla river adorned the small town, creating a picturesque view. We made our way through the narrow streets in search for a restroom. A small bakery displaying delicate pastries seemed like a promising option. I ordered a milhoja- a dessert made with stacked layers of puff pastry filled with dulce de leche and another pastry filled with layer upon layered of cream. The desserts were neatly placed in a white box and wrapped with a thin silk ribbon.“Perdon, tiene un bano?” I asked the woman behind the cash register. She sympathetically shook her head no. We continued our search and with a little bit of camino magic, spotted our classmate Collin making his way through the town. Together we found an open bar, and I reluctantly ordered a zumo de naranja in exchange for a restroom break. Afterwards, we decided to relax by the river while the albergue opened. August and Annie also joined our mini siesta.
Aidan and I were disappointed to learn that the albergue had a curfew of 10 pm because we had already planned our outing. While the rest of the group checked into the albergue, we walked around checking the rules of other albergues. Exhausted, we threw our stuff on a bench and took a seat. A Spanish lady with graying hair and entirely dressed in black sat down next to us. I called a list of albergues in town only to receive the same response, “Doors close at 10 pm.” A bit discouraged, we walked around until we spotted a hostel; no time curfew! We checked in and made our way back towards the river for another siesta. The cool lush grass was refreshing against the warmth of my body. I gazed up towards the sky, creating figures in my mind with the soft and buoyant clouds. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the calming sensation of the moving river stream. Suddenly, I sat up and asked Aidan where the desserts were. “What are you talking about?” He asked, confused. “ Oh no Anne! left them in the shaded area of the bench we were sitting on awhile ago. I’ll go back for them right now.” I was confident our pastries would still be sitting in the same spot. “Who would think of grabbing a package with unknown content?” I thought to myself. My mouth began to water as I imagined biting into the savory treat.
“Anne! Oh my gosh you aren’t going to believe this!” Aidan exclaimed as he rushed to my side. “ As I neared the bench, I saw the little Spanish lady eating something. I got a little closer and saw her take a big bite of my creamy puff pastry! I stopped dead in my tracks and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.”
“Nooo! Did she see you?” I asked eagerly.
“I don’t think so! I didn’t go up to her and came running back to tell you,” He laughed. While a little disappointed, we couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. I was grateful that our pastries did not go to waste. I was also impressed that little Spanish lady had the courtesy to wait an hour before indulging in our pastries.