Scores on the doors 35.6 km up 326m down 545m
After a comfortable and quiet nights sleep, we set off at 8 am, even then it was still dark, but the sun was begining to rise, as we planned to walk a long way today we decided to take all the direct routes rather than some of the variations, which might have been a tad more scenic, but were a lot longer!
We arrived in Ponferrada, just before 9 and stopped at a cafe for breakfast, of coffee and croissant, before going on to it's famous Castillo de los Templarios, one of the main bases for the knights templar before their destruction.
The castle looked just like you would imagine a castle should, lots of turrets etc. And it struck us that the 6am brigade would have missed it's glories as they passed it in the dark, head torches scanning for yellow arrows. (but then again, each to his own).
Leaving Ponferrada we had the usual slog through the outskirts, and then through a sucession of villages between which the villages had plots of land where they grew all sorts of intresting vegatables and some times a couple of animals as well, often these plots were behind ornate Walls with fortress like gates.
In one village we stopped at a bar for a coke and rest and as it had free Wi-fi I decided to download a couple of episodes of the Archers, they downloaded sucessfully, but my iPhone managed to then delete all my music and podcasts. What is it with us and technology, two years ago both our iPod's totaly crashed whilst we were on pilgrimage. I am now paranoid lest I loose all the photos I have taken with my iPhone, that would be a tragedy of Grecian proportions!
As we walked deeper into the countryside the grape harvest was in full swing, none of the French or even Northern Spanish hi tech grape picking with grape picking machines, this was family groups picking by hand.
In Ponferrada we had visited a baker and bought some slices of pizza, which we ate sitting beside the river in Cacabelos
With our feet in the water to cool them down, before the last 8km push. As you can see we were beside a big green diving board. In this part of Spain they dam their rivers in towns to create swimming areas, mind you the water is freezing as it comes straight from the mountains.
As you approach each town or village you are met by notice boards advertising all the different types of accommodation, on approaching Villafranca del Bierzo we notice one for a refugio that also had separate rooms. We decided to try it, and so walked up and down the town trying to find it.
Eventually I asked someone who gave us instructions we didn't really understand, but tried to follow, but still did not find it, I asked a waitress at a street restaurant but she told me that she didn't come from the town, but got the owner who in English gave me directions, we found the albergue but the only space was in a small dorm where people were already in bed at 4pm. We decided not to stay, and eventually found a room with ensuite on a casa rural. The whole process taking about an hour and an extra couple of km's.
An Australian we had met had told us that we could find Internet with a printer in the town, so after showers and clothes washing, we visited tourist information, the lady gave us the details of a bar with the necessary equipment, so we now have our boarding cards for returning home. Because O Cebreiro, where we plan to go tomorrow, is a tourist destination as well as being an important stop on the camino, we were worried about finding any accommodation, so also asked the girl to book us rooms.
Jobs done we retired to the bar where we had been given directions for a beer, as in the better Spanish bars they brought with the beer a small snack for us as well. In this case it was a large mussel each doused in a fantastic spicy salsa.
We were so impressed we decided to eat there off their 12€ menu rather than find the usual pilgrim fare 10€ menu. For my starter I went for a plate of the mussels,
followed by a plate of Botillo a local dish of pork three ways, a sausage and then a kind of haggis of pork ribs and heart, flavoured with pimenton, and probably cooked by boiling. This came with potato and cabbage, all washed down with local red wine.
As we drank our beers we spoke to a chap called Jeremy from buckingshire, who was on a driving tour with his wife, and then afte our meal with two other couples from Britain and to my amazement I was able to do a little translation for them.
When we went into the bar to pay the owner insisted that we both had a shot of the local fire water, the same as I had in Astorga. Lesley declined and insted got a shot of a fruit drink.
After a comfortable and quiet nights sleep, we set off at 8 am, even then it was still dark, but the sun was begining to rise, as we planned to walk a long way today we decided to take all the direct routes rather than some of the variations, which might have been a tad more scenic, but were a lot longer!
We arrived in Ponferrada, just before 9 and stopped at a cafe for breakfast, of coffee and croissant, before going on to it's famous Castillo de los Templarios, one of the main bases for the knights templar before their destruction.
Leaving Ponferrada we had the usual slog through the outskirts, and then through a sucession of villages between which the villages had plots of land where they grew all sorts of intresting vegatables and some times a couple of animals as well, often these plots were behind ornate Walls with fortress like gates.
In one village we stopped at a bar for a coke and rest and as it had free Wi-fi I decided to download a couple of episodes of the Archers, they downloaded sucessfully, but my iPhone managed to then delete all my music and podcasts. What is it with us and technology, two years ago both our iPod's totaly crashed whilst we were on pilgrimage. I am now paranoid lest I loose all the photos I have taken with my iPhone, that would be a tragedy of Grecian proportions!
As we walked deeper into the countryside the grape harvest was in full swing, none of the French or even Northern Spanish hi tech grape picking with grape picking machines, this was family groups picking by hand.
As you approach each town or village you are met by notice boards advertising all the different types of accommodation, on approaching Villafranca del Bierzo we notice one for a refugio that also had separate rooms. We decided to try it, and so walked up and down the town trying to find it.
Eventually I asked someone who gave us instructions we didn't really understand, but tried to follow, but still did not find it, I asked a waitress at a street restaurant but she told me that she didn't come from the town, but got the owner who in English gave me directions, we found the albergue but the only space was in a small dorm where people were already in bed at 4pm. We decided not to stay, and eventually found a room with ensuite on a casa rural. The whole process taking about an hour and an extra couple of km's.
An Australian we had met had told us that we could find Internet with a printer in the town, so after showers and clothes washing, we visited tourist information, the lady gave us the details of a bar with the necessary equipment, so we now have our boarding cards for returning home. Because O Cebreiro, where we plan to go tomorrow, is a tourist destination as well as being an important stop on the camino, we were worried about finding any accommodation, so also asked the girl to book us rooms.
Jobs done we retired to the bar where we had been given directions for a beer, as in the better Spanish bars they brought with the beer a small snack for us as well. In this case it was a large mussel each doused in a fantastic spicy salsa.
As we drank our beers we spoke to a chap called Jeremy from buckingshire, who was on a driving tour with his wife, and then afte our meal with two other couples from Britain and to my amazement I was able to do a little translation for them.
When we went into the bar to pay the owner insisted that we both had a shot of the local fire water, the same as I had in Astorga. Lesley declined and insted got a shot of a fruit drink.
No comments:
Post a Comment