” Are you giving thanks to your feet and appreciating them for the contact they are making with the earth and those small steps you make every day?”
Part of a comment made by my sister-in-law who has been thinking of us and sending loving thoughts along the way

Today was going to be tough, a continuation of the climb we started yesterday – a 5 km climb to begin with, then a series of hills, ending with a long descent. The thought of 5kms of that relentless, stony path kept me awake (that and the Russian guy who had a long conversation on the phone in the dormitory, bad albergue etiquette, particularly at 9:30 at night)
Once again an early start for me.

The first 100m or so out of town continued yesterday’s path, narrow, stony and tree-lined, then opened out into a beautiful early morning view of the mountains. For a while the way was flat, then continued to climb, steep certainly, not like yesterday.

You could look up and see the pilgrims in front of you making their way to the top of a hill.

The flowers were lovely and the mountain views stunning, and it wasn’t long before I had reached O Cebreiro at the top of the first hill.

D2 had started later and I had a coffee and waited for a while to see if she would turn up, then decided to keep going. There were still hills to climb, one of which, while not a long distance, looked remarkably steep on the map. As I strode off up the next hill I suddenly realised. For the past couple of weeks every time I stopped for any length of time my feet needed a certain amount of cajoling to get moving. And I had just picked up my pack and sticks and headed off without sign of a limp. I don’t even know when that happened. I thought about this along the track. It’s only when they are not working so well that you think about your feet. Now that I they have recovered I don’t give them a thought. So I am grateful for my feet, for the small steps and the strides, they are serving me well.

I left some prayer flags that D1 had given me on a sign overlooking a valley. They came from our trek to Everest Base Camp and we certainly had some hard days trekking there!

D2 caught up with me along the way, we walked together for a while, then she headed off. As I walked into a village I caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance.

An impressive pilgrim overlooked the surrounding valleys

Coming up to lunchtime and there was one hill to climb. The bike riders tried valiantly to make it, but in the end they had to get off and push.

It was only a few kilometres to Fonfría where we were stopping for the night, so after a quick drink at the top of the hill we were on our way, a mercifully flat track

D2 caught up on her sleep from the previous night at the albergue and I enjoyed a beer and a scrumptious ensalada mixta. Bliss!

The weather is getting hotter and I found yesterday’s walk in the afternoon heat draining, so decided to set off early today and get most of my walk done in the morning. D2 really does like a sleep in, so after breakfast from the breakfast tray given to us the previous night ( the coffee in the thermos was surprisingly warm) I was on the road before the sun came up.

I really do enjoy walking this time of morning, whereas D2 walks on autopilot until about 8:00am.

The town of Villafranca del Bierzo is much bigger than I realised and it was light when I got to the corner where the Camino splits…..do I want to take the road up and down a mountain, or the route along the valley floor? Let me think about that for a nano second! And the valley floor it is!

The track followed a road through the mountains, it was easy walking and cool, and the trees soothing, and I made good time. I left a piece of rubble from our house which is currently being demolished, and a leaf from our fig tree, on a wall overlooking a house and huge vegetable garden. I would love to have looked at that vegetable garden closer.

D2 caught up with me at a bar mid-morning and made friends with a cat who had been doing the rounds of all the pilgrims who stopped for refreshment.

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The breakfast at La Puerta del Perdón, though cute, was not hearty, so we stopped about lunchtime and lunched on a delicious plate of spaghetti, thank goodness!
There was only about 10kms to go after lunch and I was hopeful that it would be a reasonably easy walk. Oh how the Camino tricks us! The walk after lunch was once again up a long hill, in the heat with no shade.

With about 3 kms to go the track headed off into the bush, it looked like it would be cool and reasonably easy. I followed a guy carrying a very mean looking scythe for a while until he and his dog loped off into the distance.

Gradually the track changed until we were trekking a stony track, a steep track that went relentlessly and never-endingly up and up. Just when you thought you had reached a peak it turned a corner, and continued on, up and up and up! The Camino is often full of chatter and laughter, but it was silent, apart from the clatter of sticks on the stones, laboured breathe, and the occasional groan as another hill came into view. It was definitely slow steps, small steps for me and sometimes other pilgrims smiled encouragingly as they past, but it was really a solitary struggle for everyone.

Of course I got to our albergue eventually, the mountain setting was beautiful, and there was tea and coffee makings available for a donation. Run by German volunteers, it had a washing machine, drier and great showers which I could work out how to operate, and had room to put your clothes and wash bag without washing them as well.

The dormitory was full of sleeping bodies when I arrived. D2 joined them while I wandered into town and brought makings for an alfresco tea.

Day 2, post rest, and feet are still
going well. The rest was worth it!

Unfortunately internet reception over the past couple of days has been very slow, and I have been unable to successfully load photos. I have decided to publish posts anyway so as not to get too far behind. I will let you know when I have been able to add photos

A few days ago I meandered. Today we ambled.
After breakfast at Hotel Nirvana which was thankfully incense free at that stage, we set off. Not long down the road we were passed by a couple of women, and I did think how fresh, clean and well dressed they looked, unlike D2 and I who have a distinct ‘pilgrim’ air about us. After a couple of minutes they waited for us to catch up, asked anxiously if we spoke English, and with relief, said they were lost. It turned out they were an American mother and daughter who had started that morning. We assured them they weren’t lost, and told them to watch out for the signs and yellow arrows. They set off again, Mum with her head buried in a Camino map. I hope it won’t be too long until she relaxes enough to see what’s happening around her.
We met up with Asian lady, we have now progressed to hugs even though the conversation is brief. It is always lovely to see her

Soon we were out into the countryside, it was a lovely morning, we were glad to be back on the road and it was just right for an amble. The area is obviously quite prosperous with lots of villas and houses with roses rambling over the brick and wrought iron fences.

Agriculture is varied with poppy dotted wheat fields,vegetables of all kinds and lots of grapevines and fruit trees. The cherry trees were gorgeous, big and shady, and lots of fruit, unfortunately not quite ripe.

Some of the villages had dwellings that were quite ramshackle, and looked as if they were abandoned, but sometimes little signs showed that someone lived there. Unfortunately you can’t see them, but this one had a bright shiny knife and gardening tools on a rack on the wall.

D2 tramped over a field to say hello to a horse which totally ignored her once it realised there was no food in the outstretched hand.

Someone’s dream house didn’t quite happen, while another house, now overrun with weeds, looked as if it had been loved in its time with roses and fruit trees still surviving in the front.

An interesting morning, unfortunately the afternoon was mainly uphill, hot with no shade, and that’s all I am going to say about that. It was a relief to reach our hostal, La Puerta del Perdon in Villafranca del Bierzo and have a beer!
First day back after my rest, and I am happy to say, the feet did well!

After a less than underwhelming hotel breakfast, D2 had dried out scrambled egg and chocolate cake, it was on with boots and back pack, pick up the walking sticks and head off. Today only as far as the bus station, granted.

Apart from the breakfast, we really enjoyed our stay at Hotel Astur Plaza, although we did wonder why Kinkly had to be out of the hotel by midnight!

When we walked into the Plaza we found it was market day, the usual market fare found the world over. This young man was keen to sell us some bling

The bread looked and smelled amazing

And D2 was thrilled to find a van selling freshly made churros

The bus station is situated behind the Archbishop’s Palace which was designed by famous Spanish architect, Gaudi, so we decided to check it out. It was built in the late 19th Century and now houses a collection of religious paintings and sculptures, as well as a Camino collection. In the garden are three huge angels which were supposed to be a feature of the palace, but for some reason they never made it out of the garden

D2 and I have become quite knowledgeable about Christian saints, thanks to the miracle of Smart phones. The stories, and hence the paintings and statues are often quite gruesome and disturbing.
Santa Roche healed victims of the plague by laying on of hands until he became infected himself. He was reportedly healed by a dog who brought him bread and licked his wounds. He is always portrayed showing a wound on his leg.

The stories of female saints often involve a resistance to being given
away to a male of high standing whereupon she was tortured, given to a brothel and had body parts cut off or gouged out.

All in all, an interesting collection

We headed off to the bus station where we met up with my Canadian friend who was also taking the bus.
Many people from surrounding villages had come to Astorga for market day and were taking the bus home, their shopping trollies full of fresh fruit and veges ( and possibly bright purple bras and Angry Bird jocks)

The bus trip was very comfortable…….we could get used to this!
Once in Ponferrada we checked into our lodgings, Hostal Nirvana which featured Buddhas and incense.
D2’s phone has been a source of frustration for her for most of the trip with parts of the touch screen not working

So once McDonalds had been found

We headed off to the Orange store to see if she could buy a new phone, only to find it all locked and barred. ( even though it should have been open)

A couple of cocktails back at Nirvana, a mojito and a piña colada, surprisingly delicious and cheap at €4 each, helped get over the disappointment.

Pilgrim’s menu at a local caf was delicious

Tomorrow we are back on the Camino.