Villafranca del Bierzo

October 13
The albergue in Villafranca del Bierzo is your typical municipal albergue...

...and we go through the typical routine of settling in (we arrive early enough to get bottom bunks).  What is not typical about the albergue is that it has WiFi access that extends to the dorms--and there is an outlet by my bed.  I draft posts and even Skype briefly with Jim.  Although Alistair and Anthony arrive later, and separately from one another, they wind up being our upper bunkmates.

Since it is Saturday, Jerri and I go exploring to find the church (the book says there are at least four in this small mountain town) that has a 6 p.m. Mass.  Unfortunately it is not the one just a short uphill walk from the albergue.

Nor is it the one on the Plaza Mayor (which houses a winery and a tiny natural science museum that is pretty much a waste of time).

We finally find it off another plaza, one that surrounds a beautiful garden park; it's amazing how lush it is this late in October.

We never find the fourth church.  We do come across a castle in our wanderings.  It is hard to capture it from the street right in front of it.  I don't do much better looking down on it from the steps of one of the churches.  Now we feel free to eat dinner and journal until Mass.

When we return to the church, however, there is a sign saying that Mass will be celebrated at St. Peter's.  We rush to the other two churches, both of which are locked.  St. Peter's must be the one we couldn't find. No one can say we didn't try.