- sign back at Albergue Verde
Well it didn't actually rain today until about 4 pm, just as I was arriving at my destination for the day, Molinaseca. And by then I was too tired to dance! I only covered 25 km today, but it was up - up - up and then down - down - down - down... A total elevation gain of 400 metres, followed by a drop of one thousand metres. More like walking at home in Liguria, where every hike begins with a climb and ends with a steep descent that gives you aching thighs the day after... Only I'm not used to it any more, after so many days of flat walking!
Slept well in the barn at Albergue Guacelmo, the mouse behaved itself and though one guy reportedly talked in his sleep I did not hear it. We were served "proper coffee" and toast and marmalade at 6:30 and then everyone headed out. I wore a thermal hat and a long-sleeved shirt I had found in the cast-offs bin as the weather was very cool. As I climbed up to the Cruz de Ferro at 1550 metres it became foggy and damp as well. But then the fog dispelled to reveal a clear view of the valley below.
 |
| For sale, in Foncebadon - looks like a great deal! |
 |
| Cruz de Ferro |
 |
| Cruz de Ferro |
I came to the refreshment stand/refuge run by the Templar, an institution on the Camino, but I was dreaming of fresh orange juice and tortilla (Spanish omelette) so I just looked at the mileages written on the stones .. . And found a trace left by a friend, Enrico, whom we met on the second evening after Toulouse and who went racing ahead, churning up forty kilometres of dust a day. He already arrived in Santiago, some time ago!
On the way down I ran into Bill from LA whom I had met at dinner last night in the hostel, and we shared pocky and chocolate from Astorga while his feet "had a siesta". Neither of us knew why the city of Astorga is associated with chocolate - must look it up!
Soon the sprawling city of Ponferrada came into view below.
I ran into Bill again in Acebo, and this time we had tortilla in a café. With orange juice, that's enough for lunch, for me.
More scrambling down steep slopes, and I passed through Riego de Ambros, which has the look of a real mountain village.
In the afternoon the clouds gathered and it became gloomy, which always causes me to feel tired. It started to sprinkle and I decided to stop eight kilometres before the city of Ponferrada, in Molinaseca, a nice-sized town with several albergues. I picked one on the way out of the town that had been recommended to me, but was disappointed to discover that the dinner does not include a vegetarian option, so I'll have to go back into the town to get something to eat - in the rain.
At least I'll already be on the way out of town in the morning!
 |
| Molinaseca |
No comments:
Post a Comment