October 13
As we leave Ponferrada, the Camino passes the Castillo de los Templarios. Even in near darkness, it is magnificent. Farther on, in the suburbs, we cross paths with Anthony and Alistair, the two young Australians we met our first week here. It's good to see old faces.
One minute you're in the suburbs, then you turn away from the road and--bam!--you're surrounded by vineyards and local bodegas. The terrain is hilly--lots of ups and downs; the temperature is cool, the sky overcast.
We have always been checking for open churches/chapels, but as we get closer to the last 100 km, it becomes more important to collect sellos from churches to be eligible for the religious/spiritual certificate of completion in Santiago. Today we find two, one of which includes a museum of statuary and icons.
In Cacabelos, we visit the Museum of Archaeology (there is an affordable admission price for pilgrims). Alistair is not feeling up to par so he carries on toward the albergue, but Anthony joins us. It is a small museum of local archaeology and ethnology, plus an art exhibit. My favorite part: the various paintings of the Castillo.
Today we stop at the top of the page, in Villafranca del Bierzo, even though we started about a third of the way up the page. The next albergue is over 10 km away and we don't have it in us.
Total distance walked: 23.4 km
As we leave Ponferrada, the Camino passes the Castillo de los Templarios. Even in near darkness, it is magnificent. Farther on, in the suburbs, we cross paths with Anthony and Alistair, the two young Australians we met our first week here. It's good to see old faces.
One minute you're in the suburbs, then you turn away from the road and--bam!--you're surrounded by vineyards and local bodegas. The terrain is hilly--lots of ups and downs; the temperature is cool, the sky overcast.
We have always been checking for open churches/chapels, but as we get closer to the last 100 km, it becomes more important to collect sellos from churches to be eligible for the religious/spiritual certificate of completion in Santiago. Today we find two, one of which includes a museum of statuary and icons.
In Cacabelos, we visit the Museum of Archaeology (there is an affordable admission price for pilgrims). Alistair is not feeling up to par so he carries on toward the albergue, but Anthony joins us. It is a small museum of local archaeology and ethnology, plus an art exhibit. My favorite part: the various paintings of the Castillo.
Today we stop at the top of the page, in Villafranca del Bierzo, even though we started about a third of the way up the page. The next albergue is over 10 km away and we don't have it in us.
Total distance walked: 23.4 km
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